Last seen on Di, pedal pushers are riding back!
AS A fashion-obsessed teenager my bedroom wall was papered with the ripped-out pages of my favourite magazines, Athena postcards and images of women whose style I wanted to emulate.
I had a whole section dedicated to Princess Diana — the ultimate 1980s influencer. But of all those inspirational shots, the one of her at a polo match wearing tailored pedal pushers with a white frilled blouse, a red sweater tied around her shoulders and matching red court shoes, is the one I slavishly copied, even down to the ‘Lady Di’ haircut.
It became my ‘going into town’ uniform, and I thought I looked fabulous — even when the less stylishly observant locals sniggered or, worse, asked me where I’d left Prince Charles.
Perhaps that’s why the centrepiece of this look — the pedal pusher — is something I’ve never worn since. They’re not just from another era, they’re from another lifetime.
If you’ve had that emotional connection to a piece of clothing (which we’ve all had, I bet), it’s hard, after three decades, to see it in a new light.
BUT as I try to plan my holiday wardrobe they keep, ahem, cropping up, snagging my attention in a ‘could I, should I?’ way.
They first caught my eye on the runways at Jacquemus and Christian Dior, but in particular at Chloe, where new creative director Natacha Ramsay-Levi, who oozes nonchalant French cool, majored on them in brown (brown is next season’s new black, FYI) in a way that brought Princess Di’s look bang up to date.
Then, scrolling through Instagram, two stylish bloggers — Leandra Medine and Pernille Teisbaek — demonstrated how to wear them with a longline jacket, giving them an air of workwear appropriateness.
But what are we talking about here? What is a pedal pusher? Essentially a long, slimline short cut below the knee, the pedal pusher first made its appearance on the cover of Life magazine in 1944 as a revolutionary new trouser you could cycle in without getting tangled in a bike chain.
Not quite a trouser, not quite a short, it is often confused with the longer cropped trouser — the capri, cigarette or clamdigger — popularised in the 1950s by icons of style Marilyn Monroe, Grace Kelly, Brigitte Bardot and Audrey Hepburn. They originated Riviera chic in their capri pants
and it remains a strong (and inexpensive) holiday look. Try Mango’s in sky blue (€19.95, mango.com) or Boden’s lemon tree-print version (€48, boden. eu). For an easy-chic work alternative, pick H&M’s in grey and white checks (€22.99, hm.com).
But if it’s the height of fashion you’re after, the shorter pedal pusher is the shape to aim for. Not only is it the big hit of summer, it’s also transferring to winter as the must-have trouser, worn with narrow knee-high boots. So how do you wear them the 2018 way?
If you’ve clocked a Kardashian poured into second-skin versions, so tight you can practically feel your own blood stop circulating, chances are you’re thinking ‘Absolutely not’. And
you’d be right. Only the brave (or young) can get away with Zara’s super-skinnies (€15.99, zara.com) without looking like a mum at the school drop-off heading to the gym.
To create a flatteringly narrow leg silhouette, it’s all about ‘skim not cling’. That way you can wear a loose top, which will cover your bottom and thighs if needs be. If you can’t stretch to the pair by Chloe (now €320, matchesfashion.com), Lands’ End have brown cropped chinos that look great (€42.99, landsend.co.uk).
It’s important to get shoes right with pedal pushers. Avoid any ankle straps unless you are blessed with Meghan Marklesized legs. Ballet flats bring to mind Riviera chic, but if you go for ones with a slightly pointy toe, you’ll look more elegant.
The versatile trousers can even be worn for an evening do. Try a smart pair with a longline tuxedo jacket, white shirt and sling-backs or pointy courts.
The new pedal pushers could be the freshest spin on trousers yet. From beach to beyond, they’ve got plenty of mileage.