Change Your Pants, Change Your Life!

The new pant shapes for 2024 and how to pair them with winter shoes.

Baby it’s cold outside! And what is worse than denim on a frigid day?! Every step its own mini polar plunge as the stiff fabric graces your skin. It’s the season of the trouser. Not only are they more of a pleasure to wear when the streets are frosted white, but they are such a personal style game changer.

Lately, when I’m feeling off in my outfit, it’s because my pants are not pulling their sartorial weight. They’re just…the thing thrown on with the thing. So I’ve spent a lot of time examining what it is that makes me squirm when the outfit doesn’t feel like an ace at the end of the day. After much dissecting, I’ve realized I’m picking the wrong “first piece” when I’m rushed or cold. So I’ve switched my mindset to put the PRIORITY ON THE PANTS. Thinking first about a great pant, what shoe to wear with them, and then finally the best supporting sweater (or top.) It’s made me much happier five hours into the day.

This is so much more of an issue in the winter than the summer. In the summer, pants are naturally balanced by skin. Cropped pants accentuate your dainty little ankles and floor length trousers or jeans drape gracefully over a sandal. Winter has us contending with not only keeping our toes warm, but balancing the bulk of boots and bigger sneakers with our daily garb.

There are a few general ways to contend with this: