I’ve dreamt about a pair of flat-fronted, button-fly Stalf trousers for years. A really long time.
Four years ago in early 2020, I sourced some natural, Corozo buttons, ordered them, loved them and swiftly bought a button holer and button machine to go with them. I was at a point where my business was expanding year on year and my energy and drive were growing alongside. As it happens, covid and a cacophony of other factors all came together in a handful of consecutive years and the fallout meant that I stopped creating in any real way for my brand. You can read about that later this week if you’re interested.
2024 has been something of a reawakening for my creative spirit and my confidence, and I’ve finally pulled all the threads together to bring you the button front trousers that have sat in my head and my sketchbooks for four years.
Here’s the low down.
Garment Name- Work Trousers
Fabric Composition- 100% cotton jumbo corduroy.
Fabric Certifications or Facts- Our Jumbo Cord is a 4.5 whale for those in the know. It’s also OEKO-TEX certified (we go into detail about what this means on our product pages.)
Design Details-
Loose fit across the hips.
Made with a half elasticated waistband and 5 Corozo button fastening at the centre front.
Features deep, oversized patch pockets that wrap around the side seams.
Loose fit across hips and bum, and straight through the leg.
Minimal, multi-functional design and finish.
Handmade at The Pink Studio? - Always.
Would Wear To- As I discovered in this article. They wear well to most things. Daytime, yes. Work, yes (obvs. depends on your workplace). Weekend errands and brunch, yes. Dressed up, yes. I’d perhaps not wear them to anything really dressy (like, stuff that requires you to be in a church etc.) but then they are a pair of corduroy trousers, you’re not surprised there.
Here’s what they look like on the models.
I took the studio sample home to study for a weekend in mid-January, and they never made it back on the rail. I’ve been wearing them non stop. This is how I’ve been throwing them on of late without too much thought (since I stole the sample).
So, the trousers themselves. The thing is… they go with everything (hoho, I hear you chuckle, you WOULD say that, Paris!)
But I mean everything. I really struggled to pinpoint my favourite ways to wear them to share with you because, in truth, I’ve woken up everyday since I had this style and wanted to pull them on with whatever I was already wearing. I just wanted to sink back into their comfort.
When I try to strip it back and bottle what it is that the Work Trousers have, it’s a really beautiful blend between smart and soothing.
I feel like these are trousers that just know who they are and are really solid in that. I’m personifying them here, and I’ve actually rewritten that sentence a few times in attempts to turn down the corny, but it’s true! In trying to communicate what it is about these trousers, I can’t help but describe more than a shape. I mean, the shape itself is great, but it’s more about a balance within the garment and the way they wear, the way I feel in them that draws me to them. I’m coming full circle back to that smart-soothing blend.
When I was dissecting particular styling of these trousers for the purpose of this article, I realised that you can literally pair them with the most basic of basics and feel like you’ve accidentally configured a 100% outfit. Putting them on below with my most timeless and simple of pieces and feeling amazing was so satisfying as a designer.
…and that’s where I’ve started for this article. The real basics. The ones you definitely already have in your wardrobe and have lived in for years already. The Work Trousers love those pieces. They’re so strong in themselves that they carry the rest of your choices effortlessly.
Let me begin and you’ll see what I mean…
FYI, I took home the Work Trousers in Thunder. I’m wearing my usual size medium, but I did go for extra length (which I usually do with my Stalf trousers.) You can shop them here.
This feels like a copout. I’m supposed to be bestowing styling gems, and I’ve literally thrown on a cardigan. But look how good! So simple, but so good. These trousers have the perfect amount of detail, sit so delightfully on the waist, that you can literally do up a couple of buttons on a cardi, half tuck it in and feel amazing.
Points to note- I wore a fabulous bra underneath. Yes, so I knew it was there, but also if someone else catches a glimpse (since I’ve gone for the nonchalant approach to button-fastening) there’s something great to look at. I also opted for a boot that means business. I’m not putting in much effort elsewhere (since the trousers are doing a lot of the talking here) so it felt right that the footwear wasn’t f**king about.
A shot of colour works. The Work Trousers do “it took me 2 mins to get dressed and I look effortlessly stylish” really well.
This shape has a great fit on the bum. I’m not overly-blessed in this department, but the trousers do a lot for me. Incidentally, if you are proudly blessed with a voluptuous behind, you will likely love these trousers.
Moving onto the next, let’s try with that other key wardrobe component- the white button down.
You can see I took the same approach here. Do up a couple of buttons, half tuck in and enjoy.
But let me note a couple of differences that I think are important- with the cardi, I was matching close fit with a looser bottom- proportionally, you’d expect that to work. Here, the shirt is very oversized, worn nice and loose and works just as well with the bottoms. Reasons why- the Work Trousers sit high on the waist. The whole fit in the waist-hip area is neat but not tight (elasticated back allows for stretch and comfort) and makes this style easy to pair with tops on the more oversized side. Add in a flash of collarbone. I wore my shirt open and airy at the collar and added in necklaces as a contrast to what is otherwise a more traditionally-masculine look.
So we know the trousers play well with the classics. But these two (the shirt and the trews worn together) are also a great base for something more playful.
I decided to mix it up a bit… colour incoming.
The Thunder shade in particular can really carry bright, bold colour. I’m thinking brilliant turquoise and a strong orange.
Finding those shades in my wardrobe was another challenge entirely, but it proved to be a lesson in working with what you have and being pleasantly surprised with the results.
I have this gorgeous silk slip dress from fellow small business Lora Gene in a beautiful, vivid turquoise colour. So good with the Thunder. I made it work as a top by bunching at the back and tucking in (to hell with the creases, I’ll deal with them later.) It’s great with shirt worn open as above (the way the crisp white linen pairs with the buttons is satisfying, no?) …but also see below for a little slither of silky colour peeking through the shirt and adding something unexpected and playful to a classic look.
Do you own anything orange? I’ve been thinking a lot about orange recently. It’s not a colour I’ve ever been drawn to and yet it’s been wriggling its way into every outfit I can imagine myself wearing of late. I am lusting after this bikini for my holiday in April and this pair of linen shorts for the same.
Turns out, I have exactly two orange(y) items in my wardrobe (that weren’t full length maxi dresses.)
These wild, beaded earrings in hot pink and orange- perfect paired with Thunder cords and crisp white linen to add in a little joy.
Next up, another dress I made into a top (selected for the orange factor)… bare with me, I think it works!!
It’s actually an old style of dress by SZ Blockprints, but the side slits allowed for handy wrap-around-and-tie solution.
I turned it up to a ten with layers of clashy jewellery, a hint of tattoos and a pattern jumble with the shoes thrown in.
Just in case you wanted to see the results of what I’m going to call The Waistcoat Test (I’m aware that I may well be the only one on the edge of my seat waiting for the verdict on that one, but how well my trousers pair with a waistcoat is an important barometer for me.)
Final ruling is in : thumbs up!
Just chuck all the buttons at me, why don’t you!
Please also note above that Thunder is just as good paired with neutral tones as brights. Black, white, beige- all good. See below for more evidence- Thunder with our Fawn shade of double gauze (did you manage to snap any up last summer, if so it’s perfect, pull it out with Thunder now!)
My final test was to see how well these trousers dress up. I don’t know about you, but more often than not when I’m preparing for an evening affair that requires dressier clothing, my priority is still pretty firmly rooted in comfort. Both in oneself mentally, and also physically feeling comfortable in the clothes I’m wearing.
Drawing my daytime clothes into the nighttime arena is how I usually satisfy this.
After trying on with a solid percentage of my wardrobe, my findings are- if you have a bodysuit (long or short sleeved) and a favourite pair of heels, sandwich the Work Trousers in between them.
I also enjoyed pairing with black and adding in a chunky waist belt and heeled boots. In this instance, I’d probably top the whole look with a smart wool coat and a clutch bag with some personality.
I’m afraid I ran out of time to experiment more- my shooting time crashed into school pick up.
But to summarise… we see that the Work Trousers go from super minimal cardi/button down combo to pattern clash, mad colour, lashings of jewellery and playful shoes to evening with heels and … hold their own.
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Thanks again folks!