Mo, you’re still wearing your pyjamas!” That’s what a male friend, with a big smile, said to me this week at work. I looked down at myself, as if for the first time ,and I had to agree that the colourfulness and width of my trousers may have led him to mistaking them for pyjama bottoms………but it didn’t rattle me, I adored them!
Less than a century ago it was daring and rather scandalous for women to be seen wearing trousers. Wide leg trousers first began as lounge pants, becoming increasing popular as ‘beach pyjamas’ or resort clothing in the late 1920s. By 1930s the wide leg trousers took a more practical purpose as sports attire and women adopted this new set of clothing regardless of whether they played sport or not. Despite the popularity of the fashion trend, it was still unacceptable to wear them in public, apart from when playing sports or vacationing.
Beach pyjamas featured in a German fashion magazine in 1931
Things changed in the late 1930s and 1940s thanks to actresses such as Katharine Hepburn and Marlene Dietrich, whose then-ridiculed outfit choices paved the way to women’s freedom to wear pants.
Katharine Hepburn posing in a pair of wide leg trousers in 1930 – Source
When I laid my eyes on these Roxy trousers for the first time, I fell in love. It was the only pair left in the shop. The discounted price was very enticing, the colours were dazzling and when I tried them on they were perfect fit. I was just like someone who have found true love, I felt it was only the best thing ever!!
As a break from my usual outfits made up of skinny trousers, dresses and skirts, I usually wear these trousers in winter as they are corduroy fabric. They are warm, comfortable, sleeky, easy to wear and they are so colourful that they cheer up the dark evenings. The colours also makes it easier for me to choose a top to wear them with. Every colour top goes with the trousers and that’s one less headache if you’re in a hurry.
If you ever decide to buy a wide leg trousers in the future, here are some helpful tips:
- Wide leg trousers looks great when worn with heels and certainly look better when they slightly hide your high heels
- For a classic look, wear them with a well fitted top as it creates a lovely silhouette….especially if you are ‘heavy on top’.
- If you are short, wearing striped wide leg trousers can give you the look of longer legs and even add a perceived few inches.
So while my friend saw my wide leg colourful corduroy trousers as pyjamas, I saw them as a ‘love at first sight’ fashion statement!
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