News + Trends

Dress over pants is back: Here's how to style the noughties trend without looking silly

18.7.2022

Translation: machine translated

I thought wearing dresses over pants was the worst fashion sin ever. However, the reincarnation of the trend from the noughties comes along so elegantly that I have thrown my opinion on edge overboard.

It's 2007, the noughties have long since passed their fashion zenith, the potential of their tastelessness fully exhausted - and I too commit the worst fashion faux pas of my life: dresses and skirts worn over pants. My go-to look as a 12-year-old: denim miniskirt with ruffled three-quarter leggings. Brutal.

In the spirit of the Y2K renaissance, I am now, 15 years later, confronted with my cruelest fashion phase. Because of course, driven by their passion for everything from the heyday of Nokia flip phones, Generation Z has brought back not only low-waist jeans and thong flashes, but also the dress-over-pants trend. Scandalous! At least that's what I thought - before I realized that I had long since unknowingly fallen for the trend from my childhood.

When I was browsing through my favorite catwalk looks of the last few months, I noticed that numerous outfits include both dress and pants. But the modern interpretations come in such flowing, elegant silhouettes that I didn't even notice the connection to the noughties looks à la Miley Cyrus or Ashley Tisdale at first. So it's good that the 2000s trend is back - so I can right my wrongs from back then.

And this is how dress goes over pants 2.0

Flowy or structured

Visually, we want to stray as far as possible from Miley's legendary but trashy combo of skinny jeans and skimpy babydoll dress. We achieve this by going for high-quality, flowing fabrics or structured cuts. The combo of pleated dress over breezy pants in the picture below left is a nice example of a timeless, flowy look.

If you prefer body-hugging, go for structure. The collar and fitted, subtly flared shape of the mini dress exude elegance. The slightly flared suit pants mirror the line at the top, and the tassels on the sleeve bring some movement to the otherwise tight fit. A great combination!

Proenza Schouler Frühling/Sommer 22 — Giorgio Armani Frühling/Sommer 22

Front and Side Slits

Long dresses with slits look wonderfully dynamic, revealing sometimes more, sometimes less of the pants depending on how you move. Two high cuts on the left and right are particularly subtle and make the pants look like part of the dress. However, if you want them to take up more space, frontal slits or slits placed slightly to the side are the more appropriate choice.

Bevza Herbst/Winter 22 — Peter Do Frühling/Sommer 22

Shirt dresses

Blouse dresses are both flowy and structured and go hand in hand with pants. Thanks to buttons, you can also customize how much of the pants you want to show - changing the vibe, too. Buttoned down to the bottom, but with a free shoulder, the look is feminine. Closed only to the navel, on the other hand, looks casual.

Transparency

Dress and pants in combination can quickly make an outfit look cluttered. The solution? Fabrics that let the pants shine through, such as chiffon or coarsely knotted macramé. They counteract the textile flood by bringing in lightness.

Etro Frühling/Sommer 22
Source: Imaxtree

Instagram @withkro — Etro Frühling/Sommer 22
Source: Imaxtree

Matchy, matchy

A foolproof option for a cohesive dress-over-pants look are monochromatic outfits - or even simpler: you buy a matching set right away. That way, you'll look put-together without even having to think about the matching combo.