One leg at a time
When was the last time you stepped into a pair of proper trousers, ladies? With jeans and dresses dominating our closets these last few years, pants have been getting a bad reputation -- and for good reason. Black slacks were once so ubiquitous as office wear, we might as well have been wearing hospital scrubs.
With the waning popularity of premium denim (begone, $200 jeans!) and the shift toward dressier, more powerful silhouettes, a pants revolution is fast upon us -- and we’re not talking your mom’s tapered, elastic-waisted slacks.
Think Hepburn or Hutton, Dietrich or Hall (as in Annie). The new silhouette is dramatic and wide -- slouchy around the middle or slightly high on the waist (not costume-y high). When done well, you’ll narrow your waist and lengthen your legs.
Call it the power pant, and get ready to see versions of it everywhere: Designers, including Proenza Schouler and Alexander Wang, showed glam versions of the look on New York’s runways.
L.A. fashion designer Arianna Pistilli, a former accessories designer for Trina Turk, so believes in the versatility of trousers that this month she’s launching a collection based around them called Parker & Barrow (the surnames of Bonnie and Clyde). She tips us off on how to work the new silhouette -- without looking like a working stiff.
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Nix the flare
Pant legs should flow seamlessly from waist to floor, Pistilli says, and move like liquid around your pretty little feet. “Look for a smooth break at the knee,” she says, “not an obvious flare -- that’s dated.”
Keep it long
The new trousers aren’t just for tall girls but the vertically challenged as well. “A higher rise helps shorter girls,” Pistilli says. “It increases the length of waist.”
Menswear
It’s tempting to think you should always offset menswear-inspired trousers with feminine tops and sweaters. But if you’re going for that legendary look, “any object . . . made for men is your ideal pairing,” Pistilli says -- “vests, button-downs, ribbed undershirts, long and thin cardigans, tuxedo shirts. They’re things that aren’t archetypally feminine, but when you carry off a menswear look, it’s very Katharine Hepburn.”
Shoe scene
Power pants beg to be worn with heels -- from stilettos to wedges to platform sandals (if you’re going for that ‘70s “Three’s Company” vibe). Make sure the bottom of the pants partially cover your shoes or you’ll be sporting cropped wide-leg slacks, a total fashion faux pas. But you don’t have to be in heels to look cute in the new silhouette: “You can definitely wear flats, but your pants have to be perfectly hemmed, and don’t, under any circumstances, cuff them. You will look stumpy.”
Party pants
After hours, Pistilli funks up her pants with “more playful stuff on top, like a Brian Lichtenberg octopus-printed tank top or an old Byrds concert T-shirt. Then, I like fitted jackets -- not blazers -- that hit at the hip.” Careful to keep it age appropriate: “Wearing a T-shirt with little spacemen on it will make you look like a raver if you’re past a certain age.”
Bags and baubles
“Big earrings and an armful of big wooden bracelets -- or a clean cuff -- look amazing,” Pistilli says. “It’s also a good time to rock a great necklace, paired with a very plain top.”
Bottom line
“Pants have an edge over jeans because they differentiate you from 97% of the walking public,” Pistilli says. “And they highlight a woman’s form in a way that’s less obvious than wearing a tight skirt. You stand differently in pants. It’s like, even if you’re not going to romp around, you could if you wanted to.”
