The last thing I want to do is to alarm anyone first thing on a Monday morning, but I have some bad news to share: harem pants are apparently making a comeback.

Actually, a harem pant revival was first brought to my attention several months ago, but I chose to ignore it. However now that it’s being reported on major news sites, it’s fair to assume there is going to be no escaping them this spring.

Harem pants - the kind with a low-hanging crotch that make you look as if you’ve had an accident in your pants - were last in vogue in the late 1980s, when they were sported by timeless fashion icons such as MC Hammer.

And I believe that’s where they should stay - in the 1980s - however many local Australian designers seem to think otherwise. Example: the Nathan Smith harem pants pictured here, which will set you back a cool $120 at My Catwalk. Bonus: they’re apparently unisex, so fashion-forward couples can sport the incontinent look at the same time.

I know I should be grateful for these relaxed-fit harem pants after the skin-tight leggings epidemic, but I’m not. In fact, it almost makes me nostalgic for leggings. Almost.

Surely there has to be a happy medium somewhere?

By Caroline Warnes