TOTALLY YOU

Now that you know all about skinny and wide-leg silhouettes, it’s time you consider what you should be wearing. 

Are you a classic straight leg or boot leg woman? Maybe you prefer a little more sass with cigarette pants or wide-leg gauchos? Perhaps you like to walk on air in flare legs or palazzo pants.

Regardless of the trends in women’s fashion, you must know what dress pants work best for you. How do you know what dress pants will never let you down?

Ask yourself the following 5 questions to find your go-to dress pants style!

1. Do the dress pants fit me in all the right places?

You can “fit” your body into a lot of pants that don’t really fit. Getting yourself inside, even zipping the pants all the way up, doesn’t make a pair of dress pants properly fit you.

Fit is about correct sizing and measurements, proper tailoring, design, proportions, etc. It is the base for building your style and yet is severely neglected because we live in an age of mass merchandising and body shaming.

Consider how the designer intended the dress pants to fit or if the dress pants are fitting your body the way you want to be able to make your style statement.

Most importantly, do the dress pants fit your body comfortably? Is the waistband at the right height, do you have enough room in your seat and across your hips? Are the dress pants long or short enough?!

2. Do the dress pants flatter my figure?

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but there is a golden ratio that Michelangelo put to good use in his works of art. From where I sit and see beautiful women in dress pants, I think he was on to something. #handtogod

Because we all have our own way of seeing things, this question can really only be answered when you look in the mirror and like what you see. Validation from others will never be enough until you decide for yourself.

If you’re really uncertain, hire a stylist or wardrobe consultant for expert and unbiased support (and golden ratio advice). At the Atelier, Clarinda Lauren stylists are here for just that!

3. Do I feel super comfortable in the dress pants?

Color is the #1 reason we pull a garment off the rack, comfort is the #1 reason we buy it.

Is the fabric scratchy or soft? Are the pockets where they should be - are they deep enough? Does the fabric have any stretch in it? Is it breathable or will you get sweaty? Is it comfortable when you you sit down?

Do these fitted, tailored dress pants allow you to live your life comfortably?

Which leads us to...

4. Are the dress pants practical for my life?

Do you have the full range of movement you need? Is the style, cut, and fiber content functional for your work environment? Will the dress pants regulate your body temperature?

Will they get too wrinkled if you’re sitting on the plane for too long right before your big meeting? Are they stain resistant? Will you have to add dry cleaning to your errands or start learning how to hand-wash?

Do they go with the rest of your wardrobe, with your shoes, with the styles you love?

5. Do I feel good while I’m wearing the dress pants?!

Do you feel like you’re mother freakin’ Cleopatra, Goddess of the Nile (the longest river in the world!), walking on golden sand?

Do they make you smile when you zip them up and look in the mirror?! Make sure they do.

And give yourself a little wink…every once in a while…