Um, Excuse Me, Um, No. Harem Pants are NOT Sexy

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Melissa Magsaysay of the LA Times is convinced that harem pants can be sexy – I am not.
In her article, Magsaysay states, “When harem pants came down the runways at Chloé and Alexander McQueen for spring 2009, they somehow glided past the cartoony pop culture associations (Barbara Eden’s Jeannie in the ’60s, MC Hammer’s ’80s gold) to help define summer’s effortlessly slouchy look.”

She acknowledges the fact that they are hideously unattractive, sighting that “[t]hey tend to make the hips, rear and thighs look larger while making legs seem shorter,” but then insists that we give them a try as they (her words, not mine) “are a great way to mix up the predictable pieces of the season and add something daring to a wardrobe.”

I have never understood the appeal of harem pant and I never, ever will. The name is awful and the design is even worse. A cross between a skirt and a pair of cigarette pants, the harem is made for comfort, if anything. The legs, from the knees down, are fitted, while the crotch area is loose and baggy as it it were cut to be a skirt. This style of trouser was customarily worn by Peruvian women until about 1890, when the ruler Nair-Ne-Din saw a Parisian ballet, came to his senses, and ordered all women to wear short skirts in place of these shalwar pants. Revived by MC Hammer in the 1980s, the dreadful style seems 2 legit 2 quit.

Magsaysay insists that “[y]ou can make these pants look chic and flattering — it’s all a matter of balancing proportions and adding the right accessories so the statement is bold, not ‘I Dream of Jeannie.’” Well, no offense, but it is always a matter or balancing proportions and adding the right accessories when it comes to styling.

I guess I’m just really confused as to why the piece ever ran…the accompanying images don’t do anything to convince me of the style’s allure, which they should have, but whatever – this isn’t the NY Times, so I’ll just let it go. Lets leave this style on the runway. If you really want to add something ‘daring’ to your wardrobe, please by a pair of heels from Nicholas Kirkwood instead.

SOURCE: Um, No. Harem Pants are not Sexy.