For the Love of Cropped Pants

For the Love of Cropped Pants

On Monday, I wrote about bringing a little edge to the office. A key component to that look was cropped, or ankle, pants. I don't know why, but I just find that lately cropped pants are the answer to every outfit question that I have: how can I show off these cute new shoes? Cropped pants. What can I wear to the office to make this outfit feel less boring? Cropped pants. What can I wear to convince myself that it's almost spring? You got it. 

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I particularly like how a shorter length pant, preferably with a narrow leg, can go anywhere, with any shoe, on many body types. Here's what I mean.

How to Wear Cropped Pants in a Casual Outfit

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Ankle length pants love sneakers, have you noticed? They're best friends who love going everywhere together. A plain pair of cropped pants especially loves a fancy pair of sneakers, like the leopard above. And a fancy pair of pants dresses up a simpler pair of sneakers. For spring, layer up a tshirt and jean (or leather) jacket. For summer, swap the tshirt out for a tank top and ditch the jacket or swap it for a vest version. 

How to Wear Cropped Pants on a Date

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Do you see how the outfit above is almost the exact same outfit as the casual one was? Slim leg black ankle pants+ wild shoes+ a neutral top + a fun bag + one face accessory? And by face accessory I mean something fun, on your face. Red lipstick or sunglasses serve the purpose here, but you could have a Panama hat, braids, earrings, or bold eyeshadow. In fact, I'd recommend against strong lipstick on a second or third date since many dates (men and women) seem thrown off by kissing someone with what they perceive as lots of lipstick on. 

How to Wear Peg Pants for Business Casual

Now wait! Before you scroll down, I want to say one thing: you do NOT have to wear heels with a narrow legged pant! Yes, these women all appear to be wearing heels, but they could just as easily sub in pointy flats or a wedge instead of a heel. I do like the way a skinny leg opening looks with a pointy shoe, but you could absolutely change up the shape of the toe of your shoe. Consider these looks as inspiration for how you might wear peg leg pants to a business casual job, to meet a boyfriend/girlfriend's parents, to church, to a work happy hour, or even on casual Friday at a more formal job. 

I think what works most about each of these looks is that the ankles are the sexiest part of the whole look because the rest of the outfit is quite covered up. This works for a more formal environment while still feeling young and fresh. 

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I also like that the narrow pant serves as a jumping off point for any style: some of these looks feel more vintage (the layered necklaces and mustard top) while others are more preppy (the chambray shirt and professorial jacket or the stripes and statement tshirt) and still others more date-night (the first picture of this post with the leather look pants). One great pair of pants could serve all of these purposes.

If you're looking for a pair of pants to do all of this, some of my favorites right now are at Banana Republic, Old Navy, and JCPenny (including curve sizes). My one caveat about buying a pair of this style pants at a low to mid range price point is that they can sometimes really shrink. Be conscious about not washing on hot if you bought the exact right size for yourself.