Baggy Leather Pants Are This Season’s Menswear Staple
Do you remember that Friends episode—the one where Ross tries out a pair of leather pants? Trying to impress his new date, the paleontologist squeezes into a pair of edgy, black leather pants. He looks great in them, but the skintight trousers quickly turn into a running gag. “Oh God, I’m burning up,” he thinks as his date snuggles up to him on the couch. Ross heads to the restroom to peel off the toasty trousers—temporarily cooling his legs off—only to then struggle with putting them back on. After attempting to use baby powder and lotion to get them back on, he emerges defeatedly from the restroom with his ruined pants crumpled in a ball. “I had a problem,” he says.
Whenever I’ve toyed with the idea of wearing skinny leather pants, I think of that scene. Since I’m neither Ross nor Lenny Kravitz, the vacuum-sealed trousers have seemed like something I simply can’t pull off. Sure, I’ve always loved the cool look of them, but not enough to force myself into a pair! Luckily for me, however, there’s a new crop of leather pants that require no lotion or baby powder. Big, baggy styles are in this season—and they’re soon becoming the new must-have.
A recent example of the trending, loose-fitting leather trouser came just last week, when Rihanna and A$AP Rocky announced they’re expecting a child together. In the stylish maternity photo shoot, the rapper sported a pair of wide-leg leather pants. Paired with a denim bomber, his outfit was more laid-back than Rihanna’s vintage Chanel pink coat, but still super slick. Turns out, the fall 2022 menswear runways are on board with this more casual silhouette as well. Prada styled baggy leather pants with colorful, graphic coats; Heron Preston paired them with equally-oversized leather outerwear; and Jil Sander went with polished black turtlenecks.
There’s no denying that, in general, wider-leg pants are having a moment right now. Stars have traded in their skinny jeans for baggier fits this year. Now it seems that the roomy—and admittedly more comfortable—silhouette is extending past denim. The best part? Wide-leg leather trousers go with virtually anything. You can pair them with chunky knits, a hoodie, or a more streamlined blazer. You can even follow Maluma, who recently doubled up with a leather moto jacket to match.
The only tricky part, however, is the shoe: To counteract the baggier pant hemline, it requires either an extremely pointy toe to go with it, or a clunkier square toe shape. Otherwise, your shoes get lost. So consider it, then, a pant of extremes—you have to fully commit to it! But at least your chances of ruining your date over your excessively tight-fitting pants is, ahem, slim.
Love the look? Shop four baggy leather pants below.
