https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/ive-always-wanted-to-understand-this Style Advice for Fashion Lovers en-US Thu, 07 May 2026 04:37:31 +0000 http://bbpress.org/?v=1.0.2 q https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/search.php https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/ive-always-wanted-to-understand-this#post-147741 Sun, 25 Apr 2010 15:52:21 +0000 Angie 147741@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Glad that's sorted, Michelle. Wear your fab black slacks proudly !</p> <p>Kristine, I like jewel tones with black too. But I guess they still have to be intense jewel tones. And you know that I adore navy with black, but I pop that combination into the box of neutrals that work well with back. </p> <p>San, black and brown looks marvelous together. Jean uses this combination 50% of the time. Enough said :0) </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/ive-always-wanted-to-understand-this#post-147615 Sun, 25 Apr 2010 04:13:20 +0000 Michelle 147615@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Thank you, you helpful ladies. You've renewed my confidence in my black pants...mostly. I'll still get a pic taken in the pair I mean to see if they get approval. I'm thinking of pairing them with my purple chain top as one of the training outfits. Dashrashi, I'm the opposite of you in that sometimes I find simple pairings like black pants and a bolder-coloured top refreshingly uncomplicated. </p> <p>I certainly understand everyone's cautions about falling into a black pant rut. In fact, I've been there. But I've always loved skirts, dresses and pants of other colours, so I think I'm relatively safe from that trap now thanks to everyone's wise guidance. </p> <p>Maya, to answer your question, the slacks I'm wearing in the outfit from the other day aren't my black dress pair -- they're grey and in a much lighter fabric.</p> <p>Christine, I always find it fascinating to see what people pair with black. My concepts of colour were all taught to me, of course, and I was told that black worked well with most things and especially the stronger, jewel-type tones I've been wearing all my life. But like you, San, I was told brown was not an advisable pairing and am only learning now to push that boundary some (I had to if I wanted to wear my moto jacket as much as possible)! Black seems to be more of a divisive issue than I ever believed possible. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/ive-always-wanted-to-understand-this#post-147600 Sun, 25 Apr 2010 01:18:57 +0000 Anonymous 147600@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I've cut back on black pants because I've got a mostly white fuzzy puppy and don't want to battle the pet hair. ( I used to have a big black Belgian sheepdog and then wore lots of black pants and no white.) However, black pants are usually a main piece in my suitcase on any trip. I especially love to wear them with chocolate brown or navy, cobalt or French blue and some white. Enjoy your black pants...and black dog </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/ive-always-wanted-to-understand-this#post-147595 Sun, 25 Apr 2010 00:18:42 +0000 Dashrashi 147595@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I always feel kind of 1997 in my black pants, especially when I pair them with a solid colored top, ESPECIALLY-especially if the top is a jewel-tone or other saturated color. That kind of outfit doesn't seem to have enough visual interest for me these days, I guess. Solid block + solid block. When I wear my black pants now, I usually have to amp up the texture and/or the pattern mixing in the rest of my outfit, and be especially careful not to wear black shoes. Then my whole bottom half is black and I look like a cater-waiter. </p> <p>Same thing as wearing two pieces versus three: I find my outfit tends to look kind of dated and boring if I'm only wearing two major items (skirt and top, pants and shirt) but can be improved mightily if I add a third major item (blazer, cardigan, vest, or even a statement belt in some cases). I don't know whether that's just me being weird, though. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/ive-always-wanted-to-understand-this#post-147582 Sat, 24 Apr 2010 23:36:06 +0000 Isabel 147582@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Yeah, I love them too. I have an Ann Taylor pair that fit me beautifully and have been a fail safe for years. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/ive-always-wanted-to-understand-this#post-147573 Sat, 24 Apr 2010 22:42:18 +0000 Kristine 147573@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Awesome Taylor! Pictures?? </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/ive-always-wanted-to-understand-this#post-147569 Sat, 24 Apr 2010 22:34:34 +0000 taylor 147569@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I love black slacks, just not so much on me:) But i do wear them!!!</p> <p>BTW...I LOVE the Bee Gees and danced to Disco music in clubs before I could actually get in legally ...me with my black pinstripe 3 pc suit:) </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/ive-always-wanted-to-understand-this#post-147566 Sat, 24 Apr 2010 22:29:17 +0000 rute 147566@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I have a pair of black slacks and just love it! They are so flattering and comfy.. really love it! The point here is going beyond black slacks and avoiding dresing the same every day!</p> <p>In my case I suffered from another rut: the black pencil skirt, well I think I'm not cured yet because that's what I use when I know I'll have to be at my best.. maybe is a mistake, but I feel so good in it! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/ive-always-wanted-to-understand-this#post-147544 Sat, 24 Apr 2010 21:42:56 +0000 Anonymous 147544@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I love black pants, but I look for them to be somewhat unusual in design or fabric. A person who is a very creative dresser would make any old pair of black pants look good in the conbtext of styling the outfit. For me who is not so imaginative I want a black pair of pants that can make a statement with a simple top.<br /> I never thought of black not going with pastels. I always thought black went with everything except brown. I guess these might be old fashioned ideas. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/ive-always-wanted-to-understand-this#post-147541 Sat, 24 Apr 2010 21:31:39 +0000 marianna 147541@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I agree that it's easy to get in a black pants rut. For MANY years, whenever I had to get dressed up, I would always turn to my trusty black pants. Boring! I think you can absolutely wear them from time to time, if you style them in an interesting way! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/ive-always-wanted-to-understand-this#post-147538 Sat, 24 Apr 2010 21:10:10 +0000 LuAnn 147538@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I think black pants are a basic in most wardrobes. I wear my black pants about once a week but pair them with different shirts, jackets, cardigan, vests. I also have skinny, straight, capri &amp; slightly flared versions. I do wear pants in a variety of other colors and patterns. I prefer strong saturated colors because I have light skin and dark hair. I see women who wear black every day from head to toe and I must say that this is a very uncreative look. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/ive-always-wanted-to-understand-this#post-147526 Sat, 24 Apr 2010 20:14:58 +0000 cciele 147526@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Random thoughts --</p> <p>- I don't wear black slacks because they don't fit my MOTG lifestyle When I worked in an office, I did have several pair of black slacks.<br /> - Angie's right; they are kind of rut-inducing. Easy to have a uniform with black basics, but it's great to explore.<br /> - I think whether one likes black + strong colors or black + muted colors depends in part on your personal color contrast (contrast between skin tone, eye color, and hair color). I can't wear dusty or pastel colors, and my hair is fairly dark compared to my skin tone (medium-high contrast), so I gravitate toward more strong, graphic, color combinations. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/ive-always-wanted-to-understand-this#post-147525 Sat, 24 Apr 2010 20:05:32 +0000 Kristine 147525@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I think it's because black is so strong that I don't care for it with strong colors. Maybe this is just an issue of terminology. When I say muted colors I think of colors like midnight blue or navy, dusty plum, soft teal, burgundy. I don't think of muted colors as being pastel (which is a color mixed with white) but toned down (a color mixed with black). </p> <p>A saturated color is the purest form, so that's bright colors like scarlet, primary blue, pumpkin orange, daffodil yellow. It's just too strong to my eye to have a big block of black against a big block of saturated color. A touch of black or a touch of strong color, but not a heavy dose of both. </p> <p>Angie and Maya, you're both very stylish and I'm sure you have wonderful ways of mixing them that works! This could be something I'll change my mind on once I evolve more style-wise.</p> <p>Black and white is classic. Black and cream or camel is very pretty too, especially with some pattern. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/ive-always-wanted-to-understand-this#post-147521 Sat, 24 Apr 2010 19:27:39 +0000 Maya 147521@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Hmm, I have to side with Angie on this one. Black is such an intense neutral that it will zap whatever little color there is in a more muted or pastel shade. For pastels, I'd much rather see cream or white. For earthy muted tones, all shades of brown are a no-brainer. Grey works for both.</p> <p>Black needs to be placed with other colors that can hold their own ground, which means richer colors and stark white (cream works fine too, I guess I just have a preference for the crispness of white). Grey works too though, but it has to be a lighter value of grey (I just realized how inconsistent I am at spelling grey/gray). </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/ive-always-wanted-to-understand-this#post-147520 Sat, 24 Apr 2010 19:16:53 +0000 Angie 147520@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>That's so interesting, Kristine. I do not prefer black with muted tones/pastels, and feel that saturated colours work best with the intense strength of black - especially when a form of white is mixed into the palette. I also love neutrals with black - white and cream being top of the list. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/ive-always-wanted-to-understand-this#post-147518 Sat, 24 Apr 2010 19:11:50 +0000 Kristine 147518@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I have a pair of black bootcut and a pair of black skinnies. I don't think there's anything wrong with black pants, just as Angie said sometimes they can be a crutch. For a lot of us we probably associate them with our "old style", where all we really knew was black pants or jeans.</p> <p>The only other issue I have with black is that it's sometimes hard to mix up. That might sound strange because black seems so basic. But I don't like black with strong colors, only with muted colors or neutrals. I get more wear out of my grey pants, but I still like my black ones too. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/ive-always-wanted-to-understand-this#post-147512 Sat, 24 Apr 2010 18:34:50 +0000 Boof 147512@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I believe Angie has mentioned that they can be "aging." I think black dress slacks are a classic, and it all depends on what you pair with them. Michelle, I know that you have many "KILLER" items that you could put together with your dress slacks and look fabulous. You rock modern classic.</p> <p>I have a pair in my closet, and I love the way they fit. I haven't worn them in over a year, simply because I've been choosing dresses over slacks. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/ive-always-wanted-to-understand-this#post-147510 Sat, 24 Apr 2010 18:31:40 +0000 Angie 147510@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I think things have been misconstrued, Michelle. As Maya said, I have a wonderful pair in the store and pop ladies in black slacks all the time. April recently posted a beautiful outfit with black slacks too. </p> <p>I'd like to prevent women from style-rutting with black slacks as it can look conservative, mature and dull quickly. Many women wear black slacks each day with with a classic top. That's it. It's not a bad look. In fact, it can be a killer look when the variables are spot on and the accessories are interesting. But women tend to fall back on black slacks as the ONLY biz casual option and that's where I start objecting. There are countless options. There is style life beyond black slacks! Also, people think black slacks are flop proof when in my opinion they're not. If you look better in skirts, stay away from slacks. </p> <p>Michelle, I've seen you in your black slacks and they look sensational. You have long legs and wear the flared leg extremely well. You also put your outfits together with flair and verve. That's the difference. </p> <p>I hope that makes sense. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/ive-always-wanted-to-understand-this#post-147509 Sat, 24 Apr 2010 18:19:38 +0000 Losermom 147509@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I own a pair of really well cut black dress slacks. I mostly wear them in the winter with my black suede wedges. I would consider them for a fall back outfit bottom. They do not require much thought or creativity but fill the bill for polished and conservative, something I need from time to time. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/ive-always-wanted-to-understand-this#post-147506 Sat, 24 Apr 2010 18:02:22 +0000 Jenava 147506@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Mine are currently too big for me, otherwise I would wear them all the time! I need to trot down to the tailor asap. I have a pile of stuff to get altered! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/ive-always-wanted-to-understand-this#post-147504 Sat, 24 Apr 2010 17:57:24 +0000 Maya 147504@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Oh Michelle, I don't think there is any hate for black dress slacks! Angie even has a pair in the YLF store.</p> <p>I can't speak for anyone else but me, but I hate them FOR MYSELF because I just hate wearing pants in general. I only own 2 pairs: the very popular CM micro checks and the Martin skinny pants. I own these because they are fun and funky options, which is not something I usually associate with pants. But that is just my style. If you have a more classic, ladylike style (as you do), then a pair of black dressy pants is perfectly fine. Were you wearing them in your potential NJ outfit that got killer ratings from everyone (including me)? Because if so I totally encourage you to wear them! I just don't feel fab in pants. I feel much more confident in a dress, skirt, or one of my two funky pairs. If you DO feel great in yours, then by all means keep wearing them! They work with your style. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/ive-always-wanted-to-understand-this#post-147503 Sat, 24 Apr 2010 17:51:01 +0000 Michelle 147503@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Here on YLF, there seems to be a pretty strong hate-on for black dress slacks. Why is this? I have one pair that I trot out from time to time, and I always love it. It was purchased well before Angie's most informative post on selecting the right item like this, but it fits every criteria. The sleak, substantial fabric feels fabulous and drapes well, and my particular style has a great high rise that tmakes me feel reigned in, if ya know what I'm sayin'. Mine are also fairly straight-legged, which I like. But since realizing that this type of clothing item doesn't have a strong support base on the forum, I've been questioning my pair more. What's the deal? Why not cut slacks some slack? Is it just black ones that can be objectionable?<br /> And what's the difference between slacks and trousers? </p> <p>Full disclosure: I may just be weird, as I also don't see what's so bad about disco music. You won't persuade me on that point, but I'm certainly willing to be guided on this dress pant issue. </p>