Elevate your wardrobe with these pants — no extra shopping required
They're on sale with a stacking code!
Hi Geezers,
Spring is the hardest season to get dressed for, IMO. Jackets. Sweaters. Tee shirts. It’s snowing. I’m sweating. My shoes are wet.
And every spring, I go through the same humiliation ritual: I stare at my closet, look at 47 pairs of pants, and think, “I have no pants!”
I have pants (47 pairs, didn’t you hear?), but I don’t want to wear any of them.
TLDR; I found my favorite pants, they’re on sale, and here are four of infinite ways to wear them — and I’d bet you have all of these pieces already in your closet.
Last year, I decided to end the drama. I tried on every pair and simplified. I am not a woman who thrives on pant variety. I am a woman who wants to get dressed in under three minutes and feel that magic put-together feeling every time. In winter, coats and scarves do the heavy lifting for an outfit. In spring, the pants and shoes have to.
That closet audit left me with three heroes: straight-leg blue jeans, barrel jeans, and black stretchy trousers (if you’re in the market for those, checkout as a guest and use code GEETHANKSxSPANX).
I didn’t toss the rest, but those three pairs went to the top of the pile and became my spring staples.
The straight and the black stretch? No notes, and importantly, no need for seconds. But I loved the barrel silhouette so much that once it took over last spring, I leaned in and let that be the “fun pant”.
I now own an irresponsible number of barrel pants from GAP. Drawstring waist. High-rise no-stretch. Every color. Multiple variations on leopard print. How many leopard pants does one millennial need? My closet says three. And I wear them all regularly.
When you find the pair, it’s honestly thrilling to buy them again and again, especially when they hit sale, as they have today.
A lot of people worry they’ll look like a clown in barrel pants, but everyone I see wearing them looks impossibly chic. The GAP pair (above) is cut so subtly that it’s a great place to start if you’re curious about the trend but nervous. No one is going to clock you and think, “Ah yes, her first day in barrel pants,” the way I’m convinced everyone on the subway can tell I don’t normally wear baseball caps when I decide to put one on.
I often get asked, “What do you wear with them?” Um, literally anything. They are pants! But the silhouette feels elevated and fashion-forward, so once you’re wearing them, it almost doesn’t matter what’s on top. The pants do a lot of the work. They signal that you’re current, that you’re paying attention. It goes a long way.
Skinny jeans are “out,” if that’s something you care about (and you truly might not!). But these specific GAP barrels still hit that one thing you may love about your skinnies: they’re high-waisted. I think people assume they have to sacrifice a high waist for jeans that have looser fit. Not here. These are still fairly form-fitting; they just have a gentle flare at the mid-leg and a taper at the ankle. The shape feels modern without making you look like you’re trying to be Gen Z, which I am not.
Want to shop all the pieces? Go here.
Want to shop the pants? Go here.
With enough prints and colors of the pants, plus a few sweaters, tees, jackets and rotating shoe options, I basically have endless outfits while wearing some version of the same thing. And I feel comfortable and confident head to toe every time. I don’t have to think about it or overhaul my closet each season, and I still stay true to my style and preferences. Each photo in this post is a version of an outfit I will wear with these pants. None of them are aspirational, or represent a version of me that doesn’t exist. And it’s the most put together I’ve ever felt.
PS:
More soon!
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