Q&A: How to Dress Down Trousers
November 8th, 2007
Q: Would it look weird to dress down dress trousers with a t-shirt and flats (a la Rachel Bilson)? Do you have any other ideas to dress them down?
By Colleen Geary, fashion stylist and image consultant
A: Rachel Bilson always looks stylish and age appropriately youthful. Sure, you can imitate her look and wear trousers with a t-shirt and flats. How to do it? Trousers have a wider leg width than jeans or cigarette pants, so you want to be sure to have long legs–or a heel to balance out the width.
Here’s another couple of looks you might try:
(1) Dress down your trousers with a casual boot and a slouchy long sweater for a comfy, relaxed look.
(2) Layer two t-shirts of different colors over your trousers. Accessorize the casual look with some fun long necklaces. Be playful, but also be careful with proportions.
Pictured: Martin Lightweight Wool Cuffed Trouser | $69.99 (sale) at Banana Republic.
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2 Comments
1. Mimi | November 8th, 2007 at 8:40 pm
Aha- so that’s it! “Trousers have a wider leg width than jeans”– no wonder they never look right with flats. I’d try flats to dress them down but only ended up looking squatty. I had the wrong shoe and the wrong top. I’ll try the layered t-shirt idea with heels instead.
2. Trisha | November 9th, 2007 at 12:50 am
Glad to help, Mimi!