How to Wear Colored Trousers: 2 Styles

When I go out people watching at some of my favorite spots in the city, I notice trends in fashion.  One in particular that I see so much of is that people put plenty of color into their tops and shoes, even hair colors are pretty bold these days, but when it comes to the leg area, style tends to fall flat with the same old neutral denim that's been around for ages.  Why?  My theory is that area tends to just be kind of forgettable, especially if you don't have a full length mirror in your home.  By the way, if you don't have a full length mirror, you should get one-they don't cost much-and hang it by the front door so you'll have to give yourself a once over look before you leave the house.  I'm being me here, so just trust me on this, it will be good for you.  I get that buying trousers in a neutral color makes them easy to pair with way more things, but every now and then I think it's good to buy a really stand out piece and shake things up a bit.  For this post, the lovely people at FemmeLuxeFinery have sent over these Gianna long split fitted trousers in this gorgeous shade of red.

A few things to love about these trousers is the split at the front of the leg adding some visual interest and making this style more than just your average leg wear.  The comfort level on these trousers is amazing and they have a higher waist without being extreme, although I do love high waist trousers, and they're the right thickness for a more dressy look.  Thinner fabrics with this kind of fit fall into the leggings category and FemmeLuxe has some great leggings for dressy or casual looks as well.  So, with no more ado, let's get to the outfits!
Style One:Keep it simple, but not too Simple.  This is a more dressed up look for a special event or for the office, because special events happen and I think we should all have a few dressed up outfits on hand.  

The temptation when trying something bold like a colored jean or trouser is to keep everything else neutral, and that's perfectly fine.  

For this first outfit, I went with neutral colors: a navy blue blazer, an ivory top, and black heels.  But, here's what I want you to notice:  the blazer has ivory piping to match the top and really give it some defining lines, the top has a ruffle texture along the neckline, and the heels have buckles and peep toes.  

All of these extras keep the outfit from being tedious and uninteresting.  If you're going to wear a standout color, you need some pieces that bring their own visual appeal in a different way to the ensemble to create something cohesive.

Style Two:  Colors Galore!  This look is more casual and my go-to for taking a dressy outfit to casual is to swap heels for flats and blazers for cardigans as you may remember from Sunday's post, but I think this outfit would also work for the office.  When it comes to colors, I think a lot of people out there are afraid.  They feel like they don't really know what goes with what so they stay away from them entirely.  It's sad really, because it couldn't be more simple to pull colors together to create a great look.  For this style, I'm not going to play it safe.  There's not a single neutral color in sight and I'm loving it!  The question is how did I do it.  Easy darling.  

I started with the color of the trousers and found a top that had that color in it along with multiple others.  Then I chose another color from the top and accessorized my cardigan and flats with that.  I probably wouldn't have brought another color of accessory into the mix as that might have been too much, but as it is, since all of these colors tie together with the central piece I think it works beautifully.  And, notice the details of these pieces.  The trousers are still the standout color, but the blouse has a vivid print, and the flats have a criss-cross detail on the front, so again each piece is contributing some visual interest to the overall composition.  Something colorful, something versatile, something unusual.  Isn't that what we're all looking for in our wardrobe?

Shopping Info:  Red Long Split Fitted Trousers - Gianna-from: FemmeLuxeFinery.co.uk, Trina Turk Top and Old Navy Floral Button Down Top from ThredUp, Charter School Cardigan and Academia Ahoy Blazer in Navy from ModCloth, flats from Charlotte Russe