Gaucho Pants Are the Cool New Trouser for This Season

The "flood pant" is back.

gaucho pants
(Image credit: Melodie Jeng)

Cowboy culture has inspired fashion trends that come and go as quickly as tumbleweed, but gaucho pants? They're here for the long haul. First worn by ranchers in the South American lowlands, the wide leg, calf-gracing pants have a distinct style of their very own. Fitted pant loyalists might feel a sense of hesitation about giving the voluminous silhouette a try, but the flattering cinched waist and roomy legs will award a fresh take on existing outfits. They key? Play with proportions. A flood-length pant doesn't have to read Urkel. (Remember Steve?) Try a lightweight gaucho, belted, with a fitted tee for the weekend. Layer a crisp white button-down under a menswear-inspired waistcoat for that interview. It's chic! Bonus: You can showcase your shoes. Pull out your pointed toe flats, the thigh-high boots at the back of your closet, even pop on tights underneath. Whether you lean towards a casual aesthetic or prefer ladylike appeal, there's a gaucho pant for every day of the week.

Sara Holzman
Style Director

Sara Holzman is the Style Director at Marie Claire, where she has worked in various roles to ensure the brand's fashion content continues to inform, inspire, and shape the conversation around fashion's ever-evolving landscape. A Missouri School of Journalism graduate, she previously held fashion posts at Condé Nast’s Lucky and Self and covered style and travel for Equinox’s Furthermore blog. Over a decade in the industry, she’s guided shoots with top photographers and stylists from concept to cover. Based in NYC, Sara spends off-duty hours running, browsing the farmer's market, making a roast chicken, and hanging with her husband, dog, and cat. Find her on Instagram at @sarajonewyork.