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Look,
we're only human, and sometimes we have (very) strong
opinions on fashion. So when a slew of harem pants came
billowing down the runway at Fashion Week in September
(this means they are moving forward for spring), we
groaned audibly, envisioning
Barbara Eden
colliding with
M.C. Hammer
.
"Not
so fast," said seatmate
Jacqui Stafford
, the executive style editor at
Shape magazine
. "Harem pants can be very seductive, and they're
easy to wear." Sure thing, lady.
Stafford
says she brought harem pants into her office and
"everyone hated them initially, but they're
actually way more flattering than people think, just
like cargo pants. They hide a multitude of sins, and
most people can wear them. They're a bad-legs-girl's
best friend." And, she says, their popularity will
continue to grow — "like skinny jeans."
Kiran Rai
, the creative director of Indian clothing line Sir
Alistair Rai
, loves 'em and produces a variety, including low-slung
"jodhpuris" and balloon-legged jobs in
fanciful satins and sequins. "We are a very
ethnically inspired hippie line," she says,
"but I think harem pants are really going
mainstream."
Stephanie Solomon
, Bloomingdale's fashion director, who saw harem pants
"everywhere" in
Paris
, thinks our problem might be semantics. She suggests we
stop calling them harem pants. "We renamed them
'easy pants' because they're easy and flattering. ...
The look is very cool, very forgiving around the hips
and derriere and, girls, they are comfortable."
Only one
thing left to do: Try them. And we did — five pairs in
all. One pair, by
Diane von Furstenberg
, was slim enough to be flattering, but featured long,
open-leg slits. Brrr. As for the rest, well, if we want
to add inches to our outer thighs, we'll just eat more.
Bottom line? We're not wearing them. But we can see they
may have potential for funky, dramatic dressers. Don't
let us stop you.
If you're
thinking about them, here are some style tips: Stay slim
on top. "You definitely don't want to have a
voluminous top," says
Jacqui Stafford
,
Shape magazine's
executive editor. She likes a black fitted turtleneck
with a harem pant.
Don't
wear them with high boots, says Stafford. The look is
too "Three Musketeers."
"They
look best with a thicker, chunky heel — a bootie or
short boot — or a stiletto for evening. And avoid
vests, says designer
Kiran Rai
, which can "look a little Aladdin."
Dress
them up. "They are perfectly wonderful for cocktail
looks with embellished tops and high heels," says
Bloomingdale's
Stephanie Solomon
.
Or dress
them down. "In a heavier- weight cotton or linen,
they're work- appropriate," says Stafford.
While
Stafford says the harem is a good look for all, she
worries the pant might overwhelm petite gals and says
women over 40 should wear "a less- severe
silhouette, a little more tapered."
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