When I first started re-blogging images on Tumblr and then “hyping” looks on Lookbook.nu (aka Fashion Instagram before Instagram itself even existed), I think the thing that I was looking for most in terms of fashion advice was guidance on how to style the items I already had. I knew that I liked certain pieces but couldn’t quite solve the formula for how to put them together. Funny, enough my understanding of proportion came first from my love of interior design, by watching a lot of HGTV at a young age and stealing my mom’s interior decorating coffee table books to flip through, and it took a few years before I finally figured out what it meant in the world of fashion.

Now that you have learned a few random facts about my teenage years, I can tell you that that’s why I wanted to start my how to style series on my blog—to help others with what I struggled to understand for a long time. Now that I’ve shared how to layer camisoles in autumn (or spring for that matter!), how to style a white blazer, and my three best tips for styling denim on denim, I thought I’d tackle an item that I feel like can be tricky to get right: wide leg pants. In the standard rules of proportions, when you wear wide-leg pants, you should keep the top half more tight-fitting since you’ll have a wider silhouette. This is both true and also sort of not true. Let me dive into a few examples and show you cases when doubling up on proportions can actually be a good thing with four of my favorite outfits featuring wide-leg pants from the last few months.

1. Pick a color scheme

If you feel like adding on some volume to pants that already have a wide leg to them, stick to one color scheme or tone of colors so that look feels like it flows a little more seamlessly. I love how the pink at the bottom of the pants picked up on the top and the orange long-line coat added a layer without creating too much bulk. Find a similar pair here.

2. Throw on a statement coat

If you purchase a pair of wide-leg pants in a neutral color like black, you immediately increase the amount of outfit possibilities because you can pair them with so many different things. One of my go-to winter outfits is simply “anything that is warm with a statement coat thrown over it” and I tend to follow this outfit formula for most of the colder months here in NYC, often created around my black wide-leg pants.

3. Tuck in a sweater

I am a big fan of wide-leg denim, particularly these Hepburn High Rise Jeans from DL1961. White denim can be intimidating to style, but here I just decided to do a French tuck with a vibrant turtleneck to make the look seem more effortless. I think if the sweater was un-tucked the proportions would feel a little bit off since the sweater length would cover most of the jeans. For an added bit of fun, I threw on these leopard ankle boots that hit just where the hem of the jeans ends.

4. Let Your Accessories Shine

This outfit is very similar to the base of the second outfit I shared with you guys, but here since the pants are extra dramatic, I decided to opt for no coat so that I could let my accessories do the talking for me. I love a flare leg pant as a variation of the wide leg pant and here I decided to pull out one of my favorite red statement bags and my baker boy cap.