These designers have a leg up on the competition.
One-legged trousers stepped up as the unlikely runway trend that no one could have predicted, as multiple designers sent asymmetrical pieces down the catwalk during fashion’s biggest month.
At Bottega Veneta, models wore half-skirt, half-pant trousers with one leg shrouded in fabric and the other exposed, as part of a collection of workplace womenswear for spring/summer 2025. Meanwhile, at Louis Vuitton, one-legged pants were paired with mini dresses, and at Coperni, model Amelia Gray sported a pantsuit with half of the pants a tapered trouser leg and the other a micro short.
Frida Tordhag, a fashion analyst and trend forecaster at Heuritech, told Vogue Business that the asymmetry trend is likely inspired by the no-pants dressing that has been widely adopted the past few seasons, “where the bottom of the outfit becomes the main star, rather than the top.”
“This, combined with an increase in basic pieces featuring asymmetrical designs, adds an interesting twist to styling,” she added.
While Coperni’s Disneyland Paris bonanza featured an array of asymmetrical pieces, the trend has expanded far beyond pants — Rick Owens models wore mismatched boots on the latest runway, Courrèges debuted a frock with a dramatically uneven hemline and Victoria Beckham launched a line of dress pants with slits up the front of one leg.
“I see this as an interesting take on evening wear specifically,” stylist and newsletter author Jalil Johnson told Dazed, adding that the lopsided pants “are interesting because they’re jarring.”
“I feel like you have to wear these pants with a high heel or heeled boot, and they will look great with a blazer.”
Data from Heuritech, per Vogue, shows an anticipated 53% uptick in asymmetrical necklines next summer, as Tordhag projects, “We can expect a lot of asymmetry for 2025.”
“I believe this exploration of shape will extend beyond asymmetry,” trend forecaster Agus Panzoni told Dazed. “One-legged pants are a hybrid between pants and shorts, and I expect to see hybrid styles continue to grow both on and off the runway.”
Half-pant trousers are not necessarily a new convention. Ivan Frolov, the creative director of his namesake brand that has dressed the likes of Sabrina Carpenter and Beyonce, has been making one-legged pants for two years. He told Vogue it “makes an unexpected, bold look,” attributing the garment’s success to “the versatility” and adaptability of the pants.
In 2019, designer Ksenia Schnaider debuted the controversial half-flare jeans, which were worn by Celine Dion, and for spring/summer 2023, runways were riddled with one-legged bottoms from fashion houses like Eckhaus Latta or Puppets and Puppets.
“I believe this exploration of shape will extend beyond asymmetry,” trend forecaster Agus Panzoni told Dazed. “One-legged pants are a hybrid between pants and shorts, and I expect to see hybrid styles continue to grow both on and off the runway.”
However experts have reservations about just how popular the pants will be among consumers. Alix Morabito, the womenswear buying and merchandising director for the French department chain Galeries Lafayette, told Vogue that she didn’t think the piece had commercial potential “at first sight.”
“But with the massive trend of shorts and with many eclectic designs coming out at the same time, we believe some fashion customers will dare enough to wear it,” she said. “For the next season it will certainly be perceived as a very fashion-forward piece, but it can be integrated in a new clothes vocabulary if the trend persists.”
