Now Trending: Fancy Pants

Posted by Julia Neel

 

I used to love a coloured trouser. Love. I have trousers in teal, pink, camel, Santa Claus red, powder blue… a spectrum of trousers. But something’s happened. I used to think their chromatic diversity gave me an edge that earned me extra style snaps; that they were adventurous – nigh on dangerous – in a sea of skinny jeans and basic cuts in black. Now, they’re not enough. They bore me beyond reason. To me, they seem as anodyne as a white tee. My ennui is tangible.

I think it was the blue and pink paisley-encased pins at Raf Simons’s last spring/summer show for Jil Sander that finally made me realise I had graduated to a new level of pant pedantics: printed. They were at Clements Ribeiro, Etro, Vivienne Tam, Peter Som, Richard Chai, Erdem, Giambattista Valli, Sportmax, Altuzarra, Proenza Schouler. Everywhere.

At Erdem and Sportmax, floral varieties were teamed with button-up blouses covered in equally sweet posies. Joseph Altuzarra gave the botanicals a tropical twist and toughened the look up with a sheer tee and a shiny leather bomber jacket.

At Diane von Furstenberg, Proenza Schouler, Jil Sander and hot US fave J.Crew, the look came in head-to-toe matching prints – a striking option that will get you noticed, but for all the right reasons.

I’m not going to lie, this trend requires a certain level of finesse to get right. If you’re going for contrasting prints, make sure they have similar backgrounds or tones – a tropical trouser won’t work with delicate pastels (and you don’t want to look like you got dressed in the dark). Work it like super blogger Karen Blanchard from wheredidugetthat.com, with a classic blazer and pumps.

Or you can pick up a highlight colour and tie it back in elsewhere, à la Olivia Palermo and Zoe Saldana. As creepers and vines bloomed up her legs, Olivia tucked a neon top into her Topshop trews (tucking-in keeps things neat), and added an extra flash of print with leopard heels. Just make sure you’ve got enough ankle on show if you’re going to do the same.

But it doesn’t have to be all polish and prettiness. Try teaming blossomy bottoms with a rock tee or a fluffy jumper (one of the season’s other key buys). Turn to Isabel Marant for a cool girl translation – tie-dye denim worn with varsity jackets – and look to Peter Pilotto’s digital prints if you’re allergic to flowers.

Counteract any niggling doubts that patterns aren’t flattering by wearing with heels – wedges, stiletto pumps or strappy sandals will all elongate stems. Which is blooming perfect.

Shop the season’s slickest printed trousers here.