I Carried Around All My Sh*t in Cargo Pants for a Week and Learned a Valuable Lesson
Cargo pants are back, guys, and it's probably time to accept it. Celebs like Kim Kardashian are wearing them, and they're for sale at all your favorite e-retailers.
They really have just one claim to fame, and that's pockets. These pants can hold all the things-or so they'd like you to think! To truly test whether or not this storage situation is all a myth, I decided to forego my purse and carry my sh*t around in cargos all week. Scroll on to see what happened.
First thing's first-here's all my stuff.
These are the items I can't live without on a day-to-day basis: my phone, my Kindle, my lip balm, and my wallet, which also carries my keys.
Day 1: Knee-Pockets Should Not Be A Thing
I decided to grab the whole cargo pants thing by the horns on the first day by wearing the pair with the biggest pockets. I chose a style that was trendy and sporty with a cool belt detail in an off-white shade, and wore it with a chunky turtleneck in neutral tones. This outfit was comfy as hell, and I totally recommend it. Things were looking good.
That is, until I put stuff in the pockets. While they actually could fit all my items-even the Kindle-it was decidedly weird to have it all hanging out in front of my kneecaps. I eventually took everything out of the front pockets, and put the wallet and lip balm inside the hip compartments, the phone in my jacket, and carried the Kindle in my hands.
The takeaway:
These pants are cute, and I love them, but knee pockets should be for aesthetic purposes only-not for practical storage.
Day 1 look: Cropped Sweater, COS; White Cargo Pants, ASOS; Neutral Sneakers, Timberland
Day 2: Classic Cargos With a Puzzling Zipper Situation
Once again, I went all-in on the trend, going for a '90s vibe with some camo-print, wide-leg cargos. I paired them with a fuzzy crew-neck sweater and some classic white sneakers. It was A Vibe.
Despite the sheer number of zippers (there were four on the front alone) on this pair of pants, there actually weren't a lot of pockets. Once again, I ended up putting my smaller items in the hip compartments, using my jacket, and carrying the Kindle.
The takeaway:
Zippers do not necessarily lead to pockets, but these pants were super comfy and fun, so I'm still into 'em.
Day 2 look: Boucle Jumper, COS; High-Waisted Cargo Pants, Re/Done (Available at Shopbop); White Classic Sneaker, Reebok
Day 3: These Green Skinnies Might Pass the Test!
On the third day, I wore a pair of army-green skinny cargo pants with a slit at the hem, paired with a black balloon-sleeve blouse.
Though these pants didn't appear to have the pocket real estate that the others did, they actually could accommodate all my sh*t-even the Kindle! It looked a 'lil weird, not gonna lie, but it fit, and wasn't uncomfortable to walk around in. Pocket mission: accomplished.
The takeaway:
Could fit all my stuff and looked the most like normal (read: not cargo) pants, so four for you, Glen Coco!
Day 3 look: Balloon-Sleeve Blouse, H&M; Split-Hem Cargo Jeans, Good American; Sock Booties, ASOS
Day 4: Bungee Hems FTW
This time, I went for a khaki pair with a bungee hem and styled it with a yellow puff-sleeve sweater and white kicks.
Based on day 3's results, you might think that this pair would also win-because the side pockets seem equally large-but you'd be wrong. The flap openings on the side details here were actually sewn shut at one end, and therefore could not fit my Kindle, though everything else got in there fine.
The takeaway:
Looks can be deceiving! But I loved the bungee hem on these guys, so they're still cool with me.
Day 4 look: Yellow Sweater, H&M; French Military Cargos, Nili Lotan (Available at Shopbop); White Classic Sneaker, Reebok
Day 5: The Comfiest Pair of Cargos in the World (Maybe)
I saved this pair of cargos for last, because they were super soft and it was Friday and I wanted to be comfy. I wore them with a white bodysuit and black sock booties, though, because you still have to look nice at work, right?
These guys fit all my stuff except for my Kindle which, at this point, had become standard, and I get it-who's going around carrying their tablet in a regular pocket, anyway?
The takeaway:
I cannot stress enough how C-O-M-F-O-R-T-A-B-L-E these pants are. I stan.
Day 5 look: White Bodysuit, Uniqlo x Alexander Wang; Soft Cargos, Splendid (Available at Shopbop); Sock Booties, ASOS
In Conclusion
The idea that cargo pants are convenient because they have so many pockets is, by and large, incorrect (based on my limited, five-day experience, but still). It's also highly impractical to use the lower pockets, because who wants to bend so far down to access your most important items?
That said, after this week, I'm down with cargos. All of these pairs were either statement pieces, super similar to any other pant I would naturally wear, or the comfiest trousers I've ever had the pleasure of wearing during the work week. So, rise, cargo pants, RISE.
Photographer: Allie Holloway; Photo Assistant: Brandon Bakus; Hair & Makeup: Glamsquad
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