There’s nothing quite like a really good pair of pants. So frequently are trousers placed in the no-brainer category, as if God created them as a mere complement to the standout jacket or top. So when I think of the best parts of New York Fashion Week, I can’t help but think of pants. No doubt our culture appreciates pants: No one denies the heady power of finding that pair of jeans that make your ass look fantastic. Yet occasionally a pair of trousers with a creative cut makes you think just a little bit more. It is with this thought that we look at the coolest new sartorial ideas from Spring/Summer 2010.

As New York Fashion Week wraps up and the fashion crowd jets off to London for Round Two of the shows, a few designers should be commended for their excellent and unconventional use of pants.

At Rag & Bone, David Neville and Marcus Wainwright showed what might actually be the perfect college student wardrobe—think sweatpants with blazers, layers of long underwear with leather boots. And the neon yellow nails on the runway practically screamed Urban Outfitters. Of course, the whole collection was much more sophisticated than most things found at Urban, although that probably won’t stop the megastore from trying to rip off those delicious, oddly form-fitting sweatpants. Low-crotched, belted, gray, and slouchy, there’s a distinct possibility that your boyfriend won’t get this one. Ignore him—they’re sick.

Unfortunately, Rag & Bone also did their part in the resurgence of those bizarre, nearly knee-length biker shorts that should have died before the turn of the millennium. After Alexander Wang and Henry Holland showed them last season, they’ve been growing in popularity and getting even tighter. At this point, resistance seems futile.

Tied with Rag & Bone for Best Pants Award is Thakoon, for his baggy, low-slung trousers in shades of bright blue. Much lighter than Rag & Bone’s decidedly autumnal spring/summer show, Thakoon’s pants stood well with his drapey tanks in mix n’ match prints. (In fact, Thakoon’s entire show was a cushy delight—except those goddamn bike shorts.) These are exactly the kind of whimsical, light-hearted pants that feel so right.

Why? The pants at Thakoon and Rag & Bone are a breath of fresh air. “Unique” as they may be, their true appeal lies in their distinct dissimilarity to the now-ubiquitous skinny jean and the standby boot-cut. Our eyes become desensitized to the trends we see rehashed day after day as we walk across campus. It’s only something truly novel that piques our interest in fashion, and these two designer labels ask us to consider the pieces we wouldn’t typically look to wear.

Now, a haiku for Marc Jacobs, who never fails us when it comes to novelty done right:

Tassels, pearls, and swirls

Of ruffles. Nice coats, though.

Mind the fanny pack.

As per his usual, Jacobs’ show was dramatic and generally thought-provoking, from the stage makeup to the intensely worked ruffle dresses paired with slim button-downs. Oh, and fanny packs, you say? Somehow, these silly little hip-purses ended up looking like a good idea.

Up-and-comer and former Marc Jacobs intern, Chris Benz carries with him something of that embrace-the-uncanny Jacobs-esque vibe. For spring, the designer used lots of neutral tones mixed with blocks of unlikely colors to create a playful, feminine collection. His first look, a soft, swingy gray-blue blazer paired with loose cutoff pants was both edgy and slightly gawky. And despite better judgment, his outrageous, feathered poufy skirt paired with a wasp-waisted jacket was a total winner. Is it a joke or the pelt of a slain Muppet? It’s yellow, and gray, and green, and blue, and quite the antithesis of traditional conceptions of “good taste“—unexpected and wonderfully unserious.

Chris Benz, much like the boys from Rag & Bone and Thakoon, presents a fresh, thoughtful alternative to daily Yale dress. This year’s Fashion Week provides a quirky and inspiring array of bottoms, to give you a couture-clad leg up on your infinitely less stylish classmates.

By Eliza Brooke