This weekend my sister dragged me downtown for some retail therapy. Somehow, I was the only one to actually spend any money, and among my spoils were two pairs of printed pants. Printed trousers, jeans and shorts are all the rage right now, but they can also be intimidating to wear. Below are some things to keep in mind when creating a fabulous outfit with your fabulous pants.
By Lauren H. Craig
1. Cuts & fabrics. Before you start putting outfits together, you should be mindful of how the cut and fabric of your pants will impact the rest of your look. It’s easy to focus on finding colors that look good together without considering how the cut of the clothes will impact your silhouette. Are they wide-legged or skinnys? Or leggings? Denim or Silk? Cotton or linen? Believe me, this stuff matters. For instance, loose, silk pants look good with structured tops, blazers and jackets, while flowing tops are more easily paired with fitted, ankle-skimming trousers and jeans. Now, these basic rules can definitely be broken, but if you’re looking for a place to start, they are solid principles.
Tommy Hilfiger
2. Solids and color blocking. The easiest way to wear printed pants is by pairing them with solids. A simple denim shirt or white, cotton button up looks great with many different styles and prints. You can also layer your solids by adding a blazer or leather (or denim!) jacket. You can select a top that matches an accent color in your pants or try pairing contrasting colors, such as an orange top with patterned pants dominated by green.
3. Neutrals. If you feel a little unsure about experimenting with color, try soft, subtle neutrals first. There are hundreds of different shades and they can be paired with any pattern. You can also try a toned-down printed pant for a monochromatic look (you can rock this look with color, if you’re feeling feisty).
4. The pantsuit. And I’m not talking about Hillary’s favorite power outfit. These new matching sets feature bold, fresh prints in large geometric and floral designs. Most women will opt to break these pieces up, but worn together, they can make for a striking fashion statement. Make sure the pattern is flattering (small patterns or patterns with too much open background space can make you look larger), and try breaking things up by wearing the blazer open with a white top.
5. Pattern mixing. Wearing your printed pants with printed tops reaches the highest level of fashion difficulty, but there are a couple of different ways to pull this look off. To start, go back to your neutral, monochrome look and swap out that solid top for a neutral top with a print similar to the size and shape of the pattern on your pants (remember, you can treat animal print like it’s a neutral, but be careful about mixing two of them). When you feel comfortable, try pulling off this twist on the monochromatic look with color. Below, Solange shows us what successful print mixing looks like (ignoring, for the moment, that her pants are far too long and she's about to ruin the hem of those gorgeous pants. Get thee to a tailor, immediately!). Notice how she breaks up the patterns with slacks that are mostly black, but feature printed panels. 