What is in this collection
This grid puts denim and non-denim trousers next to each other, and the most useful thing to notice is how often a pattern repeats. AMO keeps what works. The Easy Army Trouser, the Billie, the Marcenia Boot, the Frida and the Libby each appear in more than one color or wash, so what looks like a broad assortment is a short list of patterns rendered in different colors and fabrics. That is how a small house builds depth without widening the line, and it means a second pair of a style you already own will fit the way the first one does. There is nothing above the waist in here: no tops, no outerwear, only the pants and jeans for women that AMO cuts in Los Angeles.
If you are starting with denim
The denim here includes Billie and Billie Tall, Frida, Libby, Marcenia Boot, Robbie and Annette. The full range is larger than what appears here. AMO denim is the right place to begin if denim is the decision, and it routes on to every wash. The questions worth settling first are leg shape and rise. Straight leg denim is the classic column and the easiest shape to wear with most things. Wide leg denim is where Frida lives, cut full from the hip down. Relaxed denim covers the roomier Billie shapes. On rise, high rise denim sits at the natural waist and mid rise denim sits a couple of inches below it, which is where most of AMO's best sellers land.
If you are starting with a trouser
The trousers are cut in cotton and linen and fall into broad families. The army and utility line is built around the Easy Army Trouser, with the Easy Army Slouch Crop beside it, both cut with patch pockets and a garment dyed finish. The easy line is softer. Elaine sits below the waist on a dropped rise and closes with a drawstring. The Laurel Trouser runs full length at a mid rise. Both, with the rest of their family, are on drawstring pants. Robbie Trouser, Maria Trouser, Emma and Ursula are the more tailored end, and the whole non-denim range sits on trousers and pants.
If you already know the shape you want
Go by leg. Slim holds the narrowest cuts, Libby among them. Straight is the column shape that comes closest to a trouser. Relaxed is the roomiest group through the hip. Wide leg opens out from the hip and holds the full Frida inseams. Length is the other axis. Cropped denim stops above the ankle, which changes what shoe the outfit needs. Full length denim runs to the floor or close to it and is the safer choice with a boot. The choice between them has less to do with body type than with what the pant has to do that day. A slim or a straight disappears under everything. A wide leg asks for a simpler top, and a cropped leg asks for a shoe worth showing.
How AMO sizes bottoms
Most bottoms here are sized 23 to 32, and that number is a waist measurement in inches rather than a dress size. Some of the softer wovens, the Laurel Trouser among them, run XS to L instead, which is common where a drawstring does most of the fitting. Check the chart on each product page, because AMO publishes waist, hip, inseam and rise for every size. The between-sizes decision goes in opposite directions depending on fabric. Rigid hundred percent cotton relaxes with wear, so sizing down is usually safe. Fabrics with elastane hold their shape and will not give, so size up when you are caught between two. Soft denim is the group that behaves most forgivingly, and drawstring pants sidestep the question entirely.
