12 Black Pants Outfits and How to Style Them

Black pants are considered a wardrobe staple, but that doesn't mean all black pants outfits have to be understated. More than any other bottoms, black pants make a marvelous canvas on which to show off your creative fashion genius. Easily blended into an aesthetic, black pants can be luxe, edgy, formal, or trendy. Due to their somber color—or, technically, lack thereof—black pants serve more silhouette than specificity, allowing you to try a daring new cut or style without overwhelming the rest of your look.

To streamline your search for fashion inspiration, we've rounded up a dozen street style and celebrity black pants outfits, plus tips on how to style them, so you can make the most of your favorite pair.

Cozy Contrast

One way to add depth to an all-black or mostly all-black look is to experiment with different textures like wool, cashmere, tweeds, and knits. The fuzzier and more contrasting, the better.

Leather Layers

For a sleek and refined look, wear a leather or faux leather button-down shirt with your favorite pair of leather pants. Bring out the shine of your separates with a fuzzy teddy jacket and spice up the look with a white purse.

Mixed Prints

Black pants are an excellent backdrop for bright colors, prints, and patterns. They're also the perfect bottoms to wear if you love a bit of intentional clashing. Case in point: Gigi Hadid's black pants outfit featuring color block heels and a vibrant striped sweater. Hadid's black jeans create enough space between her bold top and boots that the overall effect isn't visually overwhelming.

A Touch of Twee

Despite what its detractors might think, the twee aesthetic can be subtle, especially when worn with black pants. An ultra-femme lace-collar shirt could skew saccharine, but worn with black denim and a sweater, it serves edgy schoolcore.

Cozy and Monochromatic

Despite being neighbors on the color wheel, black and gray are a world apart when it comes to casual clothing. Unlike a cozy groutfit, an all-black ensemble featuring black pants almost always reads metropolitan and fashion-forward, even if you’re swimming in an oversized hoodie and especially if you work in sleek patent leather details in your accessories.

"Quiet Varsity"

Everyone loves a varsity jacket, but we love it even more when this classic coat gets an elevated update courtesy of preppy, yet polished styling that toes the line between schoolcore and quiet luxury. To pull off "quiet varsity" vibes, pair your jacket with sleek accessories and preppy-style staples like black jeans or trousers and a turtleneck.

Old Hollywood Glam

Serve old Hollywood glamour by limiting your black pants outfit color palette to the OG shades of the silver screen. Black and white might seem basic, but with the right luxe pieces like classic pumps and a fuzzy teddy trench coat, this duotone approach can be truly stunning. 

Modern Moto

While leather jackets and black pants go together like peanut butter and jelly, this look is a classic for a reason—it's just that good. If you want to update this edgy, casual look, we recommend skipping the combat or Chelsea boots in favor of trendy lug sole loafers.

Vampy Velvet

If you’re on the hunt for a formal black pants outfit, you can’t go wrong with a black velvet suit. Not only does this fabric serve big femme fatale energy when tailored just so, but it’s also an easy way to serve a sleek silhouette without freezing in cold weather.

Rugged Western Wear

While blue jeans might seem like the obvious style of pants to wear with cowboy boots, we love the unexpected look of black pants—from classic black jeans to chic velvet cigarette pants—with this signature shoe even more. If you’re feeling trendy, you can’t go wrong with an all-black ensemble and metallic cowboy boots, we'd never say no to a black-and-white or color-blocked pair.

A Pop of Red

Red is one of this fall's biggest color trends, but it can easily slide into Hot Topic territory when worn with black. If your vibe is "girl at the rock show," by all means rock on, but if you're looking for a more subtle approach to this bold shade, we recommend pairing an all-black 'fit with a few classic accessories like block-heel or Chelsea boots and a leather clutch in a moody burgundy or rust red rather than a fiery hue.

Doubled-Up Denim

If you want to dip your toes into the denim-on-denim trend, we suggest starting subdued with an all-black denim outfit. As opposed to an all-blue or mixed-wash look, this black pants approach is decidedly more subdued while still being trendy and cohesive. Slip on a pair of black point-toe pumps for a more polished finish or a pair of fresh kicks for a more casual vibe.

ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7qrrSrbClnV6YvK57waWYnKNdpa6vwNJmpq6slp7BtHmXbG1tamht