Hi Angie and all,

I am shopping for black dress pants and struggling to narrow down what I'm looking for in terms of style - can you help me define a few parameters to narrow my search? Here's my mish-mash of wants/needs and thoughts:

  • Versatile - not so dressy I couldn't pair with tank top, not so casual they won't work with a blouse - somewhere in the middle. Also I don't want them to be winter pants per se - again cutting off the extremes, I'd like them to be multi-seasonal
  • Doesn't need a sky high heel to look good - reasonable with flats or a lower heel
  • Current - but not so trendy that I will be sick on them next year - as I would like to get several seasons out of them since I doubt they'll be frequent flyers
  • Not too floppy - I've seen some popular dress pants have a really drapey, floppy vibe - I *think* I'd like something a bit sharper - this might be a matter of length - thinking hemmed right at the ankle bone will keep them crisper?
  • What cut would be good? I'm noticing many straight legs look too close to a skinny cut for where I'm at currently - think I want some width, but the true wide legs can be a bit much on me since I'm small (esp without a heel) - thinking bootcut or flare, but are these at risk of not sticking around? Maybe straight is the safest route?
Anyways, that's all a bit disjointed, hence the question! Appreciate any thoughts; thanks Angie et al! xx

Finds: Two pairs Angie shared recently that appealed, as well as a number of items I would foresee wearing them with.