10 Fresh Ways To Style Cargo Pants You Wish You Knew Sooner

Growing up in the noughties, I was introduced to cargo pants by my favourite girl-pop group – the Spice Girls. I’d be lying if I said I looked nearly as cool as Sporty Spice in them (obviously, as a high schooler, I didn’t know the first thing about styling cargos). But I still got a kick out of wearing my liberating pair of pants and repping my taste in music and fashion. Over the years, trends came and went, and my beloved cameo-print cargo pants ended up in a donation pile, lost and forgotten. Little did I know, they would make a comeback – and how – in my 20s. This time, cargo pants were flooding not just the streets but also runways.

Whether you’re here to rekindle your love for cargo pants thanks to the global Y2K nostalgia or try them for the first time, knowing how to style cargos is key – and, lucky for you, that’s what we’ll do here. Run errands looking like an off-duty model or channel your inner cool girl (practically anywhere) with these 10 cargo pants styling ideas.

1. With A Hoodie

Starting with a tribute to the OG cameo-print cargo pants, we’re feeling this effortlessly cool outfit on Hailey Bieber. Follow in the IG-approved icon’s footsteps and style your cargos with a hoodie – the roomier, the better. We recommend The Souled Store’s elastic-waist grey cameo pants and a navy blue hoodie from Twenty Dresses by Nykaa Fashion – our beloved homegrown label. Finish with gold hoops, a pair of sunnies, and sporty sneakers, and you’re ready to roll.

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2. With A White Tank

Nobody else does slick and sophisticated style quite like Kendall Jenner. If you, too, want to look elevated in casuals, grab a pair of beige cargo pants and style them with a white tank top. We recommend a crisp white one from our private label for its high quality and ribbed detail. As for the pants, we found a similar shade of cargos as Kenny (linked below). For footwear, we recommend using TikTok’s ‘sandwich method’ – match the colour of your shoes to the top.

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3. With A Crop Top

A quintessential pair to own for all seasons, olive green cargo pants will go with most of your neutral tops and tees. Case in point, Janhvi Kapoor’s cuffed-hem cargos – we found you a close match from Cover Story – paired with a basic white crop top. We recommend going for a top with subtle detail – like the one linked below – to add an interesting twist.

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4. With A Bodysuit

If you’ve been ‘keeping up’ with the Kardashians, you must have noticed that Khloe Kardashian basically lives in a bodysuit-and-jeans combo (she said so herself in one of the early episodes of the reality TV show). So, for this outfit inspiration, we turn to Koko’s pairing of a sleek black bodysuit with an edgy pair of grey cargo pants. Find your options below from the coveted brand NA-KD, courtesy of Nykaa Fashion’s Global Store.

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5. With A Spaghetti Top

It’s impossible to leave Rihanna – the undeniable queen of street style – out of a list of cop-worthy baggy fits, which includes styling cargo pants. Riri strikes the right balance by pairing oversized grey cargo pants (we found a VERY close match for you!) with a pink spaghetti strap top. We highly recommend Nykd by Nykaa’s camisole slip, as it comes with an in-built bra (hello, freedom) for when you want to keep it fuss-free.

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6. Corset Top

This brilliant outfit idea is inspired by none other than the gorgeous Bella Hadid. She pairs a graphic corset top with flared cargo pants, and so should you. Keep the off-duty vibe going with minimal accessories and a basic choice in bag and footwear. Our cargo pants recommendation by Jaded London is from the Nykaa Fashion Revolve store and is an investment worth making (PS: It’s probably on sale right now!). For the corset top, we love The Dapper Lady’s Seafoam Corset for its clean stitch and scoop neck details.

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7. With A Blazer

If business casuals is on the cards, we implore you to dress to impress in a cargo pants-and-blazer combo. Look as if you fell out of a ‘boss babe outfits’ Pinterest board in brown cargo pants and a beige blazer. We highly recommend getting a pair from a crowd-pleaser for all things baggy, Off Duty India. For the blazer, we’ve picked out a linen one for you as it’s a summer-appropriate option.

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8. With A Crochet Top

If you thought we were done with blasts from the past, you thought wrong. It’s 2024, and all things crochet are reigning again (and we are completely on board with it). So, if you want to style your cargo pants in a way that your grandma will approve, but so will Gen-Z, do the following: pair grey cargo pants with a neutral bralette or tube bralette under a crochet knit top. Our recommendation is Cider’s high-waisted cargos for their top-notch quality and Vero Moda’s off-white knit top.

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9. Monochrome

It’s 2012, and Kim Kardashian has chosen to dress – in a streak, it seems – in monochrome outfits only. Even after many, many moons, she’s synonymous with monochromatic dressing in our collective memory. Trust us when we say that this outfit idea will be a blessing when you’re low on time and patience. Simply pair your cargo pants with a top or t-shirt of the same colour and call it a day. To cop Kim-K’s exact style, go for a skinny-fit black top and black baggy cargos. Our recommendation for black cargos is from the hidden gem brand Uptownie Lite and a bestseller name, Harpa, for the top.

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10. Denim Cargos (With Heels)

Once upon a (naive) time, denim cargo pants and skirts were dubbed ugly. In an interesting turn of events, in the last few years, both these pieces came back to the fashion scene. Denim cargos are now spotted on models and celebrities alike (styled with heels, too), and we’re taking inspiration from the former. Slip into the baggiest denim cargos (like the ones from Twenty Dresses by Nykaa Fashion) and style them with a sassy pair of heels from IYKYK by Nykaa Fashion.

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