Muddy jeans

My dissertation on big pants.

I love to wear big pants. They don’t do anything for my figure, but who’s looking?

My infatuation stems from wanting to replicate 90s and early 2000s street style, most often seen on my Mount Rushmore of inspiration—Gwyneth Paltrow, the Olsen Twins, Jennifer Anniston—everyone that everybody always lists, but I’m nothing if not consistent.

A tiny little top and ginormous, oversized bottoms is my idea of a sexy, chic outfit. I would go as far to say that I probably only own two to three pairs of pants that are actually my size. This has honestly only opened up the doors (or curtains, rather) of my closet to a world of possibilities while shopping, both for new and vintage. I go based off of how they look, and not in search of the the perfect fit, but how they fit on my body.

I’m not reinventing the wheel here. In my neighborhood, everyone gender-exclusive was wearing this combination all summer long. Last night, Senior Fashion Writer @ GQ, Samuel Hine, posted this timely meme:

Even with more recent tight pant trends such as capris or office-siren esque trousers, I’ve opted for wide leg, looser silhouettes like the aforementioned gaucho and my beloved vintage Jil Sander pants I picked up in Paris at Thanx God I’m a V.I.P.

Said Jil Sander trousers in a recent outfit I have worn twice since conception. Top is Susana Moncao, bag is Praying, shoes are The Row a la TRR.

My favorite pair of baggy jeans are from Favorite Daughter, a brand that I have nepotistic ties to but also love free of bias. I can’t find the exact pair, but both The Mischa and The Masha will give you the same look I have below. Although the jeans I have were not designed to cover my entire foot, their fit model has about 5 inches on me, and instead of just chopping the hem with some kitchen scissors myself (which I do, in fact, normally do), I left it because I liked the over extended look when trying them on.

OLD APARTMENT ALERT

After just declaring my love for big pants to you, I’m actually here to discuss the true struggle of wearing them—the hems getting so disgustingly dirty that I have to wash them every time I wear them. The in tact hem you can see in the above photograph is no longer due to the wear and tear of my overly baggy jeans. They’re now completely destroyed, but in a cool, seemingly intentional way.

Living in a city such as the one I do, the ground is terrifying and full of mystery substances. This morning while getting dressed, I decided to wear my Favorite Daughter jeans without checking the weather to see that it had rained.

I made it the 500 feet to the subway from my apartment scot-free, dodging puddles and mushy litter that the Lower East Side is famous for, however, I stood atop the entrance, staring down at every single step and the floor below absolutely covered in mud. I debated turning around, changing my pants and saving them from the terror of Delancey-Essex, but I really liked my outfit, and truly could not be bothered. By the time I got to the office, they were covered in dirt, and by the end of the day, they had to be taken straight to the washing machine.

I’m having a hard time believing Mary-Kate and Ashley also share this issue, but it seems…unavoidable? Muddy hems are a problem for me rain or shine, I have a pair of Brandy Melville yoga pants and Urban Outfitters cargos, both permanently stained due to street residue on a sunny day, and a sticky college bar floor. I realize that this is one of those things literally nobody notices, because I’m trying to think of a time that I noticed what the hem of someone’s pants looked like, and I’m failing.

The scariest part of your jeans touching the ground is that you have no idea what’s on them, so you immediately have to evacuate as soon as you step foot into your apartment at the risk of the great outdoors touching any of your precious belongings. The idea of these jeans on my bed makes my skin crawl. I used to not care too much about shoes inside of my apartment, but the longer you live here, the more it grosses you out. This is like that, but on steroids.

It’s been raining for the past five days in New York. I often wish for rainy days, as I love the excuse to sit and watch T.V. and eat and read. But the rain gets old after about the second day. I develop a dull headache, my entire apartment gets wet from my coats and umbrellas and shoes, and simple tasks like grocery shopping are nearly impossible. I learned my lesson from last week and chose pants with hems multiple inches off of the ground, yet still had to swap them out multiple times a day after venturing in and out of the elements.

I guess the point of this is to be proven wrong in my thinking that everyone else has figured out how to avoid this, and comforted in this struggle together. Looking cool is often a sacrifice, that’s a lesson I’ve had to learn one too many times. Whether it’s a blister or dirty pants, it’s never easy. I guess a simple solution here is a tailor.

Here are some baggy pants I recommend so you can catch the vibe:

1. Gap Low Rise Cargo Pants, $44

   1. I’ve told you once and I’ll tell you again—stop sleeping on Gap to look cool.

2. Levi’s Baggy Dad Jeans (my personal favorite as you all know), $75.60

   1. Wait until these go on sale a little more, I’ve gotten two pairs for this price before with how good Levi’s promotions have been in the past

3. COS Barrel Leg Cotton Pants, $120

   1. I thought that COS was supposed to be like Scandi Zara, so these prices always make my breath hitch a little, but the fit and feel are truly worth it, and better than Zara.

4. The Frankie Shop Jorae Pleated Trousers, $185

   1. Oversized is TFS’s middle name.

5. Favorite Daughter The Summer Friday Pant, $240

   1. One more to earn some brownie points. ❤️