Capri Pants Might Be Divisive But They’re Trending – I’ve Found They’re Surprisingly Easy To Wear

Capri pants are one of those items of clothing that is a terrible idea on paper. Think about it. They're a pair of trousers that's slim on the leg and finishes at (or just below) the knee, leaving your calves weirdly vulnerable in a way that doesn't seem to apply in shorts. Despite these drawbacks, capri pants have capitalised on last summer's mini comeback and are now a fully-fledged member of the pants category for summer 2025, making an appearance on every high street retailer's website, not to mention the legs of the A-list. They're also dominating Google searches at present.

Perhaps this is the right moment to admit that, as you might already have guessed, I secretly love capri pants. Why isn't exactly clear. One reason is Michelle Pfeiffer, obviously, who wore a duck-egg blue pair in the opening dance number of Grease 2. (Perhaps rather tellingly, she took them off before first period, getting changed in the corridor by fishing a brown skirt out of her locker and rolling up each leg.) One of my earliest fashion memories is also a pair of denim capri pants (or pedal pushers as they were known then) with tiny lilac butterflies embroidered on the hemline of each leg. In 2025, they're largely black and certainly don't come embellished with a kaleidoscope of winged insects. And it's these quieter and more luxurious capris that have been gaining a celebrity following.

Hailey Bieber wore a designer pair last week from Magda Butrym, styling them with a white crop top and Mango trench coat. Over the weekend, meanwhile, Bella Hadid also repped capri pants, wearing a legging-style pair to her sister's 30th birthday party.

Oh yes, I should have mentioned, capri pants also include capri leggings, which seem to look best either just below or just above the knee. Otegha Uwagba, journalist, author and recent capri-pant convert, recommends the capri leggings from Swedish Stockings, pairing hers with a black tee, a biker jacket and strappy mule sandals in a recent post on Instagram. The brand describes its leggings as 'the perfect opaque', which is exactly what you're looking for in a legging that might not be intended for lunges but still needs to hold up to scrutiny (i.e. the harsh lighting in the office lifts).

I actually prefer leggings to pants and, when it comes to styling, take a layered approach so that my waist is showcased but my bum is covered. I recently wore my capri pants on a day that, as it turns out definitely wasn't capri weather, with a slightly cropped white tee, a flannel shirt, black leather clogs and a taffeta blouson jacket that's on the roomy side. Despite the gusty conditions, I still loved the balance of the leggings with a bulkier shoe - and even thought my calves liked being exposed to the elements after a winter in opaques. Supermodel Paloma Elsesser took the opposite approach, wearing a sky-high court shoe with her capris, which looked fabulous - and she also scrunched the hemline of hers ever-so-slightly.

A black pair is really the gateway into the world of capri pants, which also come as you might imagine in the kind of gingham prints that are probably not for first-time wearers. Like Grease 2, which has got to be the definition of a sleeper hit, capris are the comeback we can all get on board with this summer.

Shop: The Best Capri Trousers

Natalie Hammond is senior fashion news editor at Grazia. She loves winter, hates summer and can often be found writing about the weather (and what on earth to wear).