Street Style: Cargo Pants
In high school you never would’ve caught me in a pair of cargo pants. JNCO’s? Absolutely not.
Fast forward to the year 2010 and J Brand introduced their Houlihan skinny cargo and I couldn’t get my hands on them fast enough. I owned them in dark denim and literally wore the crotch out of them. Target eventually knocked them off and I bought an olive green color. Years later and those cargo skinny pants are still one of my favorite go to’s.
In the fall I thrifted a pair of dark green cargos and I’ve surprised myself with how often I’ve worn them. Since then I’ve thrifted cargo joggers, a wide leg cropped cargo denim, and a pair of Carhartt camo cargo pants. Safe to say I’m obsessed. I’ve always loved fashion and trying new trends but it’s easy to become complacent with one’s wardrobe and get stuck in a rut of outfit ideas. One thing I love about living in Korea is that I feel like I can explore styles and trends more freely. I love letting this artistic side out again!
I’m finding cargos to be so transitional. I wore them this winter with hiking boots, denim jackets and teddy bear coats. I enjoy putting my spin on a piece of clothing and styling it in a non-traditional way such as a more feminine fitted turtleneck or a fluffy salmon colored coat.
For Seoul Fashion Week n March, I wore them with black Zara platforms (these are so comfy and so easy to walk in all day) and a black shirred sheer crop top. I LOVE this outfit! It’s pretty far out of my comfort zone and definitely not something I’d wear on a regular basis, but that’s what makes fashion so fun.
I paired this thrifted denim pair with my favorite H&M ribbed tank in black, a Zara tweed blazer with gold buttons and H&M tweed dad sandals. Easy accessories like a black belt, a large tote and minimal jewelry make this a chic way to style cargo pants. These, these, and these are similar versions and they’re all on sale! If a dad sandal isn’t your style, pair them with a converse tennis shoe or a platform wedge and a slim fitting top to balance the bulky bottom. I love the neckline on this bodysuit.
We’ve had a cold spell the past few mornings so I paired these denim cargos with a similarly toned sweatshirt, platform Converse-style tennis shoes and a canvas tote for school drop off and errands. A colored belt breaks up the tone on tone outfit and brings the shoes and tote into the outfit.
The denim cargos have been my latest purchase and I scoured the malls and thrift stores looking for them. Needless to say, I’ve worn them everyday since I purchased them. For a lunch date, I paired them with this Lili Sidonio Molly Bracken “light khaki” ruffle sleeve tee that I bought at our BX and these old Alexander Wang Noemi Combat Booties I scored on eBay years ago.
I also thrifted these khaki cargo joggers and have been having fun with them. I love that they’re so different from the denim ones. I obviously have a thing for blazers, too. I paired them with a paint splatter tee, a suede snake print jacket, suede Manolo Blahnik booties and this adorable green bucket style bag for a day of running errands. I love pairing a casual tee with a heel to dress things up but this would’ve worked with a tennis shoe or studded sandal as well. I also paired them with my favorite H&M ribbed tank and oversized basic black Zara blazer. By adding fun accessories like the Nike Icon sandals and an Hermes herbag lookalike, this outfit has a totally different vibe than the one next to it.
Do you think you’ll try out the cargo pants trend?
Cover photo: Lili Sidonio Molly Bracken “light khaki” ruffle sleeve tee via Base Exchange new colors here similar look here; wide leg cropped denim cargo pants, thrifted, Korean brand. ; old Alexander Wang Noemi Combat Bootie in grey ; olive green bucket bag, thrifted, Korean brand ; sunglasses, old Amazon, no longer available.
