PALAZZO PANTS, THE SUMMER STAPLE THEN AND NOW

Temperley London – floral print palazzo pants
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PALAZZO PANTS THEN

Palazzo pants were first associated with fashion by the legendary Coco Chanel. While many go back in costume /clothing history tracing the trousers back to harem pants, I’m interested in their use in fashion.

Originally marketed as lounge pajamas or beach pajamas in the 1920’s and 30’s they soon became a mainstay in Hollywood. You all know what a huge old movie buff I am . I am interested in fashion in the films and in Hollywood. During the Golden Age of Hollywood films often introduced fashion to the masses. Young women tried to emulate their movie star icons . Therefore this was often how fashion trends took off.

PANTS COME FROM HOLLYWOOD

While today fashion has many influences ,Hollywood is still a big one. Since the early years Hollywood has had huge power in fashion,During the Golden Age of Hollywood there was no television and limited media. Therefore film and film magazines spread fashion trends. Many women had never seen women wearing pants until they saw them on movie stars. Hence one of the first huge movie stars to wear trousers was Katherine Hepburn. She wore them through most of her life . Another great trouser clad beauty was Marlene Dietrich. (If you don’t know who these people are I encourage you to do some research . Many of my readers are fashion students ,bloggers or fashionistas. Therefore I implore you to learn as much about fashion as possible)

Coco Chanel , Katherine Hepburn , Marlene Dietrich

Most noteworthy is it was Hollywood that first popularized pants for women . One of the styles that rose in popularity were Palazzo pants.

PALAZZO PANTS

Palazzo pants for women became a huge popular trend in the late 1960s and early 1970s. I remember thinking how glamorous the wide paisley legs of my mothers “Hostess Pants “were. During the 1960s, some upscale restaurants resisted modern fashion trends by refusing to admit women wearing trousers, which were considered inappropriate by some proprietors. This posed a problem for women who did not want to wear the skirt styles that were then in fashion. Some women opted to circumvent restaurant bans on women in pants by wearing palazzo trousers as evening wear.

WHAT ARE PALAZZO PANTS ?

Palazzo pants flare out evenly from the waist to the ankle, and are therefore different from bell bottoms which are snug until they flare out from the knee. Palazzo pants are also not to be confused with Gaucho trousers, which only extend down to mid-calf length , harem are yet another loose style, but they have a snug cuff around the ankles.

PALAZZO PANTS NOW

Spring and Summer 2017 , has seen the palazzo pants make a big return. While the few past seasons have seen the dominance of skinny jeans these wide leg trousers may be a backlash. Often reserved for resort wear summer palazzo pants are light and airy. This season these versatile pants can often replace the maxi skirt . Since I often equate palazzo pants with the tropics it is refreshing to see this season making them a wardrobe staple. Therefore these flowing slacks work well for office wear in black,white and neutrals .

While wearing palazzo pants to the office may be fun the real joy of these pants comes alive in the evening. Therefore designers this year have come out with some real beauties . The array of gorgeous palazzo pants are colorful, playful and versatile. Designers across the field have produced evening palazzo pants that present stunning alternatives .Therefore consider palazzos for parties and weddings this summer.

This season the palazzo pants are often high waisted and patterned. Look to the runway to see Valentino, Michael Kors ,Fendi and more design fabulous palazzo pants. I chose some of my favorites for you to choose from.