Photo: Paul Kane/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images
This fall, women are definitely wearing the pants in the family, and for those who are not skinny jeans girls, another on-trend style will satisfy a chic fashionista's appetite. For a retro hippie groove, add a bit of flare to your bottom half, opting for wideish bell-bottom jeans that are a wee bit narrower than the exaggerated 1970s shape. With tons of beautiful, classic textures from which to choose -- wool, cotton, even leather jeans are au courant -- there's a fabulous pant tailor-made for any autumnal occasion.
Stretch is super important, especially if you're getting a high-waisted pant that covers the tummy. You really want to get something that's going to suck it all in. I would recommend a pant with some Lycra in it always.
- Bernard Jacobs, president of Katy Duds, an image and fashion consulting firm in West Hollywood
Fall's foremost pant tip: Find a flattering, slimming pair that accentuates your best assets and hides all your flaws.
"More important than following any specific trends this fall is making sure your pants fit well," said Kallah Maguire, professional wardrobe stylist, personal shopper and founder of The Emerald Scarab, a wardrobe curation and cultivation service. "So many people buy pants that are too big for them because they think they are going to make them look skinnier. But the truth is that anything too big is going to sag and make you look like you've got a dirty diaper in the back of your pants."
One coveted trend that nicely complements just about every body shape is what Maguire cheekily dubs the "boyfriend pant."
"They are a wide-legged style, and they are just the most gorgeous pants," said Maguire. "They are very voluminous, very wide from the hip all the way down and just about cover the whole shoe. But they have a tailored look to them where the bottom is a little bit tapered, so it doesn't look as though there are reams and reams of fabric. It's the absolute perfect amount of width, and they look really beautiful on so many people."
Conversely, revamped renditions of the iconic bell-bottom jean, another white-hot trend this fall, limits leg width to below the knee.
"Most of the styles I've seen are skin tight to midcalf and then flare out on the bottom," said the fashion guru. "Unlike the old, original bell-bottoms, the flares this season are not super, super dramatic."
Bernard Jacobs, president of Katy Duds, an image-and-fashion consulting firm in West Hollywood, calls the slightly more sculpted cut a "modified bell-bottom." "This season, a lot of girls are going to stick with a super slim jean with a little flare at the bottom -- nothing too big," he said.
For those who want a little more give in their pants, alternative versions of the bell-bottom feature a slightly wider silhouette from the thigh to the knee. "They've got a slightly wider all-over shape that's not as narrow as the skin-tight styles," said Maguire. "Some of them could almost pass for wide-legged pants."
And the ultimate must-have pant feature for fall: Lycra. Even if you are wearing wide-legged pants, you want to minimize anything that is wide elsewhere.
"Stretch is super important, especially if you're getting a high-waisted pant that covers the tummy," said Jacobs. "You really want to get something that's going to suck it all in. I would recommend a pant with some Lycra in it always."
"Whatever the pant -- jeans or trousers -- a great shaper like Spanx can smooth everything out," said Maguire. "If you've got a bit of a muffin top or issues with your butt or thighs, then wearing Spanx is really your best bet. If you've got a shaper underneath your pants, it's amazing the difference it can make."
