I Wore the “No Pants” Trend for an Entire Day and Now I Understand Why Everyone Thinks Fashion People Are Insane

Look, I can trace the exact moment I lost all credibility as a rational human being. It was sometime around 9 AM on a Tuesday when I stood in my bedroom mirror, wearing what was essentially a long shirt and some tights, and thought “yeah, this seems like a totally normal thing to do in public.” The fact that I then spent the entire day walking around Brooklyn like this – for content, obviously – probably says everything you need to know about both my judgment and my commitment to giving you honest fashion takes.

The whole “no pants” thing has been everywhere lately. You know what I mean – those photos of Kendall Jenner strutting through SoHo in an oversized blazer and basically nothing else, or Hailey Bieber looking impossibly chic in what appears to be just a shirt and some confidence. When celebrities do it, it looks effortless and editorial. When I tried it… well, we’ll get to that.

I blame social media, honestly. Or maybe I blame myself for spending too much time on Instagram looking at street style photos and thinking “I could totally pull that off.” Spoiler alert: I could not totally pull that off. But I tried anyway, because apparently my brain decided that subjecting myself to public humiliation was exactly what my Tuesday needed.

The setup was simple enough – oversized cream button-down from Aritzia that hits mid-thigh, black opaque tights, chunky loafers, and the crucial element that kept this legal, black bike shorts that were just barely visible if you knew to look for them. Standing in my apartment, I actually thought it looked kind of cool. Very editorial. Very fashion-forward. Very “I definitely meant to leave the house like this.”

Then I stepped outside and immediately remembered it was October in New York, not some perpetually warm celebrity bubble where the weather is always perfect for showing your entire leg situation to strangers. The wind hit my thighs and I had my first moment of panic. What exactly was I trying to prove here?

My coffee shop was the first test. I’ve been going to the same place for three years – Marco knows my order, we chat about weekend plans, it’s very neighborly. He took one look at me and his face went through about five different expressions before settling on concerned confusion.

“Did you… forget something today?” he asked, which honestly was a nicer way to put it than I expected.

I explained that I was trying out a fashion trend for the site. He just shook his head and made my latte. “You fashion people are wild,” he said, which coming from a guy who serves coffee to Brooklyn creatives all day, felt like quite the statement.

Sitting in the coffee shop was my first real reality check. Have you ever noticed how rough wooden chairs are when you’re not wearing pants? Because I sure hadn’t. I kept shifting around trying to get comfortable, then realized I was probably drawing more attention to my lack of pants by fidgeting constantly. So then I tried to sit very still, which made me look like a statue. There’s really no winning when you’re pantless in public, I’m learning.

The grocery store was where things got truly awkward. This older woman by the avocados – and I swear I’m not making this up – actually made the sign of the cross when she saw me. Like she was witnessing something that required divine intervention. Then she came over.

“Sweetie,” she said, with the kind of concerned tone you’d use for someone having a medical emergency, “I think you forgot to finish getting dressed.”

I tried to explain that it was intentional, that it was fashion, that celebrities were doing it. She looked at me like I’d just told her I believed in flat earth theory. “In my day we called that having a breakdown,” she said, shaking her head as she walked away with her bananas.

The teenage cashier, on the other hand, barely blinked. “Oh yeah, I’ve seen that all over TikTok,” she said when I mentioned what I was doing. “My mom would literally murder me if I tried to leave the house like that though.” Smart mom, honestly.

By the time I had to meet my friend Emma for lunch, I was starting to understand why this trend works better in theory than practice. Emma works in finance and dresses like someone who has never questioned whether business casual is appropriate attire. Her face when I walked into the restaurant was… a journey. Recognition, confusion, horror, then this resigned “of course you’re doing something ridiculous” acceptance.

“What,” she said, not even trying to hide her judgment, “is happening with your outfit situation?”

I launched into my explanation about trend reporting and fashion journalism. She was not buying it.

“Okay but like,” she said, reaching for her wine, “you realize you’re at a regular restaurant in Brooklyn, not walking a runway in Paris, right? Also when’s the last time you sanitized a subway seat before sitting on it?”

She had several points, none of which I wanted to acknowledge.

The waiter was extremely professional about the whole thing, though I noticed he kept his eyes very firmly on his notepad when taking our order. I wondered if he’d be texting his roommates later about the woman at table six who forgot pants existed.

Here’s what nobody tells you about the no-pants trend – it’s physically uncomfortable in ways you don’t expect. Your thighs stick to every surface. Getting in and out of chairs becomes this whole strategic operation. You’re constantly cold because tights are not pants, no matter what fashion magazines want you to believe. And the psychological aspect is exhausting – you spend the entire day hyper-aware of how you’re sitting, how you’re walking, whether people are staring.

The final stop was the UPS store, where I was waiting in line minding my own business when I felt this little tug on my jacket. I looked down and there’s this tiny kid, maybe five years old, staring up at me with enormous eyes.

“Where are your pants?” she asked, with that brutal honesty only children can get away with.

Her mom swooped in immediately, mortified. “Lily! We don’t ask strangers personal questions!” Then to me: “I’m so sorry, she’s still learning about appropriate conversation.”

“It’s totally fine,” I told her, then crouched down to the kid’s level. “I’m trying out a fashion trend for my job. But you should definitely keep wearing pants to school.”

She nodded very seriously. “My mommy says I have to wear pants even when I don’t want to.”

“Your mommy is very smart,” I said, as the mom mouthed another apology while steering her daughter toward the exit.

Walking home, I had some realizations. First, there’s a reason all those celebrity photos are of them getting into or out of cars – they’re not spending extended time sitting on public benches or navigating crowded sidewalks. This look is designed for being photographed, not for actually living your life.

Second, context matters so much more than I expected. What looks edgy and fashion-forward on a 22-year-old model going to an industry event reads as “did she have a wardrobe malfunction?” on a regular person running errands in Brooklyn. Same outfit, completely different reaction based on setting and expectation.

And third – I have never appreciated pants more in my entire life. The coverage! The warmth! Not having to think about how you’re positioning your legs every single second! Pants are genuinely great, who knew?

When I got home and changed into sweatpants, it felt like the most luxurious thing I’d ever experienced. I texted my editor about how the day went and she just responded with “would you do it again?” which is honestly the question, isn’t it?

Maybe, but with serious modifications. Warmer weather, longer shorts, an event where the look makes more contextual sense. Or maybe I’ll just file this under “trends I can appreciate on other people but don’t need to personally experience.” Because while I’m all for fashion experimentation, I’m also increasingly a fan of being comfortable and not having strangers worry about my mental state while I’m buying groceries.

The next morning at the coffee shop, Marco grinned when I walked in wearing very obvious jeans. “Look who found her pants!” he called out, loud enough for the whole place to hear.

“Fashion week’s over,” I replied, sliding him an extra tip for dealing with my nonsense.

“Thank god,” he said, already starting my latte. “That was weird, even for you.”

Coming from someone who serves coffee to Brooklyn’s creative class every day, I’ll take that as the final verdict. The no-pants trend? Officially bananas. But at least I got a good story out of it – and a whole new appreciation for the simple act of putting on real pants in the morning.