Sailor trousers: Styling tips

Styling tips for sailor trousers

Last week I introduced a new TRL style essential: the sailor trouser. Sailor trousers offer timeless style and they are revisited every few years by designers, as is the whole nautical idea behind them.I'd like to go over now some styling tips for different body types.
Sailor pants can very well be every working woman's staple, so it can be a good idea stock up on them whenever they are fashionable. I often buy two pairs of the same trousers in the best quality I can afford: one pair hemmed for heels, one for flats.
What to look for?

• A straight or slightly flared leg is most people's best choice, cut mid to wide width. Remember that your best leg width depends on how tall you are, because wider trousers legs will make you look shorter. They should fall loose from the widest part of your hips. 
• A double row of buttons is good tummy camouflage, just check that they are not placed very low.
• A crease will always elongate your legs. Keep it sharp through ironing (through a cotton cloth, of course, to avoid unpleasant shine).
• Hem wide sailor pants (or, for that matter, any long, flared pair) 1/2-1" from the floor when wearing the shoes you will be using.

Sailor trousers: Navy and yellow by C. Grant.

Hobbs Keeva Trousers / Alice and Olivia bell sleeve Blouse / Hobbs Gweneth Coat / Tory Burch Shoes / Roger Vivier Clutch Handbag /  Kenneth Jay Lane Necklace / Dior Lipstick in Trafalgar / Tom Ford Eye shadow Quad in Golden Mink / Tom Ford Nail Lacquer in Show Me the Pink.

Styling tips for Body Types:

If the pair you find needs to be taken in at the waist, just go ahead and choose a pair that fits your hips and have a professional deal with the rest.

• Body Type A: Choose ones that are not at waist level but one inch or two below it so they don't accentuate the difference between your hips and your upper body. Keep in mind that very low rise trousers will make your hips look wider too.
• Body Type B: A pair of sailor trousers with a high waist will make your legs look longer. Look for a pair that places the buttons over your stomach and not your hips.
• Body Type C: You can wear any style of trousers, so sailor trousers are for you too. 

This post first appeared in The Red Lipstick: Own Your Style on April 6, 2012. It has been edited for re-publication.
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