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The divide: skirt or trousers?

December 12, 2011 12:05

ByJan Shure, Jan Shure

2 min read

I realise, dear reader, I am paid to tell you whether skirts or trousers are the garment du jour; that I am not supposed to prevaricate, and should be decisive in a thoroughly Wintourian way.

We would not, of course, be having this discourse if the climate had behaved normally. Temperatures would have dropped months ago, and we would all have shopped in late October for some trousers and a skirt or two. But the crazily unseasonal autumn meant we delayed making such purchases, and only now, with the sales just weeks away, we are having to choose.

On the catwalks, the designers were divided: in the trouser corner, there was Celine, Balenciaga, Prada, Rochas and Isabel Marant. In the skirt corner, Dolce & Gabbana, Chloe, Chanel and Mulberry, with Stella McCartney doing both rather well.

But identifying the debate is only the first step to solving this wardrobe dilemma: consider the permutations within each option and you may need a little lie down. On the trouser side there are '70s-style, wide-leg; palazzos (similar shape, softer fabric); cigarette pants; skinny ankle-skimmers; track pants; and carrot top/paper bag/harem, which Vivienne Westwood and lots of high street brands have stuck with for winter.