I love wearing bright pants, both in solids and patterns. Our Autumns and Winters are long, and our Springs can be cold. Pants are practical, warm, comfy, and, most importantly, not jeans. I get very tired of wearing jeans. I don’t wear Althleisure, so smart casual and dressy pants are my thing. I’m always on the look-out for dressy and causal pants that I can wear in cold weather. Solid bright pants are one way to go, and at the moment I have four pairs. A turquoise pair in corduroy, a red pair in Ponte, and two velvet pairs in red and mustard. Here are the exact styles.
I like my own solid bright pants very bright, but you might prefer them less bright. I’ve included dusty pink, burgundy, forest green, and teal pants as bright solid pants too. Feel free to substitute solid bright jeans for pants.
On to the outfits.
1. Earthy Patterns
Combine a pair of earth-toned pants in burnt orange, cinnamon, mustard, burgundy or olive with a patterned top or sweater. Add a topper in the same palette if you need to layer for warmth. Finish off the look with cognac, brown or cream footwear and bag. If you prefer to wear cool colours close to your face, wear a solid navy or mid-blue top.
2. Harmonious Clash
To my eye, brights that are the same level of intensity work well together. They harmonize in a magical way precisely because they clash. Here, the orange and cobalt are a high-contrast clash, but you can make it more of a tonal clash. Like pairing fuchsia with red, teal with turquoise, orange with cinnamon, or burgundy with orchid. Finish off the look with light neutral or cognac footwear and bag. Or repeat one of the solid brights in the footwear and bag. Sometimes, black footwear can work too.
3. Sporty Chic
Combine a pair of flared solid bright pants with white sneakers, or sneakers with white soles. You can go to town with what to wear on top. By all means pair it with a long-sleeved tee, but a pullover, blouse or shirt is as fab. Tuck, semi-tuck, or leave things untucked. You can top things off with a moto, denim jacket, utility jacket, blazer, peacoat, puffer or wool coat.
Here are pullovers and coats from my own wardrobe that I can combine with the same pair of red pants and sneakers. The darks are navy, and not black. I can create a high contrast, or keep it tonal. I find red very versatile, and have a high affinity for colour matching, so these combinations work to my eye. The white footwear keeps things crisp.
4. Neutral Support Act
And last, combine a pair of solid bright pants with a black, grey, white or navy blouse or pullover. Add footwear and bag in the same neutral or throw in a metallic or animal print. This version is dressy, but you can create a casual version. Add a neutral topper and accessorize things your way. A topper in the same colour as the top creates a lovely twinset effect.
Who bats for Team Solid Bright Pants in cold weather?