Forget Barrel Jeans—Fashion People in Paris Prefer This Elevated Alternative
Before we proceed, let me caution you against throwing out all your barrel-leg jeans. It's a chic silhouette, plain and simple. All I'm suggesting is that you get rid of a few of the pairs you've undoubtedly acquired over the last year or two to make room for their elevated big sister—barrel trousers. Think of them as a dressed-up, more sophisticated, Pais-approved version of barrel jeans. Convinced yet? You should be.
The sleek denim alternative was just spotted during Paris Fashion Week on none other than supermodel and entrepreneur Rosie Huntington-Whiteley. She's been fashion city–hopping these last few weeks, attending shows for Burberry and Ferragamo. Throughout her travels, she's brought out chic ensemble after chic ensemble, but none come close to her latest outfit, which she was seen wearing outside of the Ritz Paris.
On Rosie Huntington-Whiteley: Alaïa Wool Wide-Leg Pants ($1750); Balenciaga Knife 110mm Bootie ($1290); Miu Miu Enigme Sunglasses ($560); The Row bag
For a day of shopping at Alaïa and more, Huntington-Whiteley chose to style a pair of black Alaïa barrel-leg trousers with a leather funnel-neck jacket, Balenciaga Knife boots (which she's been donning all over Europe this trip), a clutch by The Row, and Miu Miu's oversize Enigme sunglasses. Sleek, expensive, and sophisticated, the look was Paris to a T, and it all centered on her barrel trousers.
Follow Huntington-Whiteley's lead by swapping out some of your barrel jeans for trouser form instead.
Shop the barrel-trouser trend:
Eliza Huber is an NYC-based senior fashion editor who specializes in trend reporting, brand discovery, and the intersection of sports and fashion. She joined Who What Wear in 2021 from Refinery29, the job she took after graduating with a business degree from the University of Iowa. She's launched two columns, Let's Get a Room and Ways to Wear; profiled Dakota Fanning, Diane Kruger, Katie Holmes, Gracie Abrams, and Sabrina Carpenter; and reported on everything from the relationship between Formula One and fashion to the top runway trends each season. Eliza lives on the Upper West Side and spends her free time researching F1 fashion imagery for her side Instagram accounts @thepinnacleoffashion and @f1paddockfits, watching WNBA games, and scouring The RealReal for discounted Prada.
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