The last time I wore a skirt over pants I was in elementary school, when I rocked a skort over leggings and bootcut jeans under an Old Navy skirt (also probably at the same time as a tank top over a long-sleeve). Ever since then, though, the style has become socially verboten.
Until recently, the most relevant fan of the look was Juno MacGuff, the plucky pregnant teen from Diablo Cody’s 2007 film Juno, who wore it as makeshift maternity wear. But, like all trends, pants once again began appearing under skirts and dresses.
Collina Strada has been one of the most vocal proponents of the trend, consistently sending it down the runway since at least spring 2022. Hillary Taymour, the brand’s creative director, has personally rocked the look, taking her post-show bow at this past New York Fashion Week in a multicolored lace slip skirt over a pair of plaid pants. Chopova Lowena, Sandy Liang, and Palomo Spain also offered their version of the controversial style this season, only furthering its legitimacy.
It’s not just the fashion world that’s taken a pro stance in the return of the layered bottoms. Celebrities are also giving it a go. A$AP Rocky arrived on the 2023 Met Gala red carpet in a kilt over jeans, and in July Shakira rocked a monochromatic version at the Fendi couture show.
So, I decided to test drive the trend for myself. I dedicated three days this week to wearing pants under my skirts and dresses. See how it went below.
For my first look, I took my cues from Shakira at Fendi’s couture show this past July. The singer wore a black pleated miniskirt over black trousers with a white tank top. I opted to replicate the look with a cropped button-up from Hommegirls instead, to put a spin on the idea of traditional workwear. (It was also raining quite hard and I wasn’t about to enter into a wet t-shirt contest with the City of New York.)
I really loved how Shakira kept her skirt and pants monochromatic. Her legs still looked quite long because her bottoms were the same color as her skirt and her heeled boots, creating an elongated line. I hoped that in choosing a cropped top and a high-waisted skirt, I was creating the illusion of length with my skewed proportions.
The outfit got a very warm reception from my coworkers, who probably expected I would look like a fourth grader when I told them about this self-imposed challenge. My colleague Christian Allaire snapped a photo of me, which I reposted on my Instagram story. Within just a couple hours my DMs were filled with people who were surprised to actually like the look. My editor Sarah Spellings even Slacked me a photo of Shakira in the exact look I was emulating, and wrote “your look is very Shakira at Fendi.” I’ll count that as a successful day one!
I didn’t have a blueprint for today’s look, and, to be honest, I struggled getting dressed. I did know that I wanted to wear my baggy, low-rise Levi’s, but I hit some roadblocks when I discovered that some of my dresses were too long to properly show the pants underneath, while some skirts were too flimsy, showing off every lump and bump in the denim underneath.
I landed on a sheer black and gold minidress that I never wear because 1) it’s too short and 2) it’s too sheer. But both of those factors worked out in my favor today; I liked that the dress was on the shorter side, showing off enough of my pants, while the sheerness allowed me to retain some sense of shape.
The dress would bunch up when I sat down, making it look more like a tunic or a blouse than a dress. While I liked the idea, I don’t think it was my best execution.
Today I had dinner plans with my friend Sophie, so I decided to try out my last look on her, someone with no prior knowledge of my story. I opted for a navy Massimo Dutti shirtdress, which I unbuttoned until only the two middle ones were left clasped. That allowed for my jeans to show as I walked.
While Sophie complimented my outfit, the most affirming praise came from our waitress who exclaimed, “I love your…whatever this is!”
Although I’m not sure that I’ll regularly wear pants under my skirts and dresses hereafter, I do appreciate the novelty. With controversial trends such as these, I loved getting feedback, as most of it was met with qualifiers like “actually.” I surprised myself by actually liking some of them, too.
