Pretty [printed] Pants

This may come as a shock to some of you but i'm not exactly what I would describe as a proponent of pants. I could count on one hand the number of times per month that I wake up and make the conscious decision to don a bottom with leg holes.

I wasn't always like this – as a matter of fact – I was quite a fan of denim up until a couple years ago when my jeggings began irritating my back and then gave me a weird leg rash due to a lack of blood circulation. It just so happened that around that time I invested in lots of dresses and have been uber-fem ever sense. This was until this past July when I wandered into Madewell and fell hard for several pairs of black, cotton pants that have given my wardrobe a much more rounded feel.

polka dots by [blanknyc] x Madewell 

My new pants all had a common theme – wild prints ( and by wild I mean they were printed. I am by no means a crazy print person).

At Madewell I found myself these [blanknyc] x Madewell skinny jeans in polka dot, shown left. They weren't so much white as grayish dots which match perfectly with my blackish x whitish oxford spectators from Urban Outfitters, only $8 on clearance, and my Nuno capelet (more on that soon).

I also happened upon my new favorite pants – the black coated skinny skinny, also by Madewell, shown below. Both of these pants are classified as jeans but are cotton blends with no denim mixed in.

skinny skinny coated jeans by Madewell

My skinny skinny coated pants have made for near sartorial perfection in my dressing. Paired with a vintage cashmere vest, thigh high boots and my Alexander McQueen classic skull scarf I more than stand out on my demure college campus.

Both of these pants are wonderful additions to my wardrobe because of their general versatility. I can wear them to class with a vest or blazer and I am ready for anything from an interview to a presentation or lunch with friends. Paired with a flory blouse they are great for a dressy dinner with Pete or my co-workers and with my basket woven capelet I am spot on trend to style the senior set at work.

In a way, they have become my "yoga pants" a comfortable go to that requires no thought yet I am always comfortable in.

My final pair of printed pants discovered on Main Street in Pittston at my stand-by shop, Boden. They are a paisley in a lavender, navy and taupe color scheme screened onto the softest silk. My throwback to the 70s hit my just below the bra line – they have that high of a rise – and feature a subtle bell bottom. There are so many things that I would never ever do that these pants feature that I had to try them on. It was love at first wear. Paired with a polyblend camp shirt from Express (i got purple haze) it feels like I am wearing luxe pajamas.

lace plaid ombre skinny pant by Tibi

Talina B pant by Joie

While printed pants may have been one of my favorite fall trends, it's not a style that's going away anytime soon. Everyone from ASOS to Zara is showing printed pants for the spring and summer, Eileen Fisher has a fantastic thumbprint, wide legged pair coming out in April and both Tibi, shown left, and Joie, shown right, are showing the cropped style for spring.

Pair your pretty printed pant with a solid top – I would not suggest mixing patterns as the wrong combination will look terribly awful. 

Finally, don't be afraid to try something different. Sometimes, rarely, the craziest pants are the prettiest.