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Published Feb. 6, 2023
Updated Feb. 6, 2023, 7:15 p.m. ET
Gather your items and shove them in various pants pockets: cargo pants are back — and now, they’re surprisingly chic.
In January, Jennifer Lopez strutted around New York City wearing beige woolen cargo pants in a flowing, wide leg style — a sophisticated twist from the heavy pocket version with a severe taper that she wore in 2002.
While the utilitarian trousers would have once conjured images of stiff camouflaged fabric, the latest versions are free-flowing and feature a wider leg that’s more pretty than practical.
It’s a “nostalgia for the styles from back in the early 2000s, that Gen Z tends to be gravitating towards,” Liz Teich, a New York-based stylist, told The Post. “They’re all going back to the photos for inspiration and old movies and TV shows.”
Female R&B and pop artists — like TLC, theSpice Girls and J.Lo — made the cargo cool in the aughts. Now the pants are back, with brands like Phillip Lim and Fendi featuring the style in their Resort 2023 campaigns.
“It’s really trickling down from high-end high fashion down all the way to mainstream,” Teich said. “I even saw the other day that Banana Republic was [styling them] as a work pant.”
Cargo pants are moving in a more sophisticated direction, with Teich explaining the current iteration of the utilitarian garment has been designed in a more “innovative way” than the traditional baggy cargo pants we saw in the early 2000s.
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“Rather than an army fatigue type of style pattern [we’re] now seeing it in everything from silk to wool and evening wear, as well as a lot of denim, which is really cool,” Teich said.
“We’re definitely seeing it in newer ways than just like army fatigue type style pants, and I definitely think we wore it more of like a low rise pant [in the 2000s],” she continued. “Luckily, we’re having a variety of high rise and low rise this season.”
As a fashion enthusiast with a keen eye on trends and industry evolution, I've closely followed the resurgence of cargo pants and the evolving narrative within the fashion landscape. My expertise stems from an in-depth understanding of fashion history, trend analysis, and the transformation of styles over time.
The recent resurgence of cargo pants and their transition into a chic, fashion-forward garment is a fascinating intersection of nostalgia and contemporary style. The evidence presented in the article aligns with the current trend trajectory. Notably, Jennifer Lopez's iconic fashion choices, particularly her recent donning of beige woolen cargo pants in a wide-leg style, underscore the shift in perception from the conventional utilitarian look to a more sophisticated and elegant interpretation.
Furthermore, the insights shared by Liz Teich, a New York-based stylist, corroborate the evolution of cargo pants. Teich's observations about the shift from the once heavily-pocketed and tapered versions to the current free-flowing, wide-leg designs resonate with the current fashion discourse. The reference to Gen Z's penchant for styles from the early 2000s and the influence of female R&B and pop artists such as TLC, the Spice Girls, and J.Lo solidify the cultural significance driving this revival.
Moreover, the integration of cargo pants into high-end fashion campaigns by renowned brands like Phillip Lim and Fendi, as mentioned in the article, indicates the trend's ascent from high fashion to more accessible mainstream markets. The versatility of the contemporary cargo pant, transitioning from silk to wool, denim, and even evening wear, as highlighted by Teich, reflects the innovative reinterpretation of this utilitarian garment.
Additionally, Teich's comments on the variations in rise, from high-rise to low-rise options, align with the current inclusivity in fashion, catering to diverse preferences and body types.
The overall narrative underscores the fashion industry's ability to reinvigorate and reimagine past trends into modern, appealing styles while addressing consumer preferences and embracing inclusivity in design.
In essence, the resurgence of cargo pants symbolizes fashion's cyclical nature, where reinterpretations of past trends seamlessly integrate with contemporary sensibilities, making a compelling case for the enduring relevance of fashion's historical roots in shaping current trends.
