By Kaitlin Andorfer

It was a rainy Tuesday afternoon and I found myself wandering the halls of the Roosevelt Field Mall as I often do when the pressures of school get me down and I need to escape. However, on this particular day I witnessed a true act of fashion desperation. As I passed by the window of the Forever 21 store, I noticed two college- age girls near the front desperately robbing an anorexic mannequin of her pants. Rubbing my eyes in disbelief, I thought maybe the intoxicating scent of syrup and cinnamon from the roasted almond kiosk had made me delirious. I watched the girls as they both grabbed a leg, clinging to the pants as if they had just found the golden ticket in a Wonka Bar. What super powers could these pants possibly posses to motivate someone to take the time to disrobe a mannequin.

I thought this as I moved closer to get a look at the magical pants. From a distance, there didn’t seem to be anything super-fabulous about them so as soon as the girls had purchased them and exited the store I asked the cashier where I might find a pair of wide belled stretchy pants. She quickly informed me that the shipment they had just received that morning had sold out and that she wasn’t sure when the next shipment would be, but she assured me with great confidence that they would be sold out as soon as they arrived.

These pants, which come in a plethora of colors and are made of a fine polyester, rayon and spandex blend, have fast become one of this season’s biggest trends. Their wide belled shape which extends to about mid-calf makes them look deceivingly similar to a skirt, but can easily be dressed down when paired with a T-shirt. Once you have them on, they bring about an Emperor’s New Clothes-esque feeling of being completely naked because they are so comfortable. One of my favorite qualities about these new pants is they are loose and comfortable but still hug the thighs at the top to be form-flattering.

With my hopes a little dashed, I suddenly found myself determined to find a pair of these great pants that had minutes before been just within reach on the now embarrassingly naked mannequin. Instead of being ashamed of the girls’ actions, I now became a little angry that I hadn’t beaten them to the punch. Scouring every inch of H&M and Guess left me empty-handed, and I had a false alarm at Arden B. when the only pair available was an extra large. Feeling a little defeated and tired of walking, I headed back toward the entrance near my car. I decided to make one last stop at Urban Outfitters.

There, hanging among the tattered T-shirts and a Puma purse, were a pair of the nearly extinct, much coveted stretchy pants. I quickly snatched them up, fending off several interested onlookers. I didn’t even stop to try them on, just purchased them and went straight home.

Perhaps the So-Low and Hard-tail, skin-tight painted-on stretch-pant revolution has come to an end. These cellulite-showcasing pants have morphed into a new breed of loose and comfortable that’s cute and easy to wear and so trendy you might even have to steal them off of a mannequin.