Cheryl Shops

Normally fall is the time of year when I wholeheartedly embrace black, gray, and navy, and while those non-colors will still play a prominent part in my wardrobe this season, I'll be pairing them with bright colors. Back in February, the runways were bursting with color—a pretty novel concept for fall, all things considered—and while the obvious, and easy, thing to do would be add a colored top or two to the mix, the freshest way to wear bright color is with a pair of pants. Now, colored jeans were one of summer's biggest trends, so instead I'm focusing on trousers, which are more work-friendly and, if you ask me, generally more flattering. The best part is that you can basically pick your silhouette, from cropped and skinny to super-wide-leg, and choose any color you want, although reds, purples, and blues tend to be the most common.


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I have a pair of bright pink pants similar to these from Preen (okay, mine are from Zara), and not only does the color draw appreciative looks, it totally brightens your outlook on life.

I also have a pair of bright red pants, similar to these from Versace, and after getting over my initial Santa Claus phobia, I found them to be very empowering. The cropped length on these is good for wearing with boots.

These 3.1 Phillip Lim trousers have a draped look that's a bit more casual and relaxed, and perfect for those of you who are still somewhat into harem pants.

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Alice + Olivia is killing it this season with their pants—name the silhouette, they're doing it well—but the high-waist, wide-leg cut of these trousers looks the freshest to me and works well with the season's strong '70s undercurrent.

Similarly, these What Goes Around Comes Around pants were one of my favorites from the line's very '70s runway show last season; as pictured here, I advise going with a fairly simple top, so as not to look costumey.

J.Crew's cafe capris are already a hit on the personal-style blogs, and considering they come in a veritable rainbow of colors, for a very reasonable $118, you can see why. One of my favorite pairs here, the bright dahlia color is somewhere between pink and purple and is thus totally irresistible.

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These slim cropped pants from ASOS also come in a bunch of bright colors, the fit is almost universally flattering, and the price ($66) is right. What's not to like?

After all these years, Zara remains one of my absolute favorite places to shop for on-trend items, and now that you can shop online, it means I can feature beauties like these palazzo pants here. So pretty and fluid, I like how clean and polished these look.

Finally, if you're still on the fence about this trend but want to try it anyway, I present Old Navy's cuffed capris, which, at a mere $15, are like disposable clothing. I only wish they came in more colors, because I'd buy one of each!