How Many Pants Is Too Many Pants?
The outfit that A$AP Rocky wore onstage at Coachella 2024 almost upstaged his act. It's pretty crazy that we're talking about a semi-reclusive generational talent making a surprise appearance with Tyler, the Creator, one of America's preeminent musical artistes, and we're talking about... clothes.
But have you seen what Rocky was wearing? Even Tyler and Rocky's combined star power can't compare to quadruple-layered underwear and double-stacked jeans.
It begs the question: can you ever wear too many pants? Realistically, yes. As far as fashion's concerned, no.
Rocky's human centipants are actually indicative of a growing trend: pants on pants. And, sometimes, underpants on underpants. And, rarely, underpants on underpants on pants on pants.
The bottom-up trend began during the Spring/Summer 2024 fashion week shows, wherein luxury labels presented underwear as outerwear. At the time, it seemed hilariously out of touch. Suddenly, it seems wildly prescient.
Not everything need be nearly as advanced as A$AP Rocky's piled-on plaid boxers, though.
Because, at a base level, visible base layers become a solid source of visual intrigue.
Especially as the weather warms, it makes only too much sense to flex underwear waistbands, creating a bit of layering during a season where conventional layering is impossible.
This is a classic Y2K styling cue, of course, and dovetails with a broader fixation on low-rise pants (and pants simply being worn low-rise) but it's suddenly seeing renewed interest with the normalization of two-for-one pants and worn by real people in real life, not merely a runway-only trend forced into existence.
To be sure, the element of visible underwear affects an interesting dynamic, one that shifts proportions while channeling the DGAF ease of aughts sk8r bois and valley girls.
You're wearing pants, yes, but now the underwear underneath is equally important. Two for one.
This sort of styling cue got Balenciaga into hot water some years back due to rather thoughtless execution but this time, the pants are pulled extra high and the underwear pulled up even higher, blossoming out from the waist like a fruit of the loom.
And, though you can easily achieve this look yourself, fashion brands are keen to sell it to you: Acne Studios' bloomers-meets-sweatpants are only one of the literal dozens of doubled-up drawers on display this season from Margiela, Andersson Bell, and Y-PROJECT (not to be outdone, Balenciaga invented its own triple-layered trousers).
Okay, so that's the simple stuff. Skivvies-out styling isn't itself entirely new, though it was only recently brought to unparalleled prominence by Miu Miu and its preppy, chiseled-jaw adherents.
The real meat of this sandwich, however, is the proposition of going all out: yes, layer your pants.
Visible boxers are valid and even stacking undies sky-high is within the realm of human possibility. But going beast mode with trousers on trousers? only the brave.
Consider Justin Bieber, who inexplicably and simultaneously wore two pairs of Balenciaga sweatpants in late April. Does it look good? Eh. Is it a power move? Unquestionably.
The whole pants on pants thing works best in a fashion context, really.
My very good best friend Dries Van Noten demonstrated as such with a pair of current-season pants, which wear the bottom half of a trench coat over their front is if it's an apron.
A more grounded approach, however, might involve a giant pair of jorts over less giant jeans. Or even athletic shorts over leggings in a sort of Y2K sportswear sendup.
This sort of multipant situation is not for the stylistically sedate. Do not try this at home (or, perhaps, try it exclusively at home).
But it does open up new doors of wardrobe adventurousness for those willing to step through.
For those who prefer to wear their bottoms a bit more sanely but still want a piece of the action, start small and hoist up those Calvins.
Really, the only way to go wrong is to merely wear a single pair of pants.
