How To Wear Red Pants

My latest obsession is RED PANTS. Last spring, J Brand launched these gorgeous red skinny jeans that looked incrediby hot but were totally unwearable unless you were under 30 and had the ass to match.

This year, colourful pants are all the rage and bright-hued bottoms are everywhere! Yay! I like the emerald green and cobalt blue but I can't stop crushing on crimson.

Premium brand—and fave of celebrities everywhere—Alice + Olivia have introduced these gorgeous flares (pictured above, photo from shopbop's blog) but even though the style will be more flattering for my figure they are a little rich for my wallet at $253 USD.

On an absent-minded trip to the mall a couple of weeks ago, I came across the perfect pair to pacify my preoccupation—Gap, on sale for $45:

Now, I've got to find something in my closet to wear with them! To the Internet I go and a basic search turned up some surpisingly great matches:

Red with Neutral
I like the varying shades of grey or taupe or any other neutral. I think it grounds the flaming pants. I like how there's some texture at play, too.

As the weather warms, these pants will take you into the summer with a silky shell and a pair of great sunglasses.

Red with Navy
I was concerned this combo would be a bit Talbots—a little stuffy, a little old. But I think this looks really fresh here:

I love the printed trench, so I decided to also get a sweet swiss dotted top to go with them—also from Gap for about $60 (but I had a coupon):

If the navy and red combo is too intense for you, a fitted denim or chambray shirt with the sleeves rolled up and some gold arm candy would look cute, too.

Red with Stripes

I'm willing to bet you have at least one striped tee in your closet. I'm even getting a little tired of mine but this is a fresh update that will breathe new life into it:

Red with Black

This is a perfect career palette:

It really makes the red pant the statement, so I'd keep everything else in all-black with minial accessories—just a great black bag and some simple studs with a non-flashy watch. I have a black cashmere turtleneck and cardigan set that I've had for fifteen years that will be a great Wear Now combination.

If you're still not convinced that you can rock this look or that it's a trend reserved for the younger set, let me convince you. Red is not a trend colour. It's a classic. The pastels and neons are harder to wear, especially in such a prominent piece. When I came across this picture in my research, I was sold: