They billow like paper lanterns. They can reach the ankles, or cinch into two large puffballs around the upper thighs. They may not be sexy to anyone but the person who’s wearing them — and that’s sort of the point. It’s a bit of a rebellious thing, said Charlie Hourston, the founder of the Los Angeles-based label Charlie Beads, which has sold more than 2,000 of these pants, known as bloomers, in the last 18 months. Ms. Hourston’s designs ($68) are made of fabrics like French terry, pinstripe cotton and gingham and are of the shorter, Lolita-esque variety. Other riffs on the hot-pant-like shape include a terry-cloth bloomer by Suzie Kondi and a cut in velvet by Colleen Allen, two New York City labels. Customers often note that their romantic partners probably won’t understand the look or may even find it unappealing, Ms. Hourston, 25, said. She considers that to be one of the design’s selling points: “Even if they’re not flattering, they’re empowering.” Divisive though they may be, bloomers have reached a new saturation point this season, hitting racks at mall chain stores, rippling down high-fashion runways and cropping up on the social media feeds of independent clothing labels like Lauren Manoogian and Chelsea Mak. They can range in price from $30, as is the case with a butter-yellow pair from Urban Outfitters, to more than $6,000 — the price tag on Alaïa’s most expensive take on the silhouette. Much like the wearers of winter’s oversized sweaters, many of the women drawn to these pants say they are in search of a post-male gaze femininity. Some are looking to telegraph a certain intellectual outlook on fashion.
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