The Return of the Pant

Thank you, Fashion Gods, for shining down on us so brightly this season. After seasons and seasons, years and years of jeans being the wardrobe staple, pants have come back as a wardrobe must-have. Slim fit, wide leg, men’s style, cropped, long, even Bermuda shorts are all over the runways, in the magazines and on the racks at the local mall. I couldn’t be happier, and you should be too.

But why, you ask. Jeans are great – they are comfortable, they are easy and with the way fashion has been of late, they can go from Wal-Mart to work to an upscale night club all with the change of shoes and bag. Well, that is true if you have a model’s body and a celebrity’s budget. But for the rest of America, the jeans look has not been pretty.

Jeans are NOT comfortable. How can a stiff, stitched double layer of heavy cotton punched with metal buttons and closures feel good on your belly while you sit? How many gyrations, squats and shakes do you do every morning to get your jeans over your thighs, hips and rear? Those who do not partake in The Denim Dance – do you have a full-length mirror and a hand mirror? Take a look at your rear view – how saggy is the denim below the pockets? Are the pockets even located on your bum any more? Jeans that look hip and fashionable are rarely comfortable, and those that are comfortable are far from flattering.

Denim does have it’s perks – it hides stains, it’s heavy so it hides cellulite and other body sins, it doesn’t wrinkle and goes with most colors. However, walk through your local mall or sports arena – you will see that most women just do not look good in their jeans. They are the wrong color, wrong length, wrong cut, wrong fit, wrong brand. Unlike a pair of black trousers, you cannot get away with cheap jeans looking expensive. We are fully aware that those jeans are not designer, even with the gaudy Bedazzling on your rear. Like a designer purse, the money is in the details. You cannot find those details in a pair of LEI’s, Mudds or Arizona jeans, try as you might.

SO keep your jeans for weekends and return to the trouser for other aspects of your life – your body will thank you.

Pants are elegant. This season they are shown in a multitude of styles, so there truly is a cut for every body type. The lighter weight fabric and lining glides over the body like an expensive silk slip. Rolls and bumps become feminine curves in trousers. Legs are lengthened, bellies are minimized, and your old twinset is revitalized.

The most universally flattering style is a flat front, straight leg. The pants should skim, not hug your curves. A tab waist is very comfortable and minimizes a belly. I recommend staying away from slash front pockets – they bow out on most feminine shapes and ruin the line of the pants. For back pockets, coin or flap ones are good at hiding the rear, lack of pockets makes a rear look more shapely. Stay away from patch pockets – they cheapen the look of the pants.

Think Katherine Hepburn, Rita Hayworth. Would you ever see these women schlepping around in jeans? Pants made them elegant, feminine yet strong. Pants defined their look and people covet that look decades later. A well fitting pair of pants will make everything in your wardrobe look upscale. A pair of white pants with a fitted tee in a jewel tone and some strappy heels looks appropriate for lunch. Take that same tee with jeans, and you look dressed to wash your car. A white shirt with jeans can often look hokey, but a white shirt with black trousers and a necklace looks elegant, crisp and classic. Your cozy black turtleneck with jeans is homey and basic; your cozy black turtleneck with cream cuffed trousers is chic and perfect for work.

Switching from jeans to pants will suddenly make you look five pounds slimmer. Denim may hide a multitude of sins, but it also adds a thick layer to what you already carry on your frame. Rears look larger under patch pockets, wasitlines look thicker, hipps look wider. In a pair of men’s style trousers with a lining, suddenly dumpy looks zaftig, bumpy looks feminine, and curves are apprecieated for their feminine beauty. Like jeans, you are still able to cover up all that you wish to hide from the light of day, but unlike jeans, you are able to celebrate the rest of you.

The Pants to Buy for This Season (and for the rest of your life):

White Trousers - Just below the belly button, flat front, minimal back pocket, preferably no front pockets. A clean line, straight, possibly wider at the bottom. Preferably no cuff – it will make the trousers more classic. These pants should be lined and of a heavy fabric – cotton, twill, sateen. Look for a fabric with a hint of lycra – this will prevent wrinkles. You want a crisp look – a crease down the front of the leg will elongate. Put your hand in the pants and hold them up to the light – if you can see your hand, put the pants back on the rack. You should not be able to see your underwear, the seams of the lining, anything but crisp, clean white. The length should be long – they should all but cover the heel of your average height of shoe. Once you find these perfect pants, buy a second pair if possible. Somehow the days you wear white pants your kids will do finger-painting in daycare. Also, follow the washing instructions to the letter – sometimes bleach yellows fabrics and dry cleaning can make it gray.

What to wear them with: Blazer and shells or twinsets for work, fitted tees for weekends, optic-print or jewel toned halters and tanks for play. Peep-toes, heeled sandals, wedges, thongs and even retro sneakers look great with white trousers. White lets you be creative with your footwear – pair a black button-down shirt with white pants and coral snakeskin pumps or gold strappy wedges.

Chinos – Not your everyday Dockers, these chinos are hip, flattering and can go from work to picnic. Same as the white trousers, you want a slightly lower rise, a straight or fuller leg, minimal pockets. The best colors are traditional khaki or stone. Anything darker or lighter will not transfer from year to year as easily. Again, the length should be long – almost skimming the ground in flat shoes, and covering most of the heel in higher footwear.

What to wear them with: Chinos are the Skipper if white trousers are Barbie. They look great with a shell and blazer too, but the blazer would be of a more casual fabric like twill or denim. Instead of silk halters, pair chinos with a tube or tank top in jersey or cotton. Chinos are the more spunky and casual relative to your white lined trousers. They will take up many of the roles that your jeans had, but will look far more flattering and chic.


Neutral Cropped Pants - These are not the skin-tight pedal pushers of a few seasons ago, nor are these the pleated baggy capris in the J. Jill catalog. The cropped pant this season is straight, crisp, not tight but not baggy. There are many styles in the store, but unless you have a perfect figure, I recommend investing in a pair with tab front or jeans-style closure, only coin pockets in the front, any pockets in the back, hit at calf-length, skim the hips and then fall straight down. A sturdy fabric like chino or stretch twill will get you the most mileage. Black is a great color that will dress up or down, but olive green is a popular neutral this season that really makes bright colors pop (and gives you more versatility in what color shoes to wear).

What to wear them with: Again, they can be dressed up for work with a blazer, twinset or a button-down shirt. They can be made casual with a tank or tee in a bright color. For play, pair the pants with a baby-doll style strapless top or a classic halter in jersey, or get bold with a beaded chiffon camisole. Cropped pants look great with anything from ballet flats to leather thongs to the stacked wood sandals this season to gladiator sandals. Keep it clean, crisp and classic to make the cropped pants look less Soccer mom and more Fashion Plate.


Black Pants – This should be a year-round staple. You want a seasonless fabric like gabardine, crepe or triacetate. The pants should be lined so they fall gracefully from your curves. No pleats, slash pockets or adornments – these pants need to be basic, elegant and timeless. Like the white pants, you want these to be long – they should all but cover the heel of your average height of shoe.

What to wear them with: Gosh darned everything in your wardrobe! A crisp white oxford, a candy colored blazer with a shell, a twinset, a silk knit tee in your favorite color, a black and white optic-print tank, a matching blazer for a classic suit, any sweater or knit. As for shoes, you can go from classic black pumps to snakeskin mules to strappy gold heels. Like white pants, these trousers will showcase your footwear, but unlike white trousers, you can let your outfit shine with a pair of classic black shoes to blend in with the bottom half.


Some Trouser Don’ts
Even though you love your white pants, that does not mean you should go out and buy a pair of white shoes. White shoes are to be left to nurses and the very skilled and trained fashionistas. If you are like most of America, step away from the white leather sandals and head toward an unexpected neutral like silver or bronze.

Don’t treat your trousers the way you treated your jeans. If the label says to dry clean, I recommend that you do. They may go through a spin in the washer with Woolite just fine the first time, but too many cleanings like this will disintegrate the seams and lining, remove the crisp creases and make the entire pant misshapen. I have also washed a pair of pants and ended up with the pant shorter than the lining – not a stylish look. With quick and cheap dry cleaners on almost every street corner, leave the cleaning to the pros (though you can spot clean with Shout Wipes and Dryel).

As with any garment, make sure the top compliments the bottom. Don’t wear a baggy top with full pants unless it’s Halloween and you are dressing up as the Michelin man. On the other side of the coin, do not pair slim pants with a fitted top – it is not stylish to look like a tramp.

Make sure you have the right length. One should not see your ankle bone unless the pants are purposely cropped. You should not be stepping on your pants either. That may have worked for jeans, but pants are made to look clean and crisp. If they are too long, take them to the cleaners or a tailor – they can hem them for a very reasonable price. Also look at the websites I have posted on the side – there are companies that specialize in petite, long AND fashionable clothing.

Don’t wear pleats, don’t wear faded clothing, don’t wear hems held up with safety pins or staples, don’t wear winter fabric in the spring (wool, tweed, velvet). Don’t have VPL (visible panty line – invest in some seamless, skin- colored undergarments). Don’t be afraid to go up a size for a good fit – unlike jeans, pants do not always “grow” throughout the day, and the seams are more delicate. If you are squeexing yourself into a 10 for vanity’s sake, try the 12 and just cut out the tag when you get home. As tailors can easily hem a pair of pants that are too long, they can take in a waistband that is too wide. Buy pants to fit your largest part and the rest can be let in. If you invest in good fabric, good cut and if necessary, good tailoring you will have trousers that you can wear year after year and always look smart and chic.