• 
  • 
  • 
  • 
  • 
  • 
  • Join the riot newsletter
  • Wishlist
RunwayRiot
fashion for all women


  • Shop
    • Clothing
    • Accessories
    • Beauty
    • Editor’s Closet
    • Our Obsessions!
    • Gift Ideas
  • About Runway Riot
  • Fitness
  • News
  • Beauty/Fashion
  • Designers
  • 
  • 
  • 
  • 
  • 
  • 
Wish
list
  • Shop
    • Clothing
    • Accessories
    • Beauty
    • Editor’s Closet
    • Designers
    • Gift Ideas
    • Our Obsessions!
    • Guilty Pleasures
  • Beauty/Fashion
  • Fitness
  • Self-care
  • Current Obsessions
  • The Latest
  • 6 Miraculous Fashion Hacks to Make Life Easier
  • 8 Sexy Black Dresses You Need in Your Life
  • Dear Rihanna and Nicki Minaj: You're Doing Chola Fashion Wrong
  • Fashion School: In Praise of Tina Turner's Ferocious Style
In Praise of Not Wearing Pants
by Ashley Hoffman | January 1, 2016 at 3:00 PM
  • 
  • 
  • 
  • 
  • 

Now that we’re into 2016, it’s time to reflect about life and choices.

I recognize that it’s probably true that if I wanted to do my best impression of someone who’s got her life in check, I might consider putting pants on. But I’d rather just not.

I don’t hate pants with a white-hot dragon fire every day. I find giving them the slip deeply pleasurable though. It’s not that I’m resentful that I need to put on pants, but whenever possible, it’s liberating to be free of them. Because they can be boring, and annoying, and mostly because they’re not as comfortable as leggings or…nothing at all.

Suffice it to say I’m not alone. You can find any variations on an anti-pants stance imaginable. As with many a Rihanna look, she and others like Courtney Love, Lena Dunham, and other people eschew leg coverage often in things that don’t qualify as clothes.

Pantless is more in tune with my preferred life modes 1) feeling the breeze between my lack of a thigh gap, and 2) being confortable. Yes, removing your pants is a joy on par with slipping into a hot tub filled with rosehip salts OR AT LEAST I THINK IT IS. You know the sensation. The second you come home, they come off. At this precise moment, it’s like every last person in the world breathes a sigh of relief for your fabric bound thighs and Mother Theresea and Princess Diana and Maya Angelou all shed a tear that becomes the rain because that’s how much of a hassle pulling pants onto your bod is in the morning. That’s at the end of the day, but life is precious, so why wait?

Wouldn’t it be peachy if trousers weren’t required at fancy functions? Except for the part where they totally are sometimes, and I get that. When I grow up, legally, I might have to wear pants. It will be part of being an actual grown woman as described in the Beyonce song. Not that it makes things you say count more than when you’re in a dress, but I get the appeal. I am not immune to sales pitches from fashion magazines like Harper’s Bazaar “you’ll feel cooler in pants in a room full of dresses,” or the way I think high-waisted distressed jeans help cool women look sleeker. I enjoy the way they make me feel less precious, more mobile and in charge like bossypants lady.

Steal: Rihanna’s Hooray Henry’s Greg Guillemin Catwoman Lollipop Pacifier Black T-Shirt Dress http://t.co/f5aWelMZNZ

— The Fashion Bomb (@thefashionbomb) June 9, 2015

I’m five-one so pantalons give me a longer line, but I could care less about that. What matters most is that I always strive to achieve that gentle bridge between polished and comfortable as all hell. The pleasure I take in how sexy long black pants look tucked into suede black boots IS persuasive. But it’s nothing compared to how much better it is to just wear a dress. At home, I’d just rather be in a oversized t-shirt, and I one day want the confidence and the wherewithal to set foot outside this way.

For my college years, I was spoiled rotten living in Florida, where the sun turned my legs the color of hot chocolate. I never needed pants. Ever. And now in New York, there’s an ease to going sans pants that is lost in the winter. They’re also so much more boring than every other article of clothing unless you’re talking Amal Alamuddin’s palazzo pants.

When I mentioned to a colleague that a deeply hilarious fellow scribe who worked from home should probably focus less on writing and more on getting famous. Her answer: “yeah, but no pants is better.” And it is.

Rihanna attends the Hennessy V.S Ryan McGinness limited edition bottle launch event.

Rihanna attends the Hennessy V.S Ryan McGinness limited edition bottle launch event.

Related Links:
In Defense of ‘Unflattering’ ClothesWhy the Outrage Over This Dress Is Totally Unfair
NYE Outfit Inspiration

Tags: Fashion, Rihanna
About the Author

Ashley Hoffman

Connect with me:
  • My website
I Want That!
City Chic
Wide Pants (Plus Size)
Gimme! + Wishlist
$99.00
KAREN LONDON
Make it Official Ring
You Know You Want Me! + Wishlist
$90.00
BaubleBar (US)
Elizabella Tassel Danglers
You Know You Want Me! + Wishlist
$36.00
Charlotte Tilbury
Beach Stick - Formentera
Buy Me + Wishlist
$45.00
Nanette Lepore
'Goddess - Pretty Tough' One-Piece Swimsuit
Buy Me + Wishlist
$160.00
Charlotte Tilbury
Powder & Sculpt Brush
You Know You Want Me! + Wishlist
$49.00
Anthropologie
Turkey Feather Pen
Shop now + Wishlist
$12.00
Free People
Dusk Till Dawn Mini Dress
Shop now + Wishlist
$148.00
Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare
Ferulic Acid + Retinol Triple Correction Eye Serum
You Know You Want Me! + Wishlist
$68.00
SLINK Jeans
Trendy Plus Size Embroidered Paige Wash Skinny Jeans
You Know You Want Me! + Wishlist
$118.00
PrettyLittleThing
Unicorn Lilac Applique Mesh Thong Bodysuit-6
Shop now + Wishlist
$35.00
Abercrombie & Fitch
Fair Isle Button-Up Cardigan
Shop now + Wishlist
$78.00
19 Female Professional Athletes Who Are Changing The Way We Look At Fashion
November 7, 2017 at 3:12 PM
11 Body Confident Trends for Transitional Wear
November 7, 2017 at 3:05 PM
The Power of 11: How to Align With Your True Self
February 14, 2017 at 12:50 PM
The Best Single Statement Shirts to Wear this Valentine’s Day
February 14, 2017 at 8:33 AM
Couples That Workout Together Stay Together
February 14, 2017 at 2:39 AM
RunwayRiot
  • 
  • 
  • 
  • 
  • 
  • 
Sitemap
  • Shop
  • About
  • Contact Us
  • All Stories
Join the riot
© 2023 RunwayRiot, LLC - All Rights Reserved.
  • FAQ
  • Terms
  • Privacy Policy
  • Site Design
  1. Mediaite
  2. The Mary Sue
  3. RunwayRiot
  4. LawNewz
  5. Gossip Cop