I'm Deep Into My Puddle-Pants Phase—Meet My Most-Worn Pairs
If you follow fashion at all, by now you're likely familiar with one of the biggest trends to emerge this year: puddle pants. The name is exactly as it suggests: extra long and loose pants that seemingly flow into the ground creating a puddle effect around your ankles. The shift toward looser and baggier silhouettes has been steadily pacing for a few seasons now, so it makes sense that celebrities and designers alike have welcomed puddle pants with open arms.
Personally, I've never met a pair of wide-leg pants that I didn't like, so it only took a few images of Meghan Markle wearing the trend to convince me to go all in with puddle pants mind, body and soul. Since spring, I've slowly amassed a collection of them, adding a pair here and there over the months. They've won out over jeans and floral dresses as my most worn staple of the summer simply because there's just so much versatility with a great pair of trousers. As a puddle pants fanatic, I've assembled my top pairs that I'd wear over and over again below. Keep scrolling to shop them all along with some outfit inspiration.
When it's still blazing hot outside, you're going to want a pair of linen pants. I love that these have a drawstring so you can easily slip them on.
One thing H&M does well is trousers. These look and feel more than its $35 price tag.
I like to reserve my flared puddle pants for fancier occasions. They look incredible with strappy sandals.
This pair is on the wider end of the spectrum, but the looser, the better in my book.
If you're into the 2000s low-waist revival, these will scratch that itch.
A new release from Everlane, these pants are also available a cool selection of colors.
There's a little less puddling happening here, but you can easily adjust with your choice of heels.
I have yet to try a pair of Anine Bing trousers, but my editor friends keep raving about them.
Next: I'm a Fashion Editor in My 30s—These Are the Brands I Shop for Chic Basics
Indya Brown is a fashion editor, stylist, and writer living in Los Angeles. While going to school at Columbia University in New York City, she got her feet wet in the fashion industry interning at Elle magazine, Harper's Bazaar, and New York magazine's The Cut. After graduating in 2016, she joined The Cut as a fashion assistant, eventually working her way up to fashion editor. There, she worked on a multitude of projects, including styling inbook feature stories for New York magazine's print issue, writing and pitching market stories for The Cut, and serving as fashion lead for The Cut's branded content. While New York has been her home for over 10 years, she moved to Los Angeles in the midst of the pandemic in 2020 for a new chapter. Now she is a fashion market editor for Who What Wear, focusing on emerging designers, rising trends on and off the internet, interior design, and BIPOC creatives and brands. Aside from her duties as a fashion market editor, Brown is also a freelance stylist and writer, working on national print and video commercial campaigns for Sephora, The Independent, and Cadillac. Her bylines also include Harper's Bazaar, Vox, and The New York Times. But once the computer goes down and the emails turn off, she's likely eating her way through Koreatown, hunting down vintage furniture, scoping out new outrageous nail designs to try, or taking a hot cycling class.
-
Walmart's Fashion Finds Are So Good—I'd Prioritize These 30 Black Friday Sale Items
I'm officially a Walmart fashion fan.
By Nikki Chwatt
-
From Fresh Tees to Classic Denim—30 Basics I'd Happily Unwrap This Holiday Season
Very practical gifting.
By Copelyn Bengel
-
All—and I Mean All—the Cool Girls Are Wearing This Knitwear Style for Winter
Here's how to style it.
By Nicole Akhtarzad Eshaghpour
-
I'm a Mom With 2 Young Kids—These 31 Easy Nordstrom Black Friday Sale Picks Make Me Feel Stylish
These are guaranteed to sell out.
By Jennifer Camp Forbes
-
Wait, Gap's Pre–Black Friday Sale Is So Good—25 Elevated Winter Basics That Have My Attention
Chic and affordable? Done and done.
By Jennifer Camp Forbes
-
Romantic Lace! '80s Leather! H&M Studio's Holiday Drop Has 2025's Most Anticipated Trends
See Amelia Gray's handpicked edit.
By Anna LaPlaca
-
I'm Only Buying My Winter Basics From This One Nordstrom Brand
It's *that* good.
By Lauren Adhav
-
20 Stylish and Effective Accessories That Offer Sweet Relief for Sound-Sensitive Fashion People
Calming, efficient, and oh so chic? Yes, please.
By Jennifer Camp Forbes