How to Wear Satin Trousers, Day to Night

Satin trousers usually get filed under occasionwear. Out they come for a wedding or the work Christmas do, and then they go back in the wardrobe to crease until next December. That's a waste of a good pair. Street-style coverage from London and Milan this autumn keeps showing them where you'd expect jeans: with a jumper, on a weekday, on the way to get a coffee.

In daylight the rest of the outfit does most of the work. Satin shines, and shine reads as evening, so in the day you put it next to things that don't: wool, cotton, suede, a flat leather shoe. At night you let a second shiny thing in. Same trousers, two outfits, and the change between them comes down to a top and a pair of shoes.

Which satin trousers to buy: start with the colour

Decide the colour before the cut, because it decides how hard the satin works. Black is the easiest to wear in the day. The sheen drops back and they behave like a smart trouser with a bit more swing. Cream is the colour the street-style crowd has latched on to, and it's also the hardest to get right: put it with something heavy and textured, or it tips over into pyjamas. Chocolate brown sits between the two and goes with every camel coat and oatmeal jumper you already own.

On cut, a wide leg with some weight to it hangs better than a slim one, which clings and shows every crease. Drawstring and elasticated waists are comfortable and fine for the weekend, but they read casual. If you want one pair that does the office and the bar, look for a flat front and a proper waistband.

If you'd rather have a pair nobody else in the room is wearing, look for green. There isn't much bottle or olive satin on the high street right now, which is the point, and it's worth a hunt second-hand.

How to wear satin trousers in the day

My way in for daytime is texture against shine. A chunky knit is the obvious partner and the best one, because the wool soaks up the sheen and the trousers look polished, more office than party. Tuck the front in, or pick one that stops at the waist. A long, loose jumper over a wide satin leg swamps most people.

For something sharper, a crisp white cotton shirt does the same job with less bulk, and it's the version I'd wear to work. A big cardigan, done up all the way, is the Sunday one.

Keep the shoes flat. Loafers are my pick: a chunky leather pair has enough weight to anchor a fluid trouser, and it stops the outfit looking like you nipped out in your nightwear. Clean, low trainers work as well if loafers aren't you.

The coat wants to be matte and structured too. In a damp British October, a trench is the easy answer. It covers the walk to work, and tied at the waist it stops a wide satin leg and a big knit looking shapeless together.

How to wear satin trousers at night

Night is the easy half. Take off the knit, put on a top with some sheen or texture of its own, change your shoes, and that's it. A lace-trim satin cami is the closest thing to a pyjama set in the whole wardrobe, and oddly that's why it works, because matching sheen top and bottom looks deliberate. Sequins are the louder option with party season coming up.

Throw a tailored blazer over either when it gets cold, or when the evening started at your desk. Black or ivory, single-breasted, and a size up if you want it to sit over a cami without pulling.

For shoes, I'd go for a pointed kitten heel or a slingback. It's high enough to change the outfit and low enough to stand in all night, and the point lengthens a wide leg that might otherwise swallow your foot. Then a small bag, held in the hand or on a short chain, so nothing bulky sits against the satin.

Satin trousers, day and night, in one line

One pair of satin trousers, a chunky jumper and loafers for the day, a cami and a kitten heel for the night, and a trench that covers both. If you only buy one pair, make it black. If you want the pair people ask about, make it chocolate.

Prices and stock move quickly on all of this, especially heading into party season, so if something catches your eye, don't sit on it.