A Week of Styling Statement Trousers

I'm sitting here, sipping room temperature tea (it always gets cold so darn quickly) out of a Spider-man mug, wondering what I can offer the world in terms of words. This is something I've been unsure of for some time now, so this morning I took to Instagram to ask the general public what they wanted from me. Other than one confusing "no" on an Insta Story poll from a boy I once "saw" for a few weeks a while back, the responses gave me some insight. There are people out there who trust my judgement or find some sort of joy in my content. How lovely! How positively reassuring! 

So, what do I have to offer (this time said in a cheery, wait-for-it because it's a rhetorical question kind of way)? Today I hope I can offer some style inspiration for those days when you're bored of jeans and t-shirts and you realize you haven't gotten any wear out of the plethora of patterned trousers that are collecting dust in your closet. I know we all have those days.

I clear out my wardrobe regularly, and by regularly I mean the bi-monthly dip in my personality when I decide I'm going to become a minimalist. Every time, however, all these loud and proud, statement pants stick around. Is it the fond blog post memories that make me hold onto them? I couldn't tell you. I think the more likely reason is the endless outfit ideas that popped in my head the first time I laid eyes on each individual pair. The voice in my head told me I needed those particular trousers because I could wear them with "that-top", or they'd make me look like a street-style fiend when paired with "those shoes". Did I ever fulfill those plans? Let's give me some credit, there have been some cool blog post looks over the years. But not nearly enough to live up to the grand plans I concocted in the lineup at Topshop. 

This week I challenged myself to leave the denim peacefully rolled in a drawer and got creative each day with a different pair of statement trousers. 

Enjoy.


Day 1

This look was a little more "Sunday stroll through the farmer's market" than I normally like to present myself, but it suited me today. By tying this vintage blouse so it hit just below the waist of today's trousers, I was in perfect shape to eat as much brunch as I pleased without having to wonder if I could get away with one fly button undone. I loved the way the colours of the floral embroidery were complemented by the magenta scrunchie (another part of this look that pushed me out of my comfort zone of strictly never reviving accessories I wore in my youth). The look also allowed me to show off my new tote bag and re-fall in love with my metallic gold espadrilles. 

Day 2

I will use any excuse I can to wear my Nana's hand-me-down vintage Calvin Klein tee. This time around, it was the matching-ness of the purple/grey toned background in these abstract floral patterned trousers. These were a treat to myself many moons ago and to this day I still regret not coughing up the $120 (I remember this specifically) for the matching trench coat. This regret was drilled into me when I saw a posh woman waltz by me on the street in downtown Vancouver, sporting the complete ensemble, only mere hours after I had purchases the pants, and the pants alone. She saw me staring and I'm sure she could feel my crippling jealousy as I somberly yelled from across the sidewalk; "I love your coat!". The regret lingers today but could at least be overshadowed today by my love for this uber-comfy look. 

Day 3

This is my take on street-wear and I must say, I am comfortable. Sure, you could easily dress-up these palm leaf patterned, wide-leg beauties, but why waste those racing stripes? They're just begging to be paired with platform sneakers, an oversized band tee and a brightly coloured cross-body fanny pack (a piece I don't think I'll ever purchase, so tightening the strap on this bag had to do).

Day 4

Hey Emily, can you wear wide leg trousers with any other style of shoes, you know, other than sneakers? NO. I loved the earthy tones of this look (and the wall behind me) paired with bright red Nikes and perfectly worn-in denim. This SetActive sports bra is normally accompanied by matching bike shorts, but why waste the cuteness of trendy new workout gear by only wearing it to work out?

On a separate note, the last time I wore these pants I was in Paris. This fact has nothing to do with this outfit, nor this blog post, but I just wanted to share my nostalgia with you. Sigh.

Day 5

Lemon yellow is the newest shade in my arsenal of neutrals, joining it's siblings; cherry red, and leopard print. So I guess this look could be cheating, since the vibrant colour of these trousers is so common in my wardrobe, they may not count as a "statement". But for the purpose of this post, and by the decree of any average wearer of pants, I've married this pair with two of my newest and most beloved additions to my wardrobe. 1. Dr.Martin sandals 2. Aries crew neck jumper (with a pop of red that pulls the whole look together in my eyes). Toss on a military style shoulder bag and you're prepped for a trip to the chiropractor, a day at the office, or a coffee date with an old friend you'd love to impress with your effortlessly cool style. 

It's day six and I must say, I'm grateful for the cloudy weather permitting me to wear this stunning, wool Jigsaw sweater. Pink and navy are undoubtedly complementary, but what allows this look to be classy and appropriate is the matchy-matchy leather shoulder bag and heeled mules. It's grown up and chic with a feminine, floral twist.

Day 7

I wanted to finish off the week with the punchiest look of them all. Nothing catches the eye like mixing patterns, but that alone just wasn't enough for the fashion hungry leopard that sprang out of me today. I was craving a glimmer of gold for the second time this week. Tossing in a patent leather cross-body with a geometric snakeskin stripe was spur of the moment and totally necessary, wouldn't you agree?




I hope you've been inspired to wear those crazy pants you've been holding on to. You were right to keep them, they are full of opportunity.


Thanks for reading.

- Emily