Spring trend: Cigarette Pants

A few weeks ago I wrote about a new pant silhouette for spring – the wide, flowing  Palazzo .  This week I am all about the newest, sleekest spring trouser look: The Cigarette pant.

Wear them no less than 3 inches above the ankle. Stove-piped and slim, they can rock a high high heel, this season’s kitten heels or pair of cute leopard print brogues.

Wear them to work with pumps and a jacket. To the club with killer booties and a graphic T or to cocktails with a silky shirt and metallic t-strap.

HOW TO WEAR:

Proportion and fit are  key to working this look.

If you are curvy or even a tad chunky, a structured jacket and/or a body skimming top and high heels are required.  Because they are narrow down the leg to the ankle they need to be fitted on the hips. Do NOT wear a long butt-covering  flowy top with them or your legs will look stumpy.

If you are petite  or super tall and leggy, first I hate you, and second,  you can wear them with flats like Audrey Hepburn

so long as you wear them with a more delicate shoe: ballet flats or super sleek menswear brogue, nothing too clunky or it becomes too ’80s punk.  (Unless that’s your thing then go for it!).

Even so proportion is key and your top should be equally sleek or if you wear blouson top it should hit you right at the hips for the best look.

Color: 

Remember the colored jeans trend in the fall? Well now every jean maker that came out with skinnies in various hues has a ankle-topping cropped version and basically you can wear them with the same things you wore the other colored jeans with (except for a long loose top).

They are perfect for the spring’s fascination with mixing crayon bright colors or for pairing with another spring trend: icy pastels. To pull that off just mix a pastel with a bright in a similar hue …

I happen, though,  to like a nice black — great, inexpensive versions are out there by INC and Vince Camuto — for work because I can work it easily into my existing wardrobe and color blocking with black is totally in right now.

ACCESSORIZE:

They work with any bag, but right now I’m lovin a clutch.

As for jewelry, keep it personal. If you are a classic simple gold-hoops and bracelet watch kind of gal (very in) then do that. If you still love your rocker cuffs and can’t bear to part with your favorite knuckle ring from last year, wear em.

At the end of the day, these new spring trends are simply a base for you to build your unique look on and the difference between trend and fashion is style, which is all about being you.

Ciao for now …