Have you ever felt your pants were snug too tight and your legs just needed some breathing space?
Most of us experience that uncomfortable feeling that accompanies straight-cut or skinny-cut pants, the one that makes you just want to tear yourself away from its hug. It doesn’t help when summer starts closing in, neither is it easy living in a humid country like Nigeria were the sun is at its blazing peak all year round – the heat can take your soul to your maker… okay maybe that’s a bit exaggerated, but the point is; it is always terribly HOT. For those who wouldn’t give up wearing pants even if they were thrown directly at the sun, there is a way around this – Palazzo pants.
Palazzo pants are long women trousers cut with a loose, extremely wide leg that flares out from the waist. Usually sewn with light, flowing, breathable fabrics, it is perfect of summer season. This trend was very popular in the 60’s and 70’s. It was a way to reach a compromise for those women who did not want to wear the skirt styles despite the banning of women wearing trousers into certain upscale restaurants, so they opted for Palazzo pants which is a viable alternative to a skirt.
This trend is practical and has a bit of a girly elegance cum edgy-ness to it, and lest I forget, it screams comfort. It is however quite easy to get this style all wrong, Kelly Rowland proved this when she took extreme fashion measures to cramp this trend. Kelly drowned herself wearing massive Palazzo pants to the Houghton runway show at New York Fashion Week. Maybe it is the ‘high-fashion’ and ‘fashion-forward’ effect these runway shows tend to have that gave Kelly the audacity to don it, but in real life, those Kelly-pants are unforgiveable even for a Nigerian masquerade.
The Palazzo trend can be fabulous if rocked well, but there are several things to put into consideration: your height, your size, and your body frame generally.
On runways, the models who wear these pants are sample sizes, that is, they are tall and slender, and so it gives for a perfect sit on them. People with the same body structure can get away with wearing high-waist or low-waist Palazzos, they can also risk wider flares (however not the Kelly kind) since they have longer legs.
On the other hand, those who have shorter frames are better off wearing low-waist Palazzo pants with less flared bottom, paired with heels. Being shorter, there is a tendency to be overwhelmed in this style, so it is important to go for a more tailored palazzo pant.
Palazzo pants can also be easily styled. You can pair with a fitted t-shirt hanging loose (if it is a lower waist) or tucked in (if it is a high waist), and sandals for a casual look. For a more formal look, throw on a tailored blazer, ditch the sandals and pair with heels. They can also be rocked during colder seasons; pair with a cardigan or layer it up to avoid freezing over.
I promise your legs would thank you for investing in this trend.