It was 81 degrees with a light breeze when my offer was accepted on a pair of bedazzled rainbow pants.
I’d been searching for embellished Siedrés pants ever since seeing Jennifer Lawrence pushing a stroller around NYC in her pink, sequin-adorned pair. She was later seen rewearing the low-rise pants with Birkenstocks, the handlebar of her stroller still gripped in one hand.
The juxtaposition of J.Law’s playful “fancy pants” alongside mom life is the kind of accessible fashion coverage I crave. That could be me, I thought.
Stars, they’re just like us.
When I looked into buying the exact same pair, they were listed at $425. My monthly fun money budget is $250, so girl math said girl, please. I closed the tab only to reopen it throughout the week during vulnerable moments, like when my toddler threw her yogurt bowl or when I slept past my alarm and missed Pilates. Whenever I wanted to drown my feelings in Y2k-inspired joy, the PDP and I had a staring contest with no clear end in sight.
That is until I realized I could have my fun without going over budget. And so I opened Depop. (Not sponsored. Unfortunately.)
It took me less than a week to find my dream pants. Or as the Brooklyn-based seller described them: “stunning very fun pants with rhinestones on the front.” I blushed while scrolling through the graphics in the listing like I was swiping right on a potential new lover. It was lust at first sight when I caught a glimpse of the back pockets, each painted in a blue and green gradient. When you know, you know. So I slid her an offer she couldn’t (and didn’t) refuse.
Three hours post-purchase, my husband and I left the kids at home with a new babysitter. It was the first time we’d ever hired a caretaker (please clap), so this was only a test-run, but we had about two hours to do whatever we pleased. This was 120 more minutes than we ever had together on a Sunday, and now we really had cause for celebration. Hand in hand, we went out for ice cream.
As we were catching each other up on our lives, saying all the things we’d been holding in while our children were circling around us like land sharks, I told him about my recent acquisition, backstory and all. When I showed him the photo evidence, he said they reminded him of something.
“Have you ever heard of Go-to-Hell pants?,” he casually asked.
“????,” I replied.
And that’s when, halfway through a cup of mint chocolate chip gelato, I learned about a fascinating era in men’s fashion from a guy who owns a solid black Carhartt tee for every day of the week. Color me intrigued, pun obviously intended. After getting schooled by my date, I set off to learn more.
I’m not a menswear wizard like Lindsay Sword—surely she could offer a greater download on this JFK-approved subculture—but allow me to try a quick pass.
The phrase, “Go-to-Hell” (GTH) pants, was coined by writer Tom Wolfe in an article for Esquire entitled “Mauve Gloves & Madmen, Clutter & Vine” to describe the eccentric, ultra-bright, loudloudloud, and whimsical pants worn by preppy East Coast elites. While at Martha’s Vineyard, he described the following scene.
“The jackets were mostly navy blazers, and the ties were mostly striped ties or ties with little jacquard emblems on them, but the pants had a go-to-hell air: checks and plaids of the loudest possible sort, madras plaids, yellow-on-orange windowpane checks, crazy-quilt plaids, giant houndstooth checks, or else they were a solid airmail red or taxi yellow or some other implausible go-to-hell color.”
The phrase and the pants were embraced in the 1950s, Brooks Brothers launching trousers in 13 different colors (including red, green, and yellow) in 1955. They were traditionally worn by affluent men on vacation to places like Nantucket and Palm Beach, but the vacation trouser made its rounds on Ivy League college campuses, too. But of course they did.
By the 1960s, slime green, cherry red, and lemon yellow pants fit any summer garden party’s dress code. Spotting an extra cheeky guest had also never been easier; their pair was covered in embroidered ducks, flamingos, or bees.
If someone didn’t like them? Well, they could go to hell.
Intentional styling was key so the GTH pants could remain the focal point. In Kelly Williams’ terminology, this was definitely a “bottom-forward” look. Balancing the audacity of one’s lower half required simple, solid-colored tops to achieve the desired vibe. Think high-low, but with Pantone. Back in the day, this meant wearing neutral sweaters, crisp button-down shirts, and classic navy blazers.
As a woman who likes to mix and match colors like the contents of a Skittles bag, and especially as someone who appreciates a bold pant (and top, to be clear) no matter the occasion, I’m obsessed with the whole concept here:
Be unapologetically bold, wear colors that make you happy, and if anyone has a problem with it? We know what the pants imply.
The term may have been hot in menswear fashion 70 years ago, but I’ve found several pairs of pants that fit the description as I see it today.
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For the girls.
There’s no shortage of colorful striped pants online, but I’m obsessed with this pair for several reasons: there’s stretch, they can be thrown in the dryer if they must, and they come in a variety of colorways. I bought them last year for my birthday, and my only regret is that I left them behind at a hotel in San Diego! Oopsie. Should I repurchase them again for this year’s $500 Challenge? Maybe I’ll ask Fanny Adams during my styling session on Friday.
As far as I’m concerned, you can rock an ultra-colorful pant with a neutral top and/or your boldest graphic tee. It’s all about dressing for the mood you’re in (or aspiring to be in), and who doesn’t want an extra hit of dopamine? As I continue my job search with less childcare help in the fall, this isn’t a want, it’s a need.
The ultimate GTH pant, IMO. Tie dye and embellished polka dots? Be my friend. Neon green lace? Entering superstar mode. Your bottom half can standalone with a perfect white tee in a pair of pants like these, but I’m never against mixing with other patterns up top—especially when it’s with my favorite neutral, leopard.
I love mixing a sparkly pant with a sporty top or cozy sweater, as referenced below. There’s something about that mix of casual and fanciful that just does it for me…kinda like Jennifer Lawrence in those perfectly pink, silver-sequin adorned pants. And if you, too, love a good party pant, I know another Jennifer who did a whole deep dive on the topic.
Well, that was fun. Which GTH pant is your MO? Tell us in the comments!
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