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Find The Perfect Pair Of Black Work Trousers This Summer

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Audrey Hepburn in a full-length promotional portrait for Billy Wilder’s film ‘Sabrina’ [Image: Getty/Paramount Pictures]

So it’s the end of Spring and we’re really getting into summer fashion territory. This means floaty dresses, strappy tops, sandals and sunglasses. But I still can’t help myself from wanting to wear black a lot of the time.

So how do we achieve this throughout the warmer months without being too impractical? Absorbing all the heat from the sun isn’t very chic. The key is fit and fabric.

Today I’m going to focus on trousers that sit between work appropriate (depending on your office!) and casual (my favourite, of course).

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Fit:

Ensure your trousers aren’t too tightly fitting. This is the year of the wide leg/loose fitting/culotte/boot cut trouser. Skinny jeans are a distant memory. Time to make way for something a lot more comfortable but is still on trend.

Fabric:

Now, I’m no textile whizz, but denim is a no-no if you want to wear black on a warm day. Stick to linen, light cotton or fabrics that are generally more breathable and feel light on the body. The ultimate trouser fabric feels like you’re not wearing anything at all.

Wide leg flares

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These are F&F Tesco would you believe! I did have to take them up because I’ve got short legs but the fit on these are great. The wide leg from the top right down to the hem, mixed with the classic “D-ring” belt fastening straddles the trousers between 70s and 90s.

These are totally work appropriate if you’re in a more corporate professional environment. They work just as well if you still want to pull off a casual look like I did here, pairing them with some white/navy Adidas Superstars to pull together the 90s/00s look I was going for.

No longer on sale, but find these at ASOS to create a similar look

Crépe wide leg culottes

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Still available as a single piece or a co-ord set!

I had been looking for a pair of trousers like these for ages, since I originally saw them in Topshop.

The all-over pleating creates a beautiful silhouette and they are the ultimate day/night transition trouser! Wear with trainers/chunky sandals during the day and just add a strappy heel to glam-up any outfit

Peg-leg trouser with zips

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Again, from Topshop, these are so work appropriate yet fashion forward. I want to dispel this myth that work trousers have to be those god awful shapeless attempt-at-being-bootcut style and encourage people to have fun with work clothes.

Your dress code might be conservative (which usually just means not too revealing and block/muted colours) but that doesn’t mean you have to look like you’re wearing an ill-fitting bag over your body!

So I’m wearing the the trousers with classic Nike Air Force One trainers for the smart-casual look, but they would work just as well with some dainty cut out ballet pumps!

Wide leg loose fitting trouser

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Now I wouldn’t normally even give Peacocks a second glance. It’s not known to be overly on trend or cutting edge, but I was in the store rushing to find a blouse for an interview when I found these beauties:

They are so comfortable. These are the trousers I’m talking about when I mean they feel like you’re wearing nothing at all. The wide and narrow set vertical monochrome striped are really flattering.

Again, I had to cut these because I’m short and I think the rugged un-hemmed look actually works for these simply because the material is very lightweight and has a natural creased look, that screams ‘I just rolled out of bed and threw these on but I still look fabulous!’

Cropped flare trousers

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Remember earlier how I mentioned that I wanted us to get away from the typical boot-cut work trousers. Well I’m kind of going back on myself here in suggesting this next pair which are essentially a modified version of what I hate!

First of all, they’re high waisted and don’t have any pockets (slightly annoying but it creates a nicer shape) so fit really well (they could do with some belt loops as the waist is slightly too big.)

Then the cropped length. Just, anything that shows a bit of ankle gets a thumbs up in my book! Not only are they smart, but they looks great! You can show off the shoes you’re wearing whilst still looking professional and put together.

Although I’m wearing them with a crop top here, these work really well with a boxy blouse. I always think: If I’m wearing something tight fitting on the bottom, the top half has to be a little baggier/free flowing.

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So there you have it! It turns out we can still wear black in summer.

What are your staple pieces that you just can’t give up during the warmer months?