Anyone who paid attention to pop culture and fashion in the 2000s knows that a major trend was wearing a dress over pants. Celebrities who wore the dress-over-pants trend include Anne Hathaway, Ashley Tisdale and Kim Kardashian. As the look re-emerges, it has become a point to style the trend without resembling the early aughts.

One major issue with the 2000s trend was that the dress and pants did not match. People would wear flared jeans or pants under an ugly dress, which did not work. On top of this, people over-accessorized or wore shawls over their dresses, making the look overly complicated. The lack of color coordination between the two articles of clothing was another issue. Overall, the dress and pants look was often unpolished and overly busy.

Although the look was terribly executed in the 2000s, it is possible to wear a dress with pants and not look ridiculous. The first thing to consider about the dress-over-pants look is that everything should match. Both the pants and the dress should have bold colors and the pants should have a bold pattern. Having the right color coordination will make the outfit’s overall presentation excellent. The pants should be the perfect fit — wearing a dress over loose pants looks goofy. Shoes should match the colors of the pants and dress. For example, if you are wearing a white dress with black pants, then black or white shoes would be a good choice. With just the right amount of accessories such as earrings and a small purse paired with the right color coordination and fit, it is possible for anyone to pull off the dress-over-pants look. Some celebrities have looked amazing in this combination because of the simple guidelines for wearing the trend correctly.

While some looks were presented poorly during the time of their peak popularity, the possibility of bringing the trends back should not be ruled out completely. Most of the time, it’s not about what you wear but how you wear it. With the right accessorizing, color coordination, fit as well as some self-confidence, a dress and pants can look stunning together.

A version of this article appeared in the Monday, April 3 print edition. Email Christopher Collado at [email protected].