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Few pants are as amazingly comfortable as wide-leg trousers. They feel like we’re wearing our favorite airy, pajama bottoms but with all of the style and sophistication we need for work or leisure. There’s just that one little problem where sometimes these pants can walk the line between billowy and ballooning. Keep your outfit grounded with these tips for how to style your wide-leg pants to ensure that the only thing that’s inflated will be your self-esteem with how good you look.
1. Define Your Waist
With so much going on with our lower half we need to make sure that our figure doesn’t get lost in the fabric. Choose a fitted top that will give contrast to wide-leg pants and tuck the top in to show off your waist. It’s an absolute essential that a silhouette be created that has a definitive shape compared to the expansive fabric of the pants or they can swallow the wearer. Another way to define your waistline is to add a thin belt at or just above your navel to simulate a waistband if you prefer to wear a loose, untucked top. Keep in mind that the type of fabric you select for your top can also work against or with your pants. Soft cotton and silky fabrics like these Runway Glamour Tees won’t bubble or bulge if tucked in the way a linen fabric might.
2. Be Mindful of Hemlines
Wide-leg pants make legs look longer since they tend to be highwaisted and help slim the hips and draw out the eye’s perspective. To ensure that you get this desired effect though, and for shorter women especially, make sure your pant’s hemline is the right length for your height. This style of pant can be worn long, almost brushing the floor but be prepared to wear high heels to pull off the look. For an easier, more transferrable length look for a hemline that hits just below your ankle like with this Luxury Resort Palazzo Pant by IMAN. This hemline will give the flair of the bottoms a comfortable resting place and also show off a hint of your shoe to give your legs a balanced proportion. A third option that can also work really well is to pick a hemline that cuts above the ankle, at the bottom of the shin like this Scenic Print Smocked Waist Pant by Margaritaville. Try this style out with chunky wedge heels or flats.
3. Choose The Right Layers
If you want to add a light jacket or other layer to your look make sure your new addition isn’t going to through off the proportional balance you’ve created. For jackets and cardigans make sure the lowest point that the layer hits on your body isn’t more than a few inches below your hips. Layers paired with wide-legged pants that are too long will take away from the statement of the bottoms and begin to make the overall look feel too heavy. For particularly dense or bulky layers like leather jackets or heavy knits makes sure the layer’s hemline hits at your waistline or above. Cropped layers like this “Connie” Quilted Jacket by Hal Rubenstein are perfect for wide-legged trousers.
Do you prefer monochromatic or printed wide-legged trousers?