Cargo Pants Are My New Winter Staple, so Of Course I Have These 'Fits on Standby

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(Image credit: @pernilleteisbaek@indyabrown)

If you were to ask me for the one thing I'm wearing above all else this winter, that would be pretty easy to answer. It's cargo pants. I'm not exactly sure when this extreme obsession crept into my brain. All I know is that my recent Google searches contain "cargo pants" with various conjoining adjectives too numerous to count. Since I bought a few pairs from Zara, they've slowly replaced my other pairs of pants—jeans and trousers included. I've worn them with everything from tailored button-downs and heels to cropped sweaters and sneakers, so the versatility sort of speaks for itself. 

It seems that I'm not the only one strongly into cargo pants these days. I've noticed them popping up in outfits worn by some of my favorite fashion figures on social media. The Attico's version of the trend is arguably the most popular among insiders, but thankfully, less expensive takes are hitting the market, too. Now that I've properly waxed poetic on my go-to piece of the season, get ready for seven cool ways insiders are wearing the It staple right now. 

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(Image credit: @aminamuaddi)

The Attico's Fern cargo pants are perfectly stylish in every way, hence why they're currently sold out. I love this sporty yet elegant styling with the addition of wedge heels and a track jacket.

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(Image credit: @kristenmarienichols)

For a French-girl touch, style your cargos with cap-toe slingbacks.

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(Image credit: @indyabrown)

Here's a little secret: Zara is the plug for affordable cargo pants. The retailer's versions are close to styles from The Attico, Bottega Veneta, and more, so it's a good way to try the trend out before investing in a more expensive pair.

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(Image credit: @pernilleteisbaek)

I think about these pants almost every single day. They're reminiscent of JNCOs in the best way possible, in that they're heavy on details that make them really stand out. 

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(Image credit: @anaasaber)

Since we're in the season of leather, it makes complete sense for leather cargos to be on your radar. For streetwear-inspired styling, pair them with your coolest sneakers and lots of gold jewelry.

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(Image credit: @annasarlvit)

Single-closure cardigans are at their peak right now, and if you, too, have invested in the trend, let me suggest a way to put it to good use. Worn with khaki cargo pants, it's a sporty-meets-flirty approach I can thoroughly get behind. 

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(Image credit: @giorgiatordini)

From the cool shoulder-pad tee to the equally sleek cargo pants, this outfit brings the Milanese vibes to the max. The addition of a hot-pink bag is a nice, subtle nod to color.

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Next up: PSA: This Is a Not-So-Subtle Hint of Everything on My Holiday Wish List

Fashion Market Editor

Indya Brown is a fashion editor, stylist, and writer living in Los Angeles. While going to school at Columbia University in New York City, she got her feet wet in the fashion industry interning at Elle magazine, Harper's Bazaar, and New York magazine's The Cut. After graduating in 2016, she joined The Cut as a fashion assistant, eventually working her way up to fashion editor. There, she worked on a multitude of projects, including styling inbook feature stories for New York magazine's print issue, writing and pitching market stories for The Cut, and serving as fashion lead for The Cut's branded content. While New York has been her home for over 10 years, she moved to Los Angeles in the midst of the pandemic in 2020 for a new chapter. Now she is a fashion market editor for Who What Wear, focusing on emerging designers, rising trends on and off the internet, interior design, and BIPOC creatives and brands. Aside from her duties as a fashion market editor, Brown is also a freelance stylist and writer, working on national print and video commercial campaigns for Sephora, The Independent, and Cadillac. Her bylines also include Harper's Bazaar, Vox, and The New York Times. But once the computer goes down and the emails turn off, she's likely eating her way through Koreatown, hunting down vintage furniture, scoping out new outrageous nail designs to try, or taking a hot cycling class.