Anybody wearing ordinary office trousers these days? - YouLookFab Forum

Category

Dressing

Welcome! Read about what to wear and how to wear it on the YLF Blog. Join the YLF Forum to ask specific questions or just chat about fashion and personal style. Or check out the curated list of things we love in YLF Finds.

Outfits Ensembles Trends Advice

Anybody wearing ordinary office trousers these days?

rachylou

Veteran

Hey! Is anybody wearing your ordinary, straight, office trousers these days? You know - not cropped, not harem, not track, not wide-legged, not skinny...

I'm asking because I can't remember what kind of tops I used to wear with them and what might might look best now. This happens periodically to me. I don't want to tuck if I can help it.

How 'bout shoes? What short of shoes do we wear with these nowadays?

Dressing

31 replies

Latest reply was from rachylou

Aida

Veteran

Hm I never really wore straight straight, but more of the wider straights you know? I have one slouchy wide pair (light gray) and one proper semi-wide/semi-straight pair (black pinstripe). So perhaps I'm not the best to answer, but I like to wear mine with welted sweaters (often cropped or semi-cropped length) and pointy pumps/booties. Simple and easy.

EDIT: OK I don't have access to most of my photos, but here are a few recent ones (1-5) plus some others that are sorta like what you described. And some older ones (6-7) plus one wide legged that shows another type of top I like to wear with my straighter pairs (8), a buttoned-up cardigan. Yes I realize these are mostly wider and a bit more cropped, but that's what I have

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8

lyn*

(website)

Veteran

Hmm, I think I probably wore those when I first started medical school... I think I wore them with flats.

Runcarla

Veteran

My navy ones are maybe a little bit wide, and I'm wearing them tomorrow with an untucked button down that runs short (the pant's waist is too high for tucked) and pointy toe flats. I believe the pointy toe shoe makes the difference.

deb

Veteran

I am not and have not seen any at work.

Firecracker (Sharan)

Veteran

I have some slightly flared or bootcut trousers (Halogen), which I wore most recently in colder weather, with my Frye short boots (with pant legs covering all but the front half of the foot. I did that to make them a little more casual and less business-y feeling. I think I wore them with my short leather jacket, with a semi-tucked top and belt. I think a bomber jacket over a shirttail worn out would be a current look with this style of pant. Or a high-low hem sweater or short boxy sweater over a longer shirttail. I used to wear mine with long boyfriend cardigans, too.
Other shoe options for me would be heeled booties or oxfords.

Thistle

Veteran

Yep, wear them all the time. I prefer knit tops that are a bit longer. As a pear, I tend to wear them so they don't hit my widest point.

As for shoes, I wear oxfords, ankle boots, and slipper flats mostly.

I see this style all over where I am. Harem pants I have never seen outside of YLF.

Thistle

Veteran

Haven't seen track or wide legged pants by me yet either.

Lajj

I wear them all the time. When I go without a jacket, it's usually a more loosely cut, untucked silk blouse with a longer necklace. Pointy toe pumps seem to work the best. Flats generally make the pants seem more dated to me.

Sal

Veteran

I have one pair in a blue/grey....and I find them a useful addition to my wardrobe.

I wear with
Black dressy sweaters - untucked- I have three different ones.
Black dressy T (tucked) and ponte jacket
red silk shirt (tucked)
Either black ankle boots with a small heel or black pumps (pointy or peep toe)
Belt - black

As I work from home I do not need a lot of business clothes. These trousers are useful for my voluntary board chair role when I need to look smart but not too noticeable.with any of the black tops.. or with the red shirt they make a lovely classic work outfit.
I do feel elegant and polished in these type of trousers but I think you need to make sure they are good quality and a great fit... as with all classic clothes.

Windchime

Veteran

Still wearing them over here, Rachylou, as a function of still building my wardrobe and not easily finding some pants styles in long lengths. A more fashion-forward top makes a huge difference in how frumpy or not they feel, as do pointy-toe and/or heeled shoes.

Would a tunic type top work for you if you prefer not to tuck? Or a hi-low hemline top or sweater?

unfrumped

Veteran

Wow, timely post for me, rachylou, because i just did some tryons to find a few " best" outfits for summer use of some trousers.

Still wearing some styles of AT trousers, though I've winnowed and also gotten slightly less wide versions.
Cold weather styling is good because I can wear ankle boots/ booties which can be almond toe( no pointy pumps here, but that's a good style move if you can wear them) and have a chunky heel, but try to get a sleek look.
Summer is hard for trouser footwear for me, ergo my recent post.
For tops I need to employ slight juxtaposition of something that seems more dressy, or dare I say lady- like. If I wear a shirt style with trousers, it tends to read frumpy. Like Thistle, top lengths are key- PTL's- if too short, they ride up when I move; too long and they are schtumpifying. I think you have more leeway on top lengths with your shape than I do.
I finally learned I can't guarantee mix& match with random tops & bottoms.

Vix

Veteran

Hi Rachylou --

Another who wears them all the time too. Most of mine are trouser/boot cut, handy since I wear (wait for it) boots under them all winter; I like my straight legs too.

Generally I wear standard business casual style, sometime I veer Corporate Creative.

Lots of looser tops these days -- printed blouses, linen Ts -- and longer cardigans. I definitely do sheer via linen blend sweaters or blouses worn with solid tanks underneath. I tend not to wear as many blazers in warmer months as I do in the F/W.

Heels for me (almond, pointed or sandals) though I see lots of cute flats in my office.

Photos below.

[And yes, I know there are some skirts mixed in. Pretend there are trousers in the same shade -- I do a lot of very, very small variations on a theme! And apparently photograph 99% of my outfits when wearing my colored freshwater pearls.]

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9

rizamei

I still wear them. This time of year, I usually wear them with a
sleeveless blouse or tank (either a nice print, or something with
interesting details like beading, ruching, or draping) under a cardigan
(mostly open or v-neck) or casual blazer. Cole Haan wedges are my everyday shoe right now, but I wear Cobb Hill pumps at other times of the year.

Cole Haan 'Milly' Wedge Pump

Sale

View Info

Top Pick

3

Diana

Veteran

I wear mine for days when I need to look a bit dressed up, like if I'm giving a talk or going to the symphony. But not in the summer - both of my pairs are wool so it's too hot for them right now. Because I only wear them in colder weather I wear booties underneath, and shell+jacket, or a drapey sweater.

rachylou

Veteran

Great suggestions everybody. My mind was a total blank. But gosh, you all look so slim, your tops tuck so smoothly, and your pants all seem to fit so well! I feel so... baggy and lumpy in my trousers. I have to study everybody's suggestions. I'm thinking some structure at the waist is key...

Diana

Veteran

By the way, I never tuck into mine. The waistband on my BR martins is too high for tucking and doesn't have belt loops.

Here's a couple of outfits:
http://diana.lookfab.com/post/.....it-formula
http://diana.lookfab.com/post/.....e-symphony

rachylou

Veteran

Hmm. You're making me think, Diana. I wonder what I've got that's similar, that would hit at the right spot. I'm stock on long tops right now. I have to think...

Adelfa

Veteran

All I wear now is narrow-cut dress trousers. But when I used to wear the straight ones, I think I wore them with pullover sweaters (fabrication dependent on the season) or with a nice tee with a cardi. Good luck! I doubt you're lumpy!

Laura (rhubarbgirl)

(website)

Veteran

I am not wearing mine a ton these days and I think when I was I wasn't always making the most fashion forward choices. Lots of tucking in button front shirts.

The thing I would do to modernize them would be to try them with a blouse that has some drape to it - maybe one of those crossover ones that gathers together at the waist (not explaining myself well).

MRL

Veteran

I still sometimes wear ordinary trousers to work, but more often wear skinnier cut pants or crops (we are business casual). I have yet to see track pants or wide leg pants at my office.
As for shoes, my pointy toe low heels ( I have them in both nude and black), loafers (have both black and tan/white) and dressy sandals are getting a lot of wear.

Caro

That's a great question. Just straight trousers that are not styled too much... I know what you mean, and I haven't seen those in a while! But I remember wearing them with brogues or flats or loafers... I guess smart flat shoes in general. For a top, I would go for a simple dress shirt, like with a 3/4 length sleeve, maybe in a pastel colour...

Anonymous

I have a few pairs of basic ponte trousers in black and charcoal that are literally the only work pants I own. And even those are relatively new for me.

I've just been wearing them with knit tops or sweaters that are either on the loose side or have a banded bottom. Or maybe a cardigan over a more fitted knit top. For shoes, I've done booties and wedges (actually, slightly different versions of the Cole Haan wedge linked upthread) and worn my one shorter pair with pointy-toed flats. So nothing super-creative.

Suja

Veteran

Thank you for this question. I used to wear them all the time but have switched to slim leg bottoms. I was just thinking that I might want to try to wear this shape of pant again but didn't know what to wear on top. These pictures and suggestions are great.

cloud9

Veteran

Funny, I just busted out an old pair of lightweight trousers yesterday. I wore it with a knit jacket and flats.

Anonymous

Yes, I wear them all the time. When they fit well, they're so easy and are basically the office professional uniform de rigeur around here. For shoes, boots, loafers, oxfords work fine. I'll also wear sandals that have some coverage over the top of the foot. I don't prefer ballet flats or anything with rounded toes, though. That can go into frumpy territory fast (for me, anyway).

I wear a variety of tops without much worry. You do have to be careful with the proportions of flowy tops -- tunics are a no-go, but mid-lengths seem to look OK.

April

Veteran

When I was dressing for work, dress pants presented my biggest problem. I don't really wear heels, and it can be tricky to make dress pants look okay with flats. With regard to footwear, here's what I determined:

1. I felt good when it was cold enough to wear flat ankle booties underneath.

2. I felt good when it was warm enough to wear ballet flats without hosiery.

3. I would have felt good in some sort of oxford or other high-vamped flat if I had a more severe, mannish style, but I don't.

I never tucked anything in either. I just wore either a dressy top or a plain top with a jacket over it.

retailgirl

Veteran

I didn't know I was wearing something out of date! All I wear are straight legged dress pants. Some have belt loops, some don't. I usually wear a jacket or blazer, sometimes a cardigan, or a cardigan that looks jacket-y. I usually tuck my under layer but I have a few tops that look good untucked. I agree with Thistle, I haven't seen slouchy or harem pants on any one in person. And I am pretty observant of what I see people wearing when I'm out and about.

retailgirl

Veteran

Oh! And as far as shoes go, ballet flats, smoking slippers or loafers.

Ariadne

Veteran

I wore them all winter.

12