Despite the appeal of breaking the mould, there’s a lot to be said for the classics. Leather coats and Burberry trenches, boat shoes and polo shirts will never go out of style and, just when you think they did, they come back reinvented and even more fantastic than ever before. So while it’s fun and exciting to branch out and try something new-ish I always find myself returning to the staples; that weird experiment goes from being fresh to just plain strange. A good example of this is, of course, harem pants. Who decided these were a good idea?

Outfit 1:
So these pants aren’t technically Harem pants but they share the same rise and therein lies the problem. Other than the pants, though, this outfit is great: all black is almost always a good choice (particularly dress shirts) and the boots are another excellent addition. These combined with the hair, sunglasses, etc. is ‘enough.’ So why not just stick to something a bit more classic? If you want to ’subvert,’ there should be a rock holding it all together.

Outfit 2:
This one is a bit more obviously problematic. I think we can blame American Apparel for making jersey so damn popular but it would seem everyone has been wearing rags as of late. I dig the shoes and the hat but these pants confuse me—as do those thin scarves everyone has been wearing lately. With the flap of fabric and the ultra-tapered, cropped legs, these pants are a bit of a mess. Instead, I’d suggest anything with more structure and substance—a thicker, fuller scarf over a static-cling-disaster, rolled up jeans / slacks.

Ladies Touch by Maggie M; a freelance writer and fashion consultant.