Timeless Style: Summer Pants

The NYT style section showed a selection of "crazy" patterned pants that really caught my eye. A welcome change from skinny jean and an item I'll be adding to my summer wardrobe.  Love the mules too - easy to wear adding a breezing elegance to the pants.   Roll on Summer...

New York Times article

 BROWSING 

 

Crazy Patterned Pants
Make a Statement (Yes,
Amal) and More Shopping

By ERICA M. BLUMENTHAL APRIL 29, 2015

Plus: Mules are this season’s streamlined, youthful alternative to the standard summer sandal and a bandanna that’s for adults only.

From left: Piamita silk pants, $345 at modaoperandi.com; Miu Miu crepe pants, $1,675 at net-a-porter.com; Rachel Comey jacquard trousers, $645 at avenue32.com; Issa silk flare trousers, $465 at shopbop.com

Call Them Crazy but …

After seasons in which designers often as not played it cool, sending out near-minimal basics, a case could now be made for a pair of crazy pants: blooming florals, loud geometric prints. “The look is far away from normcore,” said Sarah Schussheim, a stylist and contributing editor of Elle. “It’s about taking back the statement piece and making it the biggest part of your outfit.” The key is tempering them on top. “Throw on a trench coat or denim jacket and some sneakers, and you make a 1960s geometric print modern,” Ms. Schussheim said. Crazy pants are proving to be a particularly winning look for evening. Last month Amal Clooney was feverishly photographed out and about in Giambattista Valli chevron-printed flares and a daring fur crop top. Any of these styles are similarly destined for a good time.

  1. Slip Into the New Mules

    Mules, those louche low-slung slippers once favored by courtesans and their fashionableset, have taken an unexpectedly sensible turn, reworked this season as the streamlined, and youthful, alternative to the standard summer sandal. The leg-elongating shape (a favorite of Anna Wintour, who often wears buff-colored Manolo Blahniks) is everywhere, from the sleek Narciso Rodriguez) to the chunky (Robert Clergerie) to the statement item (Proenza Schouler). Any pair in this selection will give you good mileage.

    Top, from left: Salvatore Ferragamo platform mules, $685 at shoescribe.com; Maiyet wedge mules with ankle strap, $995 at Maiyet; maiyet.com; Robert Clergerie platform mules, $695 at Barneys New York; barneys .com
    Middle, from left: Narciso Rodriguez mules with silver heels, $825 at net-a-porter.com; Gianvito Rossi suede mules with PVC strap, $715 at Barneys;
    barneys.com; Lanvin slides, $950 at Bergdorf, bergdorfgoodman.com;

  2. The bandanna from the Japanese cult label Kapital, will add a serious touch of irreverence your '70s-ish spring ensembles.  The print from from the Edo period depicts "Night Crawling." a sexual rendezvous of sorts that, in ancient times, was a custom in rural Japan.  If you prefer your neck accessories family friendly, see the print with the dancing cat. Kapital cotton bandanna, $35 at Love Adorned, 269 Elizabeth Street; love adorned.com