Martha Stewart Has Made the Case Against Black Trousers, in Burgundy

Black trousers are the default because they are safe, and safe is the problem. Martha Stewart was photographed at the US Open on September 6 in a shade that does the same job better.

She wore pleated wide-leg trousers in a rich burgundy with a matching bomber jacket, a tan button-up shirt, a statement necklace and gold platform sandals.

The trousers are what the whole outfit is built on. Between the silhouette and the depth of the colour, they read as considerably more expensive than a black pair in the same cut would.

Why burgundy works where black does not

The difference is what each colour does to everything around it.

Black recedes. It is chosen precisely so that it does not have to be thought about, which is useful and also means it contributes nothing. An outfit built on black trousers is an outfit carried entirely by whatever is above the waist.

A deep wine tone is nearly as forgiving and considerably more interesting. It is dark enough to do the same slimming, unfussy work, while reading as a decision rather than a default. It also sits well against the colours autumn produces anyway, tan, cream, chocolate, olive.

Stewart's tonal move, matching the bomber to the trousers, is the more advanced version. A single colour from shoulder to ankle lengthens the whole line, and the tan shirt breaks it at exactly the point where the eye needs somewhere to rest.

Professional yet comfortable, with a polished cut that still moves

The affordable version

Her exact pair has not been identified. A close equivalent is the PrettyGarden pleated wide-leg dress trouser, currently 32 dollars, reduced from 38.

They come in a similar burgundy, and also in chocolate brown, beige, navy and several other autumn shades.

The construction is the reason they work at that price. A high waist and a sweeping wide leg produce a long, streamlined line without clinging anywhere. There is an elastic waistband for comfort, which would ordinarily be the detail that gives a cheap trouser away, and front pleats that make them look properly tailored.

That combination, an elasticated waist hidden under genuine pleating, is the single most useful trick in affordable tailoring.

What people report

More than 800 shoppers have given them five stars, which for a trouser at this price is a meaningful sample.

One buyer called them a total win, describing the fit as professional yet comfortable.

"I love how the wide-leg cut gives a polished, tailored look while still feeling breathable and easy to move in," they wrote.

Breathable and easy to move in is not a phrase that usually accompanies anything that looks tailored, and it is the entire appeal of this silhouette returning.

The broader shift

Wide-leg pleated trousers have been steadily displacing the slim cut for several seasons, and the reason is not purely aesthetic.

A narrow trouser has to fit precisely to look right, which makes it an expensive item to buy well and an unforgiving one to buy cheaply. A wide leg forgives almost everything below the waistband, which is why a 32-dollar pair can sit convincingly next to something costing twenty times as much.

Stewart's version costs more than 32 dollars. The principle does not.

It is also worth noting who is demonstrating this. Stewart has spent five decades in the business of telling people how to make ordinary things look considered, and her own dressing has always followed the same rule as her cooking: the technique is unglamorous, the ingredients are available, and the result looks like it took more effort than it did.

A burgundy trouser instead of a black one is exactly that kind of instruction. It costs nothing extra, requires no new skill, and changes the whole outfit.