Practical and versatile, pants are a must for fall

Menswear details, including blazers, vests and button-downs, have been invading women's fashion trends for a while. Now comes the most obvious of all for fall: pants.

Pants are powerful, utilitarian and versatile, and that seems to be what women are craving this style cycle.

"I don't need to tell the girls in the room how practical pants are. A great black pant goes desk to dinner, morning to evening. It's easy, and you don't have to think about it too much," says Simon Kneen, creative director at Banana Republic.

Gap's new black-pant collection is a reaction to consumer demand, says Lexi Tawes, vice president of women's merchandising. People want a pair of pants that can be worn seven days a week, and, for many women, that's their black pants. "The challenge for us," she says, "was how do you make black pants cool and sexy again?"

What's new about pants this fall is that there's not a specific silhouette - there are wide legs and narrow ones, high waists and low. "There's a return to the idea of a flattering pant," says Mark Holgate, Vogue's fashion news director. "We were knee deep, no pun intended, in the world of crazy pants . . . and then what happened was women wore leggings."

But now, he says, fashion has returned to pants that are more versatile, styles that can be worn with a jacket shirt, evening top, heel, flat or boot.

The top you choose, the shoes you wear and the scarf wrapped around the neck all become more important when your outfit is built around pants, Kneen explains. "It's almost ironic," he says, "but wearing pants can be dressier than a dress."

Fit matters

When it comes to pants, fit is the key.

You would be surprised what flattering pockets and a tailored waistband can do, says Lexi Tawes of the Gap.

At Banana Republic, the design starts in the rear, Simon Kneen explains. "It's what a woman looks at first in the changing room, and if that fits it means you're fitting well around the hips."

Kneen says high heels are trousers' favorite accessory - and that might mean buying pants longer than your gut first tells you to.

"The heel line can change the entire line of the body." Wear the shoes you wear most often when shopping for pants.- AP

CUTLINES

Slim cropped trouser, $118, shown with racing jacket, $595, both at select J.Crew stores and jcrew.com.

For the office, Elie Tahari's straight-leg pant, $148, and matching three-button blazer, $298, at select Bloomingdale's and bloomingdales.com.

Skinny faux leather pants, $29.99, worn with cropped jacket, $44.99, by Mossimo at select Target stores or target.com.