Colored Pants Trend

“I could never wear that.”

“Well, you can get away with it, but I could never.”

“I can only wear this ___________style. Anything else would look too weird on me.”

“I’m too fat to wear _____________.”

Have you ever found yourself saying any of the above phrases? Of course you have. Me too.

As women, we are constantly limited by the very perception we hold about our bodies, our personality, and our own personal style.

No matter what it may be, everyone has a personal style. A blueprint that dictates the color palette, tone, and message you gravitate towards.

People who are more fashion-forward tend to be more confident about their personal style. They are more apt to break out of their comfort zone to try new trends and styles than those who stick to a particular set of personal style rules.

It’s not necessarily that more conservative individuals are less confident or less brave people. Look at Donald Trump. The guy is a walking ego. A successful one, but a walking one, nonetheless. Now, his hair is an entity of itself, amIright? No one’s really sure what that it is that sits atop his head. It could be a lethargic rodent indigenous to the shores of Rhode Island–who’s to say?

Whatever it may be that acts as a scalp-covering for Mr. Trump–he has no intention of changing it.

I think this a pity. Now, I know it could be called a trademark, and I guess that is probably what it really is. Not a rodent from Rhode Island (but say that ten times fast just to humor me, k?)

For the purpose of my argument, lets just say that Mr. Trump is bound to a certain code of personal style. Written in his code is a constraint regarding what he can and cannot do to his rodent. I mean hair.

He’s written his own set of rules, and the only one powerful enough to mitigate the contract is Trump himself.

How ridiculous, right? {yes, I know this whole argument is ridiculous, but you are STILL required to bear with me.}

Trump could trump himself if he really wanted to. Maybe he’s just skeert of his own mandate. Maybe he is afraid that people will laugh more at his attempt to change than the animal that lays prostrate on his scalp.

Silly Trump. He could afford hair extensions. He could wear a nice little cap–like a golfing cap, or a beret–or even a fedora. I could really see him in a fedora.

My point is, and yes, there is still a point, is that the only one blocking Trump’s decision to change his hair is Trump himself.

The only person telling you that you cannot wear fill-in-the-blank is YOU. Unless you’re Amish, that is. Then you probably have a few other people telling you what you may not wear.

I doubt you’re Amish. I doubt you’re Donald Trump. You can wear whatever the heck you want to wear.

Why are we talking about this? Well, last week we had a wonderful discussion about how we talk about our personal appearance. Turns out, most of us have a bit of a problem when it comes to saying something nice about ourselves. We had a challenge: to state something we like about our physical appearance.

Man! That was hard! It was uncomfortable and not a bit pleasant to try and isolate what we like from the countless things we don’t like.

This week, we’re taking this concept a step further and thinking about the limitations we put on our own personal style because of how we view our bodies. Because if we really felt that our bodies were fine, just the way they are, we could probably stand to wear something different, right?

I want to encourage you to try new trends. Not just so that’s you’re savvy and in style, but so that you feel confident about yourself. Fashion is a language. It’s a way to communicate without talking. And it’s pretty much a one-way conversation: you stating what you’re about to the rest of the world.

Kind of scary when you think about it that way, right?

What are you communicating about you to everyone else? Are you saying you’re afraid, that you’re lazy, that you’re miserable in your own skin? Or are you saying that you’re happy, confident, and brave in the world?

You don’t have to be 100% in style to communicate positive things. You don’t have to be at all “in style” to do that. But you do have to take the time to think about what you’re expressing.

This week, Natalia and I want to encourage y’all to jump on a fun trend that is fit for all ages. Colored pants.

Seriously, this is the like the greatest thing since sliced bread.

It’s not like super cutting edge or new. It’s been out for a while, but maybe you’re reserved about donning a pair of bold, bright pants. Nothing says, “Why hello there” quite like a pair of bright yellow jeans. But man do I love ’em. Chaucer loves them too.

The thing I am absolutely KICKING myself on is that two weeks ago I got to see Matt’s grandma. The gal is a stunner. But not only is she beautiful, she has an incredible sense of style. Like, I’ve seen clothes and thought I borrow them from her. Somehow, she is super trendy without looking like she tried all that hard AND she is graceful. A sort of Grace Kelly way of wearing clothes. Effortless.

She was wearing some mint green jeans, a ruffled white top with a cardigan and some cute sandals. Of course she had great accessories to boot. Next time I see her, I’m going to have to trick her into a photo shoot because she always looks amazing.

If my husband’s grandma can “pull off” colored jeans, then I’m sure you can too. Its all about having the confidence to give it a go and try something new.I only have one pair of colored pants right now….kinda sad. I would love some green ones and I also would really like some aqua blue ones–maybe with polka dots?

Here are some of my favorites right now.

They’re mostly “skinny” jeans, but they’re making colored pants in all shapes and sizes now. I think it is a trend that is here to stay for a while. So, if you can find a nice, flattering pair to invest in–you would making a great decision.

The rules of color are totally different with pants. For example, I am someone who cannot really wear orange–it just doesn’t look good next to my face. BUT I can totally wear orange pants. Why? Because it’s not up against my face an neck, challenging my complexion. I can pair a color that I look good in, like blue, white or black with my orange pants and stay within the color rules for my skin.

Also, while hot pink might feel like a “wild” color to you, it really isn’t in colored denim or slacks. You put a conservative top with it, or a classic cardigan and the wild color is neutralized. There are so many ways to wear the colored pants–possibilities are endless.

Here’s my little take on the challenge. Remember, I only have one pair of colored pants, so I’m new to this too ????

So, as you can see, I paired a button-up with it and this is seriously such a comfy outfit! My pants are soft cotton an slouchy enough to not hug the muffin-top. I love them. I have also worn plain tees, Chambrey, and blazers with these pants.Probably in the summer I will wear some tank tops, too.

Alright: so here’s the question for this week: what one trend/style/item do you deny your wardrobe because of your own insecurity/style restrictions? Do you want to be brave enough to wear it? Why are you scared?

Remember, we would love for you to link up photos with the #BeYouBeYOUtiful hashtag on Twitter and Instagram! Follow me @hilljean on Instagram and @thehilljean on Twitter. Follow Natalia @NataliaLSimmons on both Twitter and Instagram. Please, please, please! We are all in this together and we want to start a movement that encourages self confidence. Let’s go into swimsuit season feeling empowered. Not because we lost weight, but because we each have our own beauty.

Now. answer the question and then head over to Natalia’s to see how she tackled the colored pants thingamagig.