Pump up your fall outfit with a pair of printed pants

Fall is here and printed pants are too. Last spring, Jason Wu, Mary Katrantzou and Kenzo models strutted down the runway at Fashion Week, rocking this playful trend. Bold patterns exude high style, but at first glance, they can be intimidating and seemingly difficult to pull off.

The easiest way to balance the lively patterns is with a solid colored shirt. To make the style a bit edgier, aim for big prints on the bottom and use one of the pattern’s accent colors to wear on top.

Make this look an outfit for school by adding layers and a neutral-colored bag. To transition the look from day to night, pull on a dark velvet or cotton blazer and polish off it with a stylish but simple necklace. It is important to make the pants the focal point of your ensemble.

When styling, pay attention to this look’s proportions. If you choose printed harem pants or loose fitting trousers, wear a form-fitting top and strappy sandals. Balance girly, tailored jeans or tights with a peplum or baggy top and leather boots.

Prints can be used to make larger parts of your body shrink down and smaller sections stand out. To do this, use the opposites rule — smaller prints make things look bigger while larger prints make things appear smaller. Printed pants can work on all body types as long as this rule is followed.

Some of the best printed pants this year are the Bright Floral Print Joggers from Topshop ($70.00), Printed Satin Trousers from Zara ($59.90), Abstract Print Leggings from Forever21 ($8.80) and, if you are looking to splurge, Super Flared Wide Leg Pant from Alice + Olivia ($297.00).

via forever21.com

via zara.com

via aliceandolivia.com

A version of this article appeared in the Wednesday, Sept. 12 print edition. Kendall Hill is a contributing writer. Email her at bstyle@nyunews.com.