Key Trousers Fashion and Pant Styles for Spring & Summer 2009
By Pauline Weston Thomas for Fashion-Era.com
Key Trousers and Pant Style Fashion Trends for Spring & Summer
2009
Even with world in recession, people
still have to wear clothes, so if it's trousers that you are choosing
you select a style which suits you. The secret is to tune into the best
of trouser fashion whilst keeping an eye on value and quality for money.
At the close of the noughties decade several changes are occurring in the fashion history of ladies
trouser wear. Pants are reinventing themselves, although
the current styles are still too new to compete with the importance
of the dress.
The first trend to note in 2009 sees is the rise of the trouser leg to above
ankle. What fabric has been lost at the ankle has been
added
above waist, with high bands and peg-top carrot shaping.
Secondly, trousers have joined up with tops to form the retro
all-in-one jumpsuit, flying suit, or playsuit. Because of the
high street availability of the jumpsuit in so many different
styles I have written a page just about the fashion trend for
all-in-one
jumpsuits.
2009 is the year of wearing any pant style you fancy. Go
retro thrift, or buy new. Whichever option you take will be spot
on fashion wise.
The noticeable trend is the return of narrow legs and peg top
waists. But these too sit happily beside wide leg trousers.
Skinny jeans and footless tights/hosiery were the forerunner
of some of
autumn 2008 pant styles with a much slimmer lower leg
and often cropped above the ankle. The legs are frequently so
narrow that a zip or button fastening aids dressing.
The new narrower pants for 2009 combine several ideas, and variations lend
themselves to alterative names, such as carrot top pants, dhoti
or harem pants.
Right - River Island Clothing Co. Ltd Spring 2009
-
Fuchsia
one shoulder satin top £34.99, Black 'Nicola' three quarter
zip detail trouser £34.99, Blue snakeskin 'Whoop' platforms
£54.99.
Above Left - Miss Selfridge - Fashion styles
for Spring 2009.
A popular 1980s fashion trend was the easy peg top trouser
which today returns in several guises.
Right now the peg top is growing as the newest pant style to be seen
wearing. Most new slim leg pants have upper fullness or volume usually tapering to a
narrow leg or cuff. Some harem pants (shown further down) have
great lower volume too.
Note how plenty of ankle is on display.
Expect to see plenty of
carrot-top trousers, so called not because of their colour, but because they have similar silhouette to a
tapering carrot. The peg-top fullness is at the waistline
and some trousers can be moderately streamlined. Others
drape into extra gathers at ankle or have a low calf tapered
finish.
Left - Dorothy Perkins - Buy of the Month using the hottest
colour of the year lemon yellow. Dorothy Perkins Spring 2009 - Origami top £28 44, Grey peg
leg trousers £30 45.
Far Right - Denim homage - Peg Leg Jeans £28, Peep
Toe Sling Backs £60, Crop Top £16, Denim Quilted Bag £18 all
from Asos.com Spring/Summer 2009 Womenswear Fashion Collection.
Note how these pants are made in every fabric from denim to
lustrous fabrics such as satin. Sometimes these satin versions
are called pyjama pants.
Far Left - Flat shot of Littlewoods Carrot trousers.
Far Right - Flat shot of Wallis Peg satin top trousers £35/55 -
Wallis Spring Summer 09.
Centre Left - Rocha - John Rocha cropped leather jacket £190/294
Star by Julien Macdonald embellished top £35/54, Satin Ύ
trousers £35/54, Red Herring scarf £15/23.50, Rocha. John Rocha
shoulder bag embellished circle detail £65/101.
Centre Right - Grey pants from Spring/Summer 2009 Womenswear within Debenhams.
All items by Designers
at Debenhams
Spring/Summer 2009 Womenswear.
As you can see from the styles illustrated here that
the main fashion trend factor is that the leg, from waist to
ankle, resembles a carrot in shape.
One step
from the carrot style is the dhoti pant, and then the harem
pant. Some dhoti pants taper to such tight narrowness they have
many buttons to ensure an ankle hugging close fit.
These pants
right are from Benetton and look fresh and new in style.
These and other even fuller pants available at Benetton and
elsewhere owe much
to the original rapper styling designed for dance movement and
handstands.
Be warned, the lines between these
styles are fine. The pair shown right are very moderate in
crutch depth, but extra deep dhoti styles are on offer. Just take care you don't step into ranges that
owe much resemblance to baggy diaper nappies.
As you can see any width of pant is a fashion hit.
The most important trend within wide trousers is of strong bold
colours. Rich bold bright wide pants in pink, blue and
Santorini blue or lapis shout 2009 styles of wider leg pants.
Below
Far Left - These classic wide black pants right from Hobbs are
beautifully cut and an investment wardrobe staple. The
monochrome colour scheme is also classy and stylish. That outfit
shown can easily take you into the yachting maritime look.
Of course designers and retailers are wise enough to know that
tapered pants with peg top waist won't suit every female on the
planet.
Fortunately, just as many designers are offering wide leg pants
alongside harem pants. They cover a multitude of sins
where other styles are less forgiving of bulges.
The more adventurous can opt for harem pant styles like these
Roksanda Iilinic pants above centre and right. Harem pants are
an interesting fashion statement as we reach the twenty-teens
decade. Take note that whilst the long leggy models do
them justice, this look will drown anyone under 5'3", so be
careful if you are a short petite.
Many retailers have their own versions of harem trousers,
especially focusing on cropped harem pants with cuffs, and
sometimes the manufacturers call them balloon pants.
These shown near right are from Marks and Spencer 2009 Products.
Purple silk Harem Pants - £35, T69 8418, and in store May - June at
Marks & Spencer.
Far Right - This playsuit/jumpsuit can only be described as a
harem pant jumpsuit. This black star print jumpsuit £29.99 is
from River Island Clothing Co. Ltd from their SS09 WW Hero
Pieces.
Summer of course also means holidays, and in these relaxed carefree days
white pants look wonderful in summer sunshine. White
trousers are frequently designed to be very wide legged.
The white wide leg trousers above left are from Phase Eight Spring Summer
2009 Campaign Shots.
Details - Phase Eight - Kay Linen Jacket £75.00 Linen Trousers
£50.00.
Right - White trousers by New Look Spring/Summer 2009 Women's
Collection - Patent hooded jacket £25, Limited Edition pearl
embellished T shirt £28, Limited Edition trousers £25, Navy pumps
£10.
Many stores also show pants with high waists set on deep
buttoned bands flowing into wide flared legs.
Another variation are the pants with turn-ups or button only
closures adding a true maritime feel.
Above:- Far Left/ Centre Left - French
Connection SS09 Navy Wide Leg Trousers- £70 Ladieswear Spring
2009.
Centre Right - Wallis Spring Summer 09 - Ivory White wide leg
trousers £40/60.
Far Right - French Connection Ladieswear Spring 2009 White Wide
Leg Cotton Trousers - £80.
Blue trousers in any fabric are a summer fashion
must-have.
You can opt for denim, like these dark navy
denim boot flares from Linea at House of Fraser.
Purple dip dye scarf £25 Linea Weekend, Flower print top £29
Linea Weekend, Indigo crease front jeans £45 by Linea Weekend -
House of Fraser Womenswear & Accessories SS09.
Near Left - Boot-cut jeans from Linea
Spring Summer 2009 Collection.
But don't forget blue silk, or
blue linen trousers, which have a summery feel without the
industrial toughness of denim.
Both the high blue trouser suits left are from Aquascutum.
One of the looks for summer is
the retro denim theme.
This year you can choose from any jean texture, dark coloured,
acid
distressed or stone washed denim fabrics with, or without extra
Lycra.
You can also select the style from skinny to boyfriend baggies;
the ankles can be flared boot
leg or cropped or turn ups. All are the right jeans and if peg-top
styles suit you, then find denim jeans made up in the carrot pants
silhouette too.
If you don't have the patience to distress and shred the
jeans yourself, UK high street retailers like Oasis, Benetton's
and Miss Selfridge all have versions to suit.
Details Above:- Far Left - TBC. Centre Left - Benetton
- Cotton mousseline shirt with boat neckline, Style n:
5BW15QW03, Sizes: XS - L. Delavι denim trousers with vintage
effect, Style n: 4D08Z7105, Sizes: 38 - 48.
Centre - Benetton Wide delavι denim trousers with turn-up, Style
n: 4F6FZ5324, Poplin cotton empire-style top with print, Style
n: 5A1LST024, Sizes: XS - L. Centre Right - Oasis
torn jeans - TBC.
Far Right - Dark
jeans from Principles Spring Summer 2009 - Taupe tape cardigan
£49.00/79, Ceylon mixed print tunic £49.00/79, Slim boot cut
jeans £39.00/59, Chocolate suede all over tassel cross body bag
£45.00/69.
DO-IT-YOURSELF denim makes the ultimate credit crunch chic
opportunity. Therefore give your imagination full
rein and start shredding, bleaching, stonewashing those old
jeans. So get
trashing that denim.
Both these all in one jumpsuits have 80s flying suit
influence.
This blue denim jumpsuit left is from
www.asos.com and is hot off
the press.
The military influenced natural jumpsuit right is from the
value for money store Matalan.
Right - Matalan Papaya linen blend jumpsuit £18 from Matalan
SS09.
More conspicuously
glamorous jumpsuits, playsuits and shorts are shown on the
jumpsuit page and show elements from 50s playsuits and late 60s
and 70s jumpsuits.
Copyright of images courtesy of prshots, Swarovski,
Aquascutum, Dorothy Perkins, Wallis, Miss Selfridge, Oasis, New Look,
Debenhams, Littlewoods,
River Island, Marks & Spencer, Principles, Linea/HOF, Hobbs, Benetton,
Monsoon, ASOS,
Warehouse, Phase Eight and French Connection.
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Fortunately, just as many designers are offering wide leg pants
alongside harem pants. They cover a multitude of sins
where other styles are less forgiving of bulges. 
Harem pants are
an interesting fashion statement as we reach the twenty-teens
decade. Take note that whilst the long leggy models do
them justice, this look will drown anyone under 5'3", so be
careful if you are a short petite.
