Ditching jeans this monsoon? Experts share tips on styling different types of bottom wear

It's the season of muddied pants and damp clothes, which refuse to dry up soon, a reason why Mumbaikars often indulge in monsoon shopping to tackle the season's hassles in advance. If not for redoing entire wardrobe, there are definitely takers for light-weighted bottom wear and footwear, which can help deal with puddles, potholes, crowded streets and public transport.

Gone are those days when people chose a pair of jeans as their go-to bottom wear, especially when they are hard to maintain during rains. Today, a diverse collection of stylish and comfortable bottoms such as skirts of varied lengths, shorts of comfy fabrics, culottes, cigarette pants, jeggings, palazzos and trendy trousers are available and are slowly becoming an alternative to the classic jeans.

These options are not limited to only women. The market is replete with options such as joggers, pyjama pants, chinos, chinos-shorts, casual shorts, which are trending among men and are light-weight, breathable, do not cling to the body and are comfortable for the user.

Anand Singh, fashion design manager at DaMENSCH, says, "These apparel options available today are designed aesthetically to facilitate seamless transition from indoors to outdoors, without giving it a second thought."

Fashion content creators Tarini Shah and Himadri Patel; and Singh share their tips on how to style these bottoms if you are considering an alternative for jeans:

Skirts and baggy or flared non-denim shorts: One can style these with super-comfortable crops or basic tops. Logo T-shirts, embellished details, cute floral or printed tops and tops with details around the neck or sleeves go well the shorts.

Pick out basic bottoms and go for fancy tops with different materials or necklines or you can go for very fancy bottoms with a different style and just put on a solid colour top.

Culottes: Culottes can be a little tricky to style, but one can style them with tucked in shirts or tops, crop tops, tops with a V-neckline look great and layering it all with jackets is also a good option.

These pants can also be paired with a good silhouette, such as a satin or cotton cami top or a bodysuit which makes you look put-together instantly. Pair it with sneakers if that's your thing or a pair of wedge heels for elevation and comfort. Wearing something that will make you look tall is the key.

Formal wear: Light fabric pants with a body-hugging top or a loose solid non-transparent blouse. Avoid colours like white or other light colours.

Joggers, Chinos, Pyjamas: Men can pair joggers with a polo t-shirt or a crew neck tee, and don a denim jacket over it when stepping outside. Chinos and chino shorts look equally good with linen shirts and polo t-shirts.

Shorts and pyjama pants - let's call them the easiest style, because they look good with everything - from round neck to V-neck t-shirts, and from tank tops to pullovers.

Accessories: Monsoon is also the time when you can elevate any outfit with your accessories so choose them wisely and take your outfit to the next level. One can even pair these bottoms with a nice tote/sling bag, watch and rings to elevate the outfit.

Colours: Colours are your best friend when it comes to monsoon as it helps elevate your outfits and you can always go ahead and experiment with colour blocking. Basic black, beige, blue, brown and grey colours and other nude shades are wardrobe essentials and then you can experiment with colours such as green, orange, yellow, brown and purple.

Fabric: Avoid wearing light fabrics that can tend to look transparent on getting wet. Pure cotton or cotton mixed fabrics, viscose and linen work best during monsoon. Also, ensure that the fabric is elastic and stretchable so that you have the freedom to move without feeling restricted.

How to pick the right bottom wear?

Amid a variety of options available at our disposal, investing in a right piece of clothing can be a task for many, especially when it comes to bottom wear. This is mainly because of concerns such as finding the right size, quality, desired colour, style, comfort level, price and struggles with matching it with existing top wear among others. Many-a-times people are stuck in a situation wherein they have to end up compromising on one of these requirements and are puzzled on what aspect must be prioritised if a pair fits them well.

As Singh rightly points out, investing in a good quality bottomwear is important for three reasons -- comfort, versatility, and style. While Shah says, when it comes to pants, one must treat them as an "investment" and pick the ones they find perfect for themselves and can be worn to make different outfits. Both stress on the quality, comfort and the style factor of the bottomwear.

"If you are confused, you can always go for your basic blue or black jeans and pick the type that suits your body the best. You can also try different materials for example, leather pants or if you are looking for more comfortable options then you can get linen or polyester trousers," says Shah.

While investing in culottes and non-denim shorts, Patel suggests investing in evergreen basic colours such as black, beige, dark blue and dark grey with textured material is a good idea as these are colours, which can be easily paired with any type of upper wear, footwear or bags.

Jeggings are another type of bottom wear most popular alternative to jeans and are considered to be more comfortable. However, with the wide range of options, from fit to price, it is hard to find the perfect pair at one go. Patel shares key points to consider while investing in a jegging:

1. Consider a jegging that elongates your torso and fits at the right places. The key here is that it should hug your body around your waist and hips.

2. A stretchable material is always good to go with.

3. Look for something long around the crotch point and button, gives you enough space to enhance your curves.

4. Make sure your jeggings don't look like a churidar it should sit right on top of your ankle to give that cool look.

According to Singh, trendy bottoms like joggers, casual shorts and chino shorts are a good investment as they can be styled differently for casual as well as party wear and semi-casual occasions. This saves in a considerable amount of time, money and resources spent in buying bottoms for every event, while not every pair may provide the same comfort level.

"And of course, these looks are stylish enough to inspire your peers to copy your style. You can match all of these looks with clogs, open-toed sandals, and even flipflops, and slay it in style," adds Singh.

Also Read:

Slay it in the rains: Here's how to plan your wardrobe for the Mumbai monsoon