It has been a mixed bag of a year, hasn’t it? Ups and downs, let’s say. That is probably the most positive spin on 2024. But when times are challenging, it is more important than ever to celebrate the small wins. And for me, one of the deep joys of this year has been rediscovering the absolute life-changing brilliance of having a pair of trousers that go with everything that you really like.
My favourite loose-leg trousers have been my north star this year. They work with everything, and they make everything work. I wear them with loafers and with trainers and ankle boots. With T-shirts in summer, with shirts in spring and autumn, with sweaters now.
My favourite pair are from Jigsaw (I have written before about my love for Jigsaw trousers, sorry to repeat myself, but it’s the truth) and are black, wide-legged, with a crease down the front, and belt loops. I have discovered, through trial and many an error, that this is what works for me.
I’m not tall, and I find that straight or wide legged trousers look shapeless on me unless they have a front crease. And a belt is essential to make them sit how I want them to sit all day, rather than looking droopy after a couple of hours. The ones I have are old, but Jigsaw’s Kemp Wide Leg Japanese Wool trousers are similar.
They are £220, which feels like a hefty price for a simple garment from a brand most of us would consider high street, but then they are 100% quality wool, which isn’t easy to find these days. (When I last checked they’d been reduced to £165.) A more affordable version is M&S’s Tailored Straight Leg Trousers (£39.50), although they currently seem to be available only in bright red. I really like the Reiss pair (£138) shown here, too. And the matching belt makes them feel very pulled together, no?
Your go-to trousers might be a different style altogether. A palazzo pant or a flare or a cargo pant. The point is that when you’ve found the trousers that make your life easier, you don’t want to let them go. I pack mine whenever I travel, because – just like Yorkshire Gold teabags, which I also take – they give me confidence that a day will start off on the right foot, even if it may go to pieces later on. This much, clothes can do. It’s not the be-all and end-all, but neither is it nothing.
Anyway. Having found the pair that have your back, it is really quite irritating to have to abandon them in December, which is the most demanding bit of the whole getting-dressed calendar. In party season, all the things that have been brilliant about your best trousers – their bread-and-butter reliability, the below-the-radar steadiness which makes it possible to wear them five days in a row while looking different each time – makes them tricky for going out.
But making an effort does not have to mean making life hard for yourself. We are accustomed to party clothes that are hard work. But allow me to share a hard-won piece of wisdom that I’ve eventually figured out, which is that party season is just as much fun, and a lot less of a faff, once you figure out some low-impact outfit formulas.
This is more important as you get older, I think. My appetite for being out late on a school night is not what it used to be, but occasionally I am required to Show Up. Does this sound familiar?
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If so, may I propose basing a party outfit around your favourite trousers: swap your chunky loafers for pointy kitten heels; your blouse for a fitted waistcoat or a sleek body; your work bag for something lighter. Keeping your trousers on makes the turnaround quicker and simpler. (No shaving your legs, or looking for tights without runs.) You don’t need to wear a princess dress if you don’t want to. Your trousers, like Cinderella, shall go to the ball.
Hair and makeup: Sophie Higginson using Davines and L’Oreal. Styling assistant: Sam Deaman. Model: Claudia at Milk. Velvet top, £78, Reiss. Trousers, £138, Reiss. Hoop earrings, £85, and bag, £265, both Lulu Guinness
