Thread Review: Bright Colored Pants

Although not a new idea, colored pants have made their way into just about every major retail store on the planet. They are clearly the newest fashion fad, and it seems that everyone is jumping on board. I personally love colored pants and think that they can up the production value of any plain outfit. Bright colored pants can be way too loud for some people, so I wouldn't spend the big bucks on a nice pair if you've never traveled into this realm before. H&M has really nice pairs in the $20s-$30s range, and most of mine are from there.

My collection of colored pants, all under $40.

So if you've decided to take on the challenge of colored pants, here are a few tips to wearing them correctly: (After the jump)



1.) Make it the statement piece. Every outfit should have a statement piece, this is Rule 3 in my 10 Style Rules that can be found in the navigation bar right underneath the big title box at the top of the page. These types of pants are already extremely loud, so you do not want to add anything that is going to compete with the pants. By adding a plain shirt, you can keep the pants the focal point of the outfit and avoid over complicating (Rule 2).

2.) Stick to either plain white or dark colored shirts. Personally, I think that someone with too many bright colors on looks like a basket of Easter eggs. You need to combat the brightness of the pants with either no color (white) or a dark color. I think navy works with most colored pants, and I think it looks exceptionally good when paired with mint and red, which are both shown in the picture at the beginning of the article. A dark color shirt will also tone down the summer feel on some of the more flamboyant colored pants and make them wearable and appropriate in the fall.

3.) Don't think you can only wear slip-ons with them. All of the men in the top picture collage are all wearing some kind of sperry/vans mix. The thing I should stress the most about these colored pants is to bring them into fall and winter with you. Last winter I wore my red denim pants with a black shirt and black sneakers to the club. I've worn them with combat boots and even sandals. Although I do like the slip on shoes/colored pants look, I've been experimenting with other combinations and it has definitely been paying off.

4.) Add a Blazer. We all love a good blazer. I plan on making a bunch of posts about how much I love them. Colored pants and blazers compliment each other very well, as long as the blazers are DARK or SUBTLE. I always wear my red pants and Black blazer with a white shirt underneath. Also, my dark blue blazer goes perfectly with my yellow as well as brown colored pants. I always keep the blazer dark, though. Personally, I don't think you should wear more than one extremely bright color at once, but that is just a personal preference. Something about wearing red pants with a bright yellow jacket just screams Tommy Hilfiger to me and I don't like it. If that's your style, though, you should go for it! Don't let me tell you no. The blazer could also be subtle, like a khaki or white color. This is a great summer look, while avoiding looking like a neon sign.

So, there you go. With these four easy tips, you too can conquer the challenge of the bright colored pants. This is a perfect way to have fun with your clothing, fulfilling style rule number 10. Now go out and get creative!