Looks By Li : Feature Friday: Going Wild for Patterned Pants

Hello everyone and happy TGIF! For this week’s new edition of “Feature Friday” I bring to you a fashion staple and definite must-have for the summer season, the printed trouser. If you are new to my blog, welcome! I like to do a feature here on my blog every Friday depicting fashion pieces or makeup products I believe deserve a definite spotlight. This week we have to talk about the printed pant.

Have you been noticing as much as I have how many fashion influencers this spring seem to have a serious thing for patterned pants? I have especially noticed it among fashion bloggers and celebrities such as Rihanna and Olivia Palermo, wearing prints from floral to gingham style pants. The good news is this trend can be worn by everyone, while still adding your unique style and esthetic. I want to give you guys some style tips on how to pull of this trend, while also learning how to incorporate elements that will suite your unique style. My first suggestion is, don’t overdo it! Let the pants do the talking and keep the rest of the look casual, sleek and simple.

Guidelines/Suggestions on how to wear and style printed pants:

Pick printed pants with similar tones. A great example of this are the pants I am featuring in my look today. The tone of my pants is black and white, allowing for a more versatile style print. This means I can take these printed pants and style them with just about any other colored tops and shoes. Since black and white tones are neutral I can easily incorporate more color into the look without understating the already overstated print of the pant. Other pant print tones that work well together are designs such as the white pant with green palm print, or white with colorful florals in one tone like pink or red.
The smaller the print the more flattering the look. If you look closely at the pants I chose they have a very intricate pattern, which when you look from afar appear as straight horizontal lines. If you look closely the pattern is actually more involved and complex. There is a uniformity to the pants that gives the overall appearance of simpler design. This form of design gives the illusion that you have slimmer legs. Thus these pants make me look longer and slimmer from the bottom half of my body.
Pick a single print top. When pairing an intricate designed pant, you want the rest of the look to be cohesive so pairing the pants with a simple one-tone top, which will also add elegance and style to the look. I decided to go with a mid tone green/blue colored, halter neck, off-the-shoulders top. You can see the top finishes the outfit nicely while still allowing your eyes to fall directly on the intricacy of the pants, which is the point of the look. We want the pants to shine.
Easily dress up or down the printed pant look with shoes. Shoes, in my opinion, are the key to dressing an outfit up or down. Giving it the appeal of a more casual look all the way to a glamed up look. For instance lets say I took my featured look and added a black high heel pump and a black sequined blazer. Not only does this elevate the outfit for a night out, it will give the trousers the illusion of more elegance without trying too hard. Equally I could substitute my flats for a pair of white Adidas superstar sneakers and finish the look with a light wash jean jacket and you will have a ready to go anywhere causal look, with a hint of fun elements shown off by the pant print.

Hopefully these guidelines give you a little bit more courage to try this trend. I know not everyone will jump on the printed pant bandwagon, as the prints may be too loud for your taste. Just keep in mind that with any trend you can always incorporate elements that suite your style. For me that element was the printed flat. I like a little loud from time to time, so I wanted to contrast the pattern of the pants with an equally complex patterned flat shoe. Because I kept the flats in the same color tone family, they don’t distract or overwhelm the overall look of the outfit. I hope this look shows some of the versatility you can achieve with this trend and also inspires you to try something new, or maybe even out of your comfort zone.

"L is for Li"

Thank you all so mush for reading and supporting my blog. I hope you enjoy this look and comment below with some of your tips on how to style printed pants. For more post on LooksBy Li or if you want to check out previous “Feature Fridays” click here! Be sure to also follow me on Bloglovin, and join the community, its free! As always I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and as always Stay Chic Everybody!