Black work slacks are the under-appreciated workhorses in your closet. You tolerate their existence despite the fact you heavily rely on them. If and when they slip up, they become intolerable. Face it: black slacks are Cinderella and you are the evil stepmother.But Cinderella really, really wants to go to the ball. And she deserves to go, too — though black slacks are mostly worn to work for "business-casual" purposes, they provide the perfect foundation for a million other looks and occasions, too (of course, having the right pair is 90% of the battle). Click through to meet the fairy godmothers that'll help you take your black work slacks out of the 9-to-5 grind.
Cropped at the ankle with a sensible pump and a covered-up shirt. Okay — that's your typical office outfit. But worn with a fun vest and a whimsical bag, your look gets 100 times more you and less HR.
Slightly cropped black slacks are the pant to wear with the ever-popular sock-bootie. With a slim, stretchy shaft, a boot like this is meant to be shown off — and cropped black slacks show off the shape of the shoe, but still looks fashion-forward (especially when you wear it with a duster coat).
There are those sock booties again — and this time, the look gets even more high fashion with slightly more dramatic wide-leg slacks.
Culotte-style slacks balance out more casual separates, like a varsity jacket and white sneakers.
There's something so New Wave and bobo about longer-length, tapered slacks when you wear them like Emmanuelle Alt with suede boots and a trench coat.
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