I’ve wanted a pair of pleated 80’s inspired trousers as soon as I saw them appear on the runway a few years ago. I blogged about it in 2009 and I’ve been on the hunt ever since. I searched high and low for a pair with good drape and enough leg length. It was like looking for a needle in haystack! Style after style was too short, too itchy, too stiff, too poufy or too black. I finally found a pair at Club Monaco that fit the bill. They are in a soft glen plaid, not quite grey and not quite brown but somewhere in-between.

This style of trouser is an acquired taste, but for me it was love at first sight. I guess, unlike others, I thoroughly enjoy wearing trends I wore 20 years ago. They bring back fond memories and I often prefer the way I sport the trends the second time round.

I hands down like these trousers best with a tucked in button down shirt or soft drapey blouse, which is why I’ve chosen a roomy cream and black polka dot blouse for this outfit. I’ve tried tucking in a very fine gauge sweater and it looks okay, but not fabulous. I also quite like the look of these trousers with a soft, un-tucked big blouse, and I’m still experimenting with that combination.

The trousers look good with high heels and I can manage that for about two to three hours.  I wear kitten heels, low heeled booties, ballet flats and flat oxfords when I need to charge around town for longer periods of time. Belting the tucked in blouse completes the outfit.

If you’ve been with YLF for a while, you’ll recognize the cream trench and black cracked patent doctor’s satchel. I wore both items in my “coming out post” almost three years ago when I revealed my identity for the first time here on YLF. Both items are still going strong! I always carry a black handbag when I wear this cream trench coat. It’s odd how I kind of have a rigid rule about that.

The pearl necklace is quite unique in that it doesn’t have a fixed fastening. It wraps around the neck and ties like a scarf. I chose my black specs because I like those best when I wear cream – after all, I am on Team High Colour Contrast.

Although the tapered trousers are trendy, the integrity of the outfit is modern classic because of the way I’ve styled it. The colours are quite soft and the accessories aren’t edgy. I’ll give you a spunky outfit with these trousers on another day.

One last thing: Greg says these trousers somehow remind him of 20’s Art Deco design, so he’s named them my “Art Deco trousers”. I have an adorable husband.