Red-Carpet Hammer Pants: The Bigger & Baggier, The Better

When you're planning on getting dressed up for a night out, there's nothing lamer than being cautious. Want to wear color? Don't assume anyone's going to notice you're wearing green earrings with your LBD. Want to try out a Le Smoking? A blazer over your regular look is just going to seem like an accident, not a statement. After-hours dressing is the one place where you need to really go for it — especially when your hero piece is a giant pair of pantaloons.

There's nothing not challenging about Selita Ebanks gauchos. They're stark white, billowing yet stiff, cropped but voluminous, with a generous crotch that borderlines on hammer pants...and they're awesome. With a beautiful smokey eye, piercing stilettos, and a tiny box clutch, this outfit is the antidote to the Champagne-colored, strapless-shaped red-carpet inertia we've been slogging through. It's the exact combination of a boisterous shape, unexpected styling, and utter confidence that makes this work. Here's to putting on your big-girl pants when it comes to fearless dressing.