While women are investing in leather and faux-leather pants in olive green, chestnut, and butter tones, to take on the trend in its most basic form, slick, black, structured styles are where it's at.

What shades of blue trousers are best when wearing light-brown or "cognac" shoes? — Drew Iacovazzi, West Hartford, Conn. With lighter-brown shoes, any pants that fall in the broad deep-navy-to ...