Everyone’s wearing leather and PVC pants unironically now

We are almost certainly becoming caricatures of ourselves. Or perhaps more accurately, of our parents?

You saw them on your dad in old photos from 19something, and now you’re seeing them… everywhere.

Leather pants are back in a big way, and just in time for… spring? I’m not sure why it is that as the weather finally starts to warm up some, leather pants seem to be suspiciously increasing in relevance by the day. Part of it may very well be winter’s last hurrah, and our feeling the need to maximize these final weeks of winter before we miss being able to layer.

READ ALSO: 10 cool places to take Instagram pics indoors when the weather sucks

That being said though, it also seems to very much be a thing to pair leather pants with cropped tops, short sleeve shirts, and other warm-weather friendly apparel. So it’s definitely a versatile, weather discordant situation at hand. Though a cute one, nonetheless.

But wait, upon entering your local Leather Pants Shoppe™ or visiting leatherpants.org, you’ll need to know exactly what to look for. And empirical research (Instagram) suggests that leather pants of the patent variety seem to be the favorable variation among the cool kids.

Paris is the cutest ♥ #streetstyle #🇫🇷 #🥖

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She is my everything

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A lot of the more flattering cuts are high-waisted, too:

You not a gang member. You a tourist!

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back at it again

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Perhaps we shouldn’t be that surprised at the resurgence of this trend. I mean, super-duper contemporary brands like Orseund Iris and I Am Gia the Label have undoubtedly popularized a lot of these styles as of late by presenting a fresh, refined take on the retro classic. Leather pants are a clothing item that can either be super cool, effective and interesting or really, really gimmicky. And to be honest, the line between the two is finer than we may be willing to admit.

Finding the perfect pair at a thrift or vintage store would be amazing, but also slightly miraculous. There are some really well-designed, versatile alternatives that might be worth the bait. Below are a couple of safe bets:

ASOS, $33.50

I Am Gia the Label, $87

 

READ ALSO: Mega-oversized clutch bags are about to be everywhere

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