Jennifer Lopez Wore the Pants Trend That Hasn’t Been on My Mind in Months

Wide-leg has taken over… or has it?

By

Eva Thomas

Published on November 21, 2023 @ 03:00PM

We independently evaluate all recommended products and services. If you click on links we provide, we may receive compensation. Learn more.

The world seems to be enthralled with all things baggy and oversized. Big, baggy jeans! Loose-fitting trousers! Massive, big-shoulder coats! The style ethos is clearly “the bigger, the better,” and TBH, I couldn’t agree more. Exaggerated silhouettes spark conversation, look cooler, and might just be comfier to wear, too, because tight-fitting things just aren’t for everyone (not for me!). Cearly, the big, baggy style movement is still going strong (thank goodness!), but Jennifer Lopez’s latest look made me ask: Is the billowy trouser over?

The short answer? No. The big, baggy trouser, which offers a fresh take on the pants that were formerly known as stuffy office wear, is here to stay, but that certainly doesn’t mean there isn't room for a new (err, old?) style to join the trouser family. And Lopez just wore it: The singer was photographed out and about in Beverly Hills, with a Starbucks holiday drink in hand (stars, they’re just like us!), wearing a cozy-cool outfit that consisted of a gray confetti sweater that screamed holiday, a crisp white button-down, which she wore underneath the knit, and those gray trousers.

Lopez’s pants of choice are different for one key reason: the tapered leg. The bottoms still have an overall roomy silhouette, with an almost paperbag-like, pleated waist — but instead of a wide-leg cut, the singer’s pair tapers down into a straight-leg, cuffed hem that I haven’t seen in a minute. They’re totally different from the wide-leg trousers I’ve come to know and love, but honestly, I might just have to try tapered trousers for the sake of trying.

Everlane the Tencel Way-High Taper Pants

Buy on Everlane.com $128 $90

J.Crew Essential Pants

J Crew Essential pant in city crepe — J Crew

Buy on Jcrew.com $158 $90

Lopez finished off her look with crisp white sneakers (an Eva favorite!), a black bag, thick-rimmed glasses, and chunky gold earrings. A groutfit that’s anything but a groutfit, but that’s the J.Lo magic, I guess.

But let’s get back to those pants. Lopez slipping into the tapered trouser might just signal a return of the humble straight-leg silhouettes. And if you don’t own anything with a more fitted hem, it’s certainly worth investing in at least one pair, because unlike big, wide-leg options, the easy-going bottoms are simple to wear, look refined, and show off your footwear more than billowy bottoms would.

My tip? Wear both! Wide-leg is fun, but sometimes, tapered is a smarter choice. Shop the latter option inspired by Lopez’s pair below.