How To Wear a Wide Leg Pant

“I love the wide leg pant look, but can I pull it off?”

In a nutshell, the answer is YES, you CAN. However, what you choose and how you wear it will make or break the look. Here are some tips on how to pull off this sometimes tricky spring look.

Drape is key. You really want to find a cut and fabric combination that falls nicely and just skims the hip and thigh. Anything too wide, especially in a stiff fabric or with lots of pleating, can easily make YOU wide. Drape is especially important when wearing cropped pants like culottes, which have flooded the stores this season. Wear with a nude sandal, mule or wedge to elongate your leg (since crops tend to shorten you).

I do love the “paper bag waist” belted trend but by design, there are usually lots of pleats and extra fabric at the waist. If you’re not careful, you could look, well… like a brown paper bag. Choose lightweight, flowing fabrics with minimal pleating for the most slimming look.

And then there’s MY favorite way to wear wide legs, and what I feel is the most slimming. Think Rachel Zoe and Victoria Beckham (and it even works for us ladies who actually have some meat on our bones). Choose a long, flowing leg and pleat-free, high waist. Throw on a super high wedge and hem the pant so that it just skims the floor to create additional height. And don’t forget to pair a wide leg pant with a more fitted tee or tank to offset the volume on the bottom.

Here are some of my favorites this season. Click on an image for slideshow and details, with labeled links below.