The Case for Colorful Pants

Come taste the rainbow with me

Late March is a mindf*ck. We have enough sunny warm-ish days to get us pulling out our dresses but just enough cold days where you’re layering sweaters and coats over them. My favorite interpretation of this strange in-between season is from a viral meme, which you’ve no doubt seen on Instagram, courtesy of Secret NYC:

While I don’t live in NYC anymore, I still relate to the “Third Winter” - as I write this, we are expecting another round of rain tomorrow here in OC, with temps dipping more than 11 degrees to 60 (I know, but it’s all relative). Our Spring of Deception has ended, and we are back to cold temps and cashmere sweaters.

But, what’s a girl who’s itching for warmer weather- and Springtime fashion- to do?

COLORFUL PANTS!

I realize that some of you may already be dabbling in colorful pants, and perhaps this is not that novel of a concept. But recently, the nether regions of my wardrobe have experienced a rainbow revolution and I’m really into the energy colorful pants inject into any outfit- esp a reluctant ‘Third Winter’ look. They’re cheerful, interesting, and downright fun—but as pants, still provide a general sense of warmth and seasonal appropriateness. And as we are very deeply in our pants era (thank you, High Sport), extending some liveliness to the category feels very au courant.

So come along on this Skittles-inspired journey with me, as I attempt to bring some much needed Springtime joy into my otherwise (still, sigh) wintery wardrobe.

RED

Gobi Cashmere cardigan, another option here. Red Mango pants (have featured before!) Lookie Atelier mesh flats (she is a Ukranian designer, please consider supporting her!) but also similar here

So first off, I got a haircut! My own way of willing Spring into existence. But I digress. Red has been the color for the past several months, and isn’t going anywhere this Spring. I like the idea of a deeper cherry, almost burgundy red for the new season, as it feels less obvious and slightly fresher. I decided to lean into neutrals here, with a brown cardigan and nude mesh flats, so that the red stands out, but it still feels ‘transitional’ enough to work in gloomy weather.

ORANGE

Reformation pants, old, but try these and these. Boden sweater, also old but I love this and this (20% off!), and yes, I caved for the Miu Miu boat shoes, but I am hoping the navy is slightly less obvious? Here is another option

Weirdly, I own orange pants. One of those random clearance rack purchases that I actually wear more than you’d think. These are linen, and clearly could use a steam, but I like the idea of juxtaposing a darker navy stripe against it. It feels nautical-ish without being too preppy, although I suppose the boat shoes do cement the prep quite well. Still, I am into it!

YELLOW

The Row Ophelia sweater (bought secondhand!), here is another option. Toteme tapered jeans, not many sizes left but here is another version. ALSO this Old Navy pair cannot be beat. Cult Gaia sandals, sold out but try this and this

To be honest, I want to wear gray with every colorful pant I own. It’s softer than black, but more interesting than white or cream. However, I think it particularly works well with butter yellow thanks to the contrast it provides in tonality (yellow is warm, gray is cool). Something about it feels wrong, but as a result, right? I can’t explain it, but it works! Also, butter yellow is very of the moment, so this is a fun way to dabble in the shade.

GREEN

Slime green everything! Shorts, H&M and pretty much all sold out, but I also love these and these. Shirt, old Mango, so many good white button downs here, here and here. Manolo Maysales in an aubergine shade, try these for a similar vibe

Wild card! Apologies for my pasty legs, but I had to bust out a pair of shorts because a girl can dream! Soon enough, I’ll be sporting these babies but for now, I will try them on in the comfort & warmth of my own bedroom. Not only is the slime green color hot for Spring, I am absolutely loving the outfit formula of “shorts + oversized top + kitten mules.” I can’t take credit for this, I saw it on the lovely

Jess Graves

THE LOVE LIST

a couple weeks ago (read the post here), and I am super into the dressy/casual vibes of this combo. The eggplant / slime green combo also feels so fresh for Spring. If you can’t find eggplant-y shoes, try this sweater or this button down instead.

BLUE(ISH)

Maroon sweater, old H&M, but try this or this. Pants, old Rag & Bone from my good ol TJ Maxx, but here and here are other options. My go-to Zara silver heels right now, and Calzedonia socks. Earrings are also Amazon and so fun!

Ok so this is more a bluish-green, seafoam, aquamarine situation but I love the idea of a lighter blue pant (I have my eye on this one too) with a darker ‘neutral’ like brown or wine. I recently saw the combo of minty greenish blue and wine red in Zankov’s FW2024 NYFW show and I was hooked- I loved the pairing and wanted to give it a whirl. (Also, I want everything in his collection). Added the socks with the silver shoes to give some “winter weight” to the bottom half (plus, my toesies were cold).

VIOLET

Dressy: Old J.Crew cropped blazer, try this. Zara polo shirt. Onia pants, sold out now but try these or once again, Old Navy for the win. Cult Gaia sandals. Casual: Same as before, but these Target sandals I’m obsessed with and are a great Emme Parsons-ish dupe.

This is an odd one but for some reason, I felt super drawn to these Onia beach pants on The Outnet (the low price tag didn’t hurt, either). They are cotton poplin and comfortable, can be dressed up or down, but more importantly, they are a superb shade of purple. They feel more saturated than a true lavender, yet far more subdued than a royal purple. I don’t know what to say, sometimes clothes just speak to you, and you have to listen! I also think these would look fab with a gray sweater. And tip: check out swim brands because they often do “cover ups” like these pants that can double for everyday wear!

The moral of this technicolor story is again, I believe that fashion should be fun, and what’s more fun than a colorful pant? The way you adapt it to work within your style and wardrobe is up to you, but the possibilities are endless. I hope this has inspired you to either go out and grab a colorful pair of pants to Spring-ify your outfits or play with an existing pair in your closet that you may have ignored for a while.

Paint with all the colors of the wind, my friends. Until next week! xx