Admittedly, Kate Middleton has a wonderful wardrobe, but she’s not necessarily the most stylish celebrity we follow. So we were a little surprised to see her jump on a very new (somewhat divisive) fashion trend recently, because it hasn’t really caught on with the masses yet. What is the trend? Puddle pants. Although the Duchess agreed, we were not entirely sure whether we were in or out.
What are puddle pants? As the name suggests, they are pants that collect water at your ankles. It’s a style that petite girls have probably been familiar with for years, whether they like it or not. But luckily for those who hate the hem, the fabric around the ankles is now considered fashionable, not scruffy.
We have to admit, Middleton looks great in her black jigsaw pants that hang gracefully over her pointy shoes. She somehow managed to make them look decent rather than careless. In fact, many celebrities — including J. Lo, Bella Hadid, Zoe Kravitz and Chrissy teigen-all found swaying puddle pants in the months after comity wore her pants. Mary Kate and Ashley Morten Olsen have been wearing them for years, proving that you don’t need to be tall to pull this trend.
In other words, how practical is it to have your hem on the floor? The risk of being caught or pressed under high heels as a tripping factor is quite high. PureWow editor Chelsea Candelario, who is 5 feet tall, recently tested the style at several events in New York City and decided that two keys to making this tricky trend work were shoe choice and hem length.
“For a short girl like me, choosing the right shoes is definitely the key to rocking the style so we don’t have to drag the fabric all day or, worse, trip over it,” she said. “The first time I tried it, I was wearing sneakers, and it didn’t end too badly,” she said. “I couldn’t wait until fall so I could wear boots.”
As for length, it is recommended to look for styles that are right on the sole, so that you can get the effect of puddles, there was no risk of material getting caught under the heel. “I was lucky to find a pair of shoes that were only a few centimetres from the bottom of my shoe, which made me feel even more assured that I wouldn’t trip over or drag my hem to the floor.”
We agree with her assessment one hundred percent. For footwear, we don’t recommend high heels or anything that might get caught in all of these materials, because there’s extra fabric around your feet that needs to be dealt with right now. Pointy shoes, such as ankle boots or ballet slippers, may be your best bet. They stick their heads out from under the hem, give shape to your legs and are less likely to trip you up. Flats are also a great (and stylish) choice because they allow the material to gather at the top of your foot, but not all the way down to the ground. However, if your style suits you better, you can also wear a slipper-soled Chelsea boot or loafer.