Have you noticed a rainbow on campus? It isn’t coming from the sky.
Radiant reds, pastel purples and electrifying yellows are gracing the grounds of Northwestern this year in the form of pants. This trend has danced in and out of the fashion world but has recently been resurrected in department stores throughout America and embraced by a handful of students on NW’s campus this year.
Tyler McWilliams, a freshman from Sioux City, currently has five pairs of colored pants and said a mint green pair is in the mail.
“The first pair I got was my red ones,” McWilliams said. “They were a present from my brother, and after I got them, I wanted all the colors.”
McWilliams’ faded red, bright blue, gray, black and white skinny jeans contrast with senior Laura Tellinghuisen’s preferences.
“I love Easter colors more than anything,” Tellinghuisen said, “so when I saw pastel colored pants, I had to get them.”
The choice in color may be attributed to personality. McWilliams considers himself to be crazy, funny and extremely outgoing; it’s a personality complemented by his bright pants. On the other hand, Tellinghuisen describes herself as giving off a soft, carefree and friendly persona, much of which aligns with the Easter-colored hues of her pink, blue and green pants.
You might have noticed that the color bug has also bitten celebrities around the globe. Duchess Katherine, Fergie and pop singer Justin Bieber have all been seen wearing colored jeans.
Doing as a celebrity does may insinuate that a person is trendy, but sophomore Valor Gorans doesn’t think so.
“I don’t consider myself to be very fashionable,” Gorans said, “But other people may think I am when I wear my, colored pants.”
Celebrities did not necessarily influence sophomore
Emilee Berry’s purchase decision either. She said her influence “may have come from being an art major and wanting something more creative. It’s a way for me to experiment with different colors.”
Berry shows this by wearing what she calls a “dressier” teal color, as well as a neon/safety green. She considers herself to be fashionable “some days,” and Tellinghuisen gives herself a “6.5 on a fashion scale of Steve Urkel to Tyra Banks.”
So what is the “fashionable” way to put together an outfit centered around colored pants?
Many have adopted the color blocking style, an example of which is the combination of blue pants, a red shirt and yellow heels.
The other option is a little less dramatic, the pants matched up with a more neutral top and a pair of modest shoes.
Both Berry and McWilliams said whenever they wear colored pants, it’s a conversation starter with those around them. Perhaps the opportunity to meet a new friend could be the difference between that pair of pants staying on the rack and becoming another shade of the spectrum on the NW campus.
