Heavenly Houlihans?

When you have a baby you are bombarded with useful and not so helpful wisdom from absolutely everybody you know. Most of this is involves people telling you how much your life will change and how you will never have time to put any effort into your appearance ever again. This is not necessarily true. What really happens is your priorities change a bit. In my case clothes and make up have been pushed down the agenda, but nowhere near off it.

To prevent the seemingly inevitable slide into frumpdom I have been looking at celeb mums for inspiration. My favourite is Jessica Alba, partly because as a fellow brunette I feel if I try really hard I might be able to emulate her look (in my dreams), but mostly I just think she is fabulous. She defines laidback cool, always perfectly groomed and never trashy.
Imagine my horror when I spotted her in these beserk trousers.

Image via Fame Pictures

On first look I thought they were just bog standard combats/utility trousers etc. Whatever you call them, for me they just conjure up bad memories of dressing up as Melanie Blatt from All Saints and drawing Chinese symbol tattoos on my arm with liquid eye liner.On closer inspection it turns out they are in fact not a throwback to the late nineties combat, but a reworking of this decade’s ubiquitous skinny jean. They are Houlihans from American denim supremo J Brand and they are everywhere!Image via My Wardrobe.com

So why have my beloved Alba and others including the usually impecable Gwen Stefani and Rachel Bilson succumbed to the Houlihan? Whilst the combat trouser boasted an elasticated waist and volume that could hide a multitude of sins, the Houlihan surely combines the relative discomfort of too tight jeans, with unflattering thigh pocket placement. Houlihan lovers however rave about their super soft Japenese twill and range of vintage washes. Some even suggest that the pockets in fact slim the thigh.At £245 they are way out of my price range, but the more I look at them the more I am convinced. For many they have worked as a great transitional piece from Spring to Summer and could probably do the same into Autumn.


Here are some cheaper high street alternatives:

River Island, £34

Topshop, £38



Warehouse via Asos £36

What do you think about the Houlihans will they become a fashion staple for you, or are they just a fad?