Thanks to icons like Coco Chanel (who did her part for women’s lib by championing sportswear as a viable—not to mention stylish—wardrobe option for women in the early part of the 20th century), today’s Parisiennes can be seen strutting the streets in styles as diverse as the uber-chic “skinny jean” to the borderline-laughable “harem pant.” And they wear them well, albeit defiantly—very few of today’s pant-wearers can be found holding the requisite “reins of a horse.
