Trousers: the new shape for Spring Who's wearing the trousers? Me for a start. But which ones? asks Lisa Armstrong Right now, I can see why, apart from a brief blip, women's legs have always been covered. It's cold out there. At this precise moment, I want to wear trousers for the rest of my life. Come to think of it, I already wear them eight out of 10 days, even in what passes for summer. Yet I can see that the skinny drainpipe can't dominate the scene forever. The lean-legged look has commanded our attention for the best part of a decade. In that time, it has got skinnier and skinnier. This isn't an optical illusion. What passed for a drainpipe five years ago practically looks like a bell-bottom now. To qualify as skinny, the hem of a pair of trousers must have a circumference barely bigger than the lid of an averagely sized pot of moisturiser - and it's having a punishing effect on calves. Women don't need another part of their anatomy to get hung up about. It's time to re-set. READ: The Investment Dresser: Navy trousers From here on in it's the straight-leg trouser for me, with occasional forays into a wider, slouchier masculine cut. I'm not actually on this campaign trail all by myself. A few others have had the same thought - namely, most designers. Being designers, they're quite radical about this. While their resort collections (the ones in the stores now, with all the wearable pieces) are full of mannish trousers, the directional option is a pair of designer jogging pants. Yes, quite. We've seen this idea over and over on the catwalks - and it has never taken off. But that's because, previously, the only flat shoe options have been a ballet pump or brogue. Now that the Céline-esque skate shoe is one of 2014's key flat-shoe options, the trackie pant finally looks good. Fendi's black crepe ones, Jonathan Saunders's satin ones, Phillip Lim's urban-sporty, go-faster striped ones and Stella McCartney's pastel ones are all beautifully cut: drapey but not too voluminous. As a cool, alternative evening look, with a velvet blazer or silk blouse, they look much fresher and much less blingy than the in-your-face skinny leg-high heel style that's been the resting position of everyone from WAGS to members of the dollygarchy. Beautifully cut crepe trousers at Fendi; culottes at Whistles Mind you, even with a heel, you need relatively long legs and a defined waist for this to look elegant, because you can only wear them with a tucked-in top. But if you can crack it, you'll give all those tired old rock chicks something to think about. Last week in Paris, a few of the French fashion editors were already playing with the look and - well, you know what they're like, they don't mess around with anything that's a dud. The really controversial trouser news is culottes, which make jogging pants look like the nursery slopes. One colleague described them as two looks for the price of one. I'm still deciding whether that's two bad looks. But don't let me spoil your fun. Culottes are everywhere - or at least they're on a lot of shop rails. Some look ridiculous - although I may rave about them in 12 months' time - others look surprisingly chic. They're certainly worth considering if you want to add edge to a classic shirt-and-trouser/pencil skirt habit. And they look terrific with knee-high boots, which is a strong selling point in this weather. It's too early to call this a full-blown culottes revival, although I did see Natalie Massenet, chairman of the British Fashion Council, in an ankle-length pair, and blow me down if she didn't look amazing. I'm also interested that Whistles' CEO, Jane Shepherdson, who has a knack of making the challenging look wearable, is backing them. "My favourite is the culottes all-in-one," she says. It feels like a really modern update on wearing a dress or full-length all-in-one. I think you need to wear it with high heels, a cropped-to-the-waist top, and to keep the outfit simple. Do that and it will show off slim ankles and look sophisticated and very contemporary. Matchesfashion.com is in on the culottes trail, although they're being circumspect about using the c-word. "We call it a wide-legged trouser," says Natalie Kingham, head of fashion. And we're already seeing it in the pre-AW14 collections, so it's something to invest in. It nods to Audrey Hepburn and 1950s Saint Tropez but also looks very clean and sharp paired with a shorter boxy top or blouse and a flat sandal. Thus far, my own culottes observations are: when they sit flat at the front and seem like box-pleated skirts, they look great; also good are ones with high waist-bands, the better to flatter curves and keep things feminine. Avoid front vertical creases, which look too angular and fussy. Oh, and good luck. I'll be observing this one from the sidelines. READ: Marc Jacobs's all-star cast for last Louis Vuitton campaign Marc Jacobs' final collection for Louis Vuitton was packed with beautiful, clearly collectible items. It was also entirely black in a season that's promising yet another pastel overdose. So why, Marc, why? This it turns out, is why: "I wanted to use sequins, feathers, surface interest and applied decoration," he says. But I also wanted them to look the most chic possible. If they had been in different colours, the collection would have looked like a circus. I think it's called Knowing How To Master Your Sequins and Stay On Top of your Feathers - a very necessary skill set in the great apprenticeship of style. This time last year did you look at Céline's skater-style sneakers and think: there's a trend that's definitely going to last more than a year, ergo I must buy a pair right now, regardless of price? Me neither. Twelve months on I find myself obsessing about them - the lovable round toe, the anti-stylish yet simultaneously ultra-stylish casual sportiness, the perfection of that white sole, which looks so right with a pair of black, flowy trousers. Not that I've actually bought any. As per Gordon Brown and the euro, there have been many economic factors to consider. If you don't get in on a movement at the start, it's always much harder negotiating terms. And if, say, you decided to withdraw membership six months down the line, how much money would you have squandered? Hardly any it turns out, if you buy these black ponyskin ones which have just launched at marksandspencer.com from £25. Think of yourself as Germany and the genuine Céline wearers as Greece. READ: The Style Maven: Skater shoes HIGH STREET HIT: Skate shoes, £25, Marks & Spencer; marksandspencer.com Follow Lisa on Twitter at @lisadoesfashion