What Are Palazzo Pants?

The word “palazzo” often appears in history textbooks or tour guides. When this word is mentioned, people always recall majestic and magnificent palaces. You are sure to be familiar with palazzo pants, but have you ever wondered why these pants are called palazzo pants? What is their relationship with palazzos?

On the other hand, with wide leg pants all the rage in the fashion world these days, you might be a little confused. Are palazzo pants and wide leg pants the same thing? If so, why do they have different names? If not, what’s the difference between them? Keep reading, and all you want to know about palazzo pants will be answered.

The Origin of Palazzo Pants

Why do palazzo pants get this strange name? This is actually related to its origin. There are actually more than one theory about the origin of palazzo pants. The more mainstream theory is that palazzo pants are largely inspired by the robes worn by women in the Italian court. In the 1930s, Coco Chanel invented this type of pants while vacationing in Venice, drawing on this Italian specialty. In order to commemorate this trip, palazzo pants got their name. Some people also believe that palazzo pants actually originated in the East. Many peoples of the East wore various models of loose and wide pants made of soft fabrics. For example, Japanese hakama pants, originally for men and later for women, were loose-fitting pants resembling a skirt.

Whatever the truth is, palazzo pants have been popular since the 1960s, not only for office ladies, but also on the red carpet and catwalks. In the 50s, palazzo pants were intended for evening outings, they were worn by Marlene Dietrich, Greta Garbo, Katharine Hepburn and other fashionista. Their further popularity is related to changes in women's clothing styles. Although by the 1960s, women had already started wearing trousers, some so-called high-end restaurants still refused to allow women to enter if they wear trousers. But the palazzo trousers look like a skirt because the trouser legs are very wide. So palazzo pants can help ladies escape this ridiculous ban. This has made them quickly popular among women.

And in the 70s, palazzo pants were popular with hippies, pants began to be sewn from lightweight fabrics and made in different colors, they helped to create a bohemian image. During this period, palazzo pants were also worn on more occasions. They could be worn as daily wear, showing a casual and comfortable style; they could also be paired with exquisite tops and accessories to replace traditional evening gowns and become a fashionable choice for formal occasions such as dinners and parties, providing women with more diverse clothing options for different occasions.

Modern models of palazzo pants can be with an exaggerated waist, with decor in the form of a wide belt, have an arrow on the pants. Palazzo pants can be worn at any time of the year, because the fabrics from which these pants are sewn are very diverse: from flowing chiffon with a floral print to dense woolen fabrics with plaid.

What Are the Differences between Palazzo Pants and Wide Leg Pants?

In general, if there is no need to make a very precise distinction, then in many cases, palazzo pants can actually be regarded as a kind of wide leg pants. However, if you want to further distinguish the two more finely, there are actually some differences between them. Specifically:

In terms of shape, wide leg pants tend to gradually become wider from top to bottom, while palazzo pants are very loose starting from the hips or thighs, showing a distinct flared shape. Some wide leg pants may only be slightly wider than ordinary pants, and the shape and looseness will not be as exaggerated as palazzo pants.

From the perspective of lengths, palazzo pants are usually very long, even dragging on the ground. Because they can give people a sense of elegance and grace, they are more suitable for some more grand occasions. The length of wide-leg pants is more diverse. There are full-length ones, nine-point ones, and even wide-leg shorts.

In terms of fabrics, palazzo pants were usually made of relatively light fabrics. This is largely because it originated from court clothing. One very important difference between court clothing and civilian clothing is the fabric. On the contrary, the fabrics of wide leg pants are more diverse. From linen in the summer to knit in the winter, there are palazzo pants made of many different fabrics to meet your dressing needs all year round. But today, palazzo pants are also made of a wider variety of fabrics, so this is rarely considered as a distinction between the two.

In terms of style, palazzo pants are often fancier than the ordinary wide leg pants. Usually, the design of wide leg pants is relatively simple, at most adding some slits at the legs or some pleats at the waist. While the design of palazzo pants is more gorgeous and exaggerated, and a large number of decorative elements such as lace, embroidery, ruffles, tassels, etc. are often used in the design and production of palazzo pants.

What Tops to Wear with Palazzo Pants?

Since palazzo pants are generally very gorgeous and more suitable for grand occasions, the tops that go with them generally need to be more exquisite as well.

Solid color shirts. It is worth noting that exquisiteness is not the same as gorgeousness. Since the palazzo pants are already very gorgeous, the tops that match with them cannot be too gorgeous, especially on some formal or business occasions. For these occasions, a solid color shirt is a great choice. Its sophistication can be reflected in the exquisite fabric, the sturdy shape and the well designed details. For example, you can choose a pure white acetate shirt with rosette-shaped cuff links. It will make your overall look both professional and feminine when paired with palazzo pants.

Tank tops. In summer, short tank tops of various fabrics are absolutely a great choice to match with palazzo pants! Because palazzo pants are mostly high waist, matching them with a short tank top can more fully raise the waistline and lengthen the legs in visual effect. Therefore, the combination of a short tank top and a pair of palazzo pants is more friendly to petite ladies.

Lantern sleeve tops. As a type of pants that draws inspiration from the ancient dress of Italian court women, palazzo pants always have a natural retro atmosphere. Therefore, the combination of palazzo pants and a top in the same retro style will look very harmonious. Lantern sleeve tops also originated from the wear of noble women in medieval Europe, so it is a perfect match with palazzo pants. Alternatively, you can also change the lantern sleeve top to a similar leg-of-mutton sleeve top.

Slim-fit knit tops. The combination of a slim-fit knit top and palazzo pants can create a very striking contrast. Palazzo pants are visually bulky, while the slim-fit knit top can greatly highlight your figure. However, if you are already thin in the upper body and bloated in the lower body, this way of wearing will further emphasize your figure flaws.

Who Is Suitable to Wear Palazzo Pants?

Many women like to wear palazzo pants because this kind of very wide pants can cover their imperfect leg lines and the fat on their waist and hips. Indeed, palazzo pants are very tolerant of some figure defects and can effectively conceal or correct these defects. But are palazzo pants really suitable for all women?

Taller ladies. Since palazzo pants are usually longer than ordinary wide leg pants, and there are even many floor-length models, most palazzo pants are much friendlier to taller ladies. But this does not mean that petite women have no chance to try palazzo pants. Shorter ladies can roll up their trouser legs and choose high waist palazzo pants as well as short tops as much as possible. This can modify their figure proportions to the greatest extent and prevent the too long palazzo pants from hindering their movements.

Ladies with thicker thighs and also wider shoulders. Women have all known that palazzo pants can effectively cover the fat on the thighs. But why should we emphasize that women with broader shoulders will look better in such pants? Obviously, palazzo pants will further increase the volume of the lower body in terms of visual effect. For women with narrow shoulders, wearing such pants will undoubtedly make their figure proportions more unbalanced, but women with broader shoulders don't have to worry about this. Of course, ladies with inverted triangular figure shape is also suitable for wearing palazzo pants. But with the help of shoulder pads, even ladies with narrow shoulders and slim upper body can wear a pair of palazzo pants.

Ladies with rectangular figure shape. Women with rectangular figure shape lack curves, and their waist and hips are close in width. The wide legs and unique design of palazzo pants can increase the volume of the lower body, thus adding a sense of fashion to the outfits of women with rectangular figure shapes.