How To Wear Pants Right Now

There’s a pants revolution happening. You may not have noticed it on the runways or seen it trickle down to your local mall windows just yet, but the era of skin-tight, thigh-suctioning, calf-choking trousers is slowly winding down. Even the once-dreaded pleated pant, for years shunned by the general population, is having a revival. And in place of these second-skin pants is a new breed or relaxed trousers, championed by everyone from Kim Jones at Louis Vuitton to J.Crew to ahead-of-the-curve guys like Tyler, the Creator. After almost two decades of saying slimmer is better, to now go in the opposite direction can be downright confusing and feel like one big charade. But rapper/producer/director/designer just stepped out showing us exactly how pants should fit right now. Spotted yesterday in Los Angeles, Tyler (or is it Mr. Creator?) proved that loosening up on the fit of your pants doesn’t mean you have to wear some insane drop-crotch clown pants (though those are always good if you’re having an existential crisis). Instead, he demonstrated that the ideal fit (a straight shot from the hip to the cuff) and length (cropped every-so-slightly and hitting right at or just above the ankle bone) is something that doesn’t just look good, it’s something that most guys can easily pull off. The silhouette has its roots in skate culture (where guys actually need access to their ankles) and workwear (see any Dickies pant ever made) but are not adopted by brands across the board. Wearing a pair isn’t a swerve, it’s just a new way to give you more movement and freedom below your waist. Read more at GQ.