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The Jewish Chronicle

You wear the trousers

Now that spring is really here, what are we going to be wearing on our bottom half?

May 17, 2010 13:03
Silk trousers, £109, silk top £83, Comptoir des Cotonniers

ByJan Shure, Jan Shure

1 min read

Now that spring is really here, the season’s most pressing fashion dilemma is no longer avoidable: what are we going to be wearing on our bottom half?

The options are varied and mainly “difficult”, particularly if you do not have the legs of a ’90s supermodel, and include shorts, harem trousers; peg-top trousers; crop-trousers; playsuits (technically, a top and bottom half, I know) and leggings, of course, to wear under a tunic or dress when temperatures dip.

What most of these have in common — playsuits apart (they are dead easy, just worry about the right footwear) — is that they need a lot of thought; in some cases a course at styling school is required in order to have a gossamer-thin hope of getting the look right.

If you are planning to wear shorts other than on holiday, I’ll make a wild guess that you are under 25. But don’t dismiss them if you are over that age. While very tiny, gym-knicker-style shorts do need to be left to the very young and very leggy, well-cut, well-styled shorts — and there are some great ones around — that hit somewhere around mid-thigh, can be a strong look. They look great with a softly-cut top and one of the season’s blazers or, on warmer days, with a draped top, loose vest or vintage-looking blouse.