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

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Jennifer Lopez. Photo:

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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.

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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.