I have spent the entire winter wearing a coat with cavernous pockets. I could fit my wallet, keys, phone, umbrella, book and three lipsticks in these guys. In fact, to call them pockets seems – in reality – less accurate than 'two bags helpfully sewn into my coat'.
But now spring is (somewhat reluctantly) on its way, and I have no idea what to do. I’m going to have to carry around a bag. I have tried to be a bag person, truly I have. I’ve tried backpacks and tote bags and a bag that was so expensive I was sure it would inspire me to use it through guilt alone. And yet, they all sit in a pile at the bottom of my wardrobe, littered with lipsticks and tampons and, inexplicably, some sort of sand-like substance. I don’t like the weight of a bag on my shoulder, I don’t like how my hair gets caught in the straps, I don’t like that somehow, I always using my handbag as a portable rubbish bin, filling it with used tissues and plastic wrappers and salt and pepper sachets I never use.
Enter: cargo pants, the unsung heroes of lazy people everywhere. Part bag, part trouser, rejoice for these fashion staple of the 00s have been resurrected.
But these aren’t the khaki trews of yore, the ones that graced the legs of Gwen Stefani and Jennifer Aniston and Avril Lavigne. These are a new generation of cargo pants (which Topshop seem to be trying to rebrand as “utility trousers” but whatever). There’s more to these babies than camo and pockets big enough to fit a packet of crisps in.
There are denim ones, like the ones Bella Hadid went for, which I’ve got to admit I kinda love. She paired hers with a teddy bear coat and this season's other fave: tiny sunglasses, which makes her relaxed look feel instantly chic and on-purpose.
Inspired? Urban has the perfect cropped pair, or to really get you excited there’s this cargo skirt. Breezy and pockets?! This is a feminist dream. Wear it with a white top and trainers now, sandals later, through the spring and straight into summer.
Meanwhile Rihanna opted for come navy parachute cargos with a hint of apres-ski about them...
You can get a similar-ish pair over on Pretty Little Thing – wear them with a oversized sweater for the full Rihanna look, or with a clingy fitted knit if you want a little more definition.
Fashion stylist Goda Andriunaite went for a sand coloured pair with a white tank top, that gives her Carmen Sandiego mets Lara Croft vibe.
You can pick up a similar pair from ASOS.
Brazilian influencer Yasmin option for a belted pair with a bright blue jumper, which single-handedly disproves that “blue and green should never be seen without a colour in between” rule your Gran likes to trot out.
Or if your heart belongs to the traditional Avril-esque combats, Topshop's got you (quite liberally) covered. Wear them with a slogan tee if you’re worried you might look too much like you’re in the army reserves.
