The only thing with the power to lure you into something other than leggings or sweatpants is jeans, preferably something baggy that pools in all the right places. But what if we told you there’s a ready-and-waiting alternative, a pair of trousers that’s just as relaxed and perhaps even more forgiving than your favourite indigos?
Team ELLE has been noticing this shift over the past fashion months, with ticket-holders side-stepping true blues for cargo pants. And with their wide legs and plunging-ly deep pockets, you can see why they’d get such a good showing on stylish attendees who need to zip between appointments during busy fashion weeks.
Influencer Tamu McPherson combined two clothing workhorses – khaki cargo pants plus a navy barn jacket – to brilliant effect in Milan (note the details on her trousers, which had both an elegant flare and multiple straps that elongated the entire silhouette). Model Mica Argañaraz, meanwhile, wore her sand-coloured pair with the off-duty uniform of a white vest top, a leather aviator and flat weather-beaten boots.
One of my favourite things about cargo pants, another characteristic they share with jeans, is their agelessness. You might consider them distinctly Gen Z, the type of trouser that’s best styled with a hoodie or cropped Henley, but my 70-year-old mum is their biggest fan, with pairs she lives in from Uniqlo, Whistles and YMC.
As a millennial, I’m also partial to cargo pants, which makes sense having come of age in the early ‘00s. Carrie Bradshaw wore her cargos with a half undone shirt, flapping open as she crossed the street, and silver peep-toe Manolos. If I could, I would, but instead my cargo outfits comprise a cashmere twinset on the top half and ballet flats to finish or a tweed jacket and scrunched-edge loafers.
To ease into a 2026 frame of mind, seek out barrel-legged styles that hug the waist but curve inwards at the ankle, creating a silhouette that requires no heavy-lifting on your part but still registers as ‘directional’. COS’s utility pair is my favourite, with minimal bells and whistles that means, when you feel able, you could also team it with a sequinned vest or something equally ‘zhushed’.
Zara Cargo Trousers With Pleats
Weekday Low-Rise Cargo Strap Twill Trousers
Now 56% Off
Citizens of Humanity Flight Pleated Organic Cotton-Blend Twill Tapered Pants
The Frankie Shop Wandle Cargo Pant
COS Utility Barrel-Leg Trousers
Ganni Black Twill Suiting Trousers
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