Wearing: Jigsaw trousers, Whistles top, Stan Smith Adidas trainers
I knew that today I would shopping for many hours, so I wanted to find a smartish way to wear my Adidas Stan Smith trainers.
Wide legged trousers with trainers were one option available to me. Wide trousers are a nice change from skinnies - definitely more forgiving on many shapes and with a high (ish) waist they can definitely serve to elongate the legs. They also gave that smarter element that I was after.
The one thing about them that needs to be right though - in my humble opinion - is the fabric. Whilst suiting fabric can work (if any of you have some suit trousers from your more "corporate" days, dig them out and give them a go) I prefer a ponte jersey fabric. Apart from the fact that ponte is hardwearing and doesn't crease easily, it is also quite thick, supportive, it has some stretch to it and it is also non scratchy (a very technical term I know!) Nor does it bag or stretch out of shape. Further, it bridges that gap between the corporate and non corporate world in a way that works with trainers.
The pair of trousers that I am wearing were bought from Jigsaw nearly five years ago now and for info, the composition of them is 71% viscose, 24% polyamide and 5% elastane.
It isn't that easy to find wide legged ponte trousers but I think that a good option would be the tailored man pant Me & Em (£118). They are made from "compact stretch ponte" (49% polyester, 48% viscose, 3% elastane) and according to the Me & Em site, they are "Cut to skim the silhouette.....these are the perfect leg elongators." There are no dry cleaning bills with these either, as they can be washed at 30 degrees.
An alternative, is the man pant from Me & Em (£118) the composition of which is 64% viscose, 30% polyamide, 6% elastane. The product description states that "The trouser is cut to fit loosely off the bottom, to skim your silhouette and elongate your leg." These too can be washed at 30 degrees.
Equally I appreciate that smarter trousers and trainers aren't for everyone but I've always worn trainers for reasons other than exercise and have no problem wearing them in all sorts of ways. In fact secretly, and not so secretly, I'm a huge fan of them for comfort because other than flip-flops or boots, there's not that much that I like to walk around in. Apart from crocs but I'm not sure that now is the time, or the place, to go there.
