Let’s get right to it: Street-style stars have been shoving their pants into their ankle-strap shoes to create a kind of flare situation and I’m currently processing whether this actually looks cool or if everyone’s pulling an elaborate prank on me.
Back to the pants/ankle straps though…
Here are a few examples of how this actually looks ~in the wild~:
Apparently, the styling trick works with both tapered pant legs and wide-leg options. The tapered style is a bit less obvious, and I do think if you’re curious to try this trend, it’s a good entry point.
The wide-leg version varies between making the pants look like they have scrunchie sweatpant hems or turning them into mini bell-bottoms. This is the one that requires a bit more skill, IMO, because it’s harder to get it “right.”
So far, the people out there convincing me that this is actually a Cool Thing That Other Folks Should Try are good at mimicking the proportions of those other styles mentioned above (the athleisure-scrunchie sweats, and the mini bells). The ones who leave me side-eye-ing hard end up lookin’ like they’ve got some fancy hooves for feet.
Pulling it off comes down to wearing the right shoe.
First, it should be a heel. Second, it should have either the ballet-style lace-up kind of straps or spiral straps. Ones that zip up the back or buckle are okay for the skinny-jean-type styles, but not for the wider-leg options. This is because the bulkier back heels of those designs pin the excess fabric down in the back and make it look less uniform.
All Images: Getty