Even though Paris is the fashion capitol of the world, it is still technically against the law for a woman to wear pants there. Someone should tell the police quick … they could have made a killing during Fashion Week. But seriously, how crazy is that? This ridiculous law has survived years of attempted upheaval. In 1892, the law was amended to say that trousers were permitted “as long as the woman is holding the reins of a horse.” In 1909, female cyclists were declared exempt. After a couple more attempts over the ages, I guess the ladies (and police) forgot the law even existed and went right on ahead breaking it by proudly rocking their pants. That got me thinking. What other crazy kinds of laws are there that we don’t even know about? Wait for this one. I discovered that here in New York a woman can incur $25 fine for flirting! Oops … I broke that law like a million times. After the jump, some more archaic lady laws that need to be repealed pronto. [Newser, Dumblaws]

Maybe there are a few gentleman out there sporting unisex trends like Ugg boots and Longchamps bags but a certain foreign import might be making the next big splash in unisex fashion: Drop-crotch pants. Shops like Zara, H&M and Topshop have already jumped on the drop-crotch pant bandwagon after the trend hit the streets of Europe.

I found that some of my craftier, fashion pioneer friends were making their pants from MC Hammer Pants Simplicity patterns or getting them custom made. Unlike the Hammer pants, the sides on these genie-like thingies don’t billow out but cling instead and taper at the ankles. Despite its clear flaws, it does have benefits like elongating your torso and letting ones package breathe. The jury is still out on whether these will be hipster cool or just plain weird. I don’t know girls, is it time to let your man drop-crotch it like its hot? [$44 Topshop]

Attention brides, future brides, and committed bachelorettes who just love to weigh in on this sort thing—would you ever ditch a wedding gown for a sweet pair of white wedding pants? [A Practical Wedding via Robot-Heart]

To tell you the truth, I’m not so into pants. I wear jeans and I wear dresses whenever I possibly can. But sometimes pants are necessary—on freezing days, on corporate meeting days, and on days when you haven’t done laundry. After the jump, seven pairs of pants I would totally not mind wearing. In fact, I would ever wearing them on warm days, casual Fridays, and the day after picking up my laundry from the cleaners.

High-waisted pants are tricky. They have the potential to make even the Skinniest Minnie look dumpy. But this pair from eco-friendly designer Anna Cohen (her company runs on sustainable practices, from raw materials to end-of-life use) has the ever-so-elongating vertical stripes and an extra long leg that fit down over a pair of high-heels. [AnnaCohen.com via EcoSalon]

Anne Slowey, fashion news director at Elle, told The New York Times that the dress will end its long reign at the end of August, and we should all wear trousers instead. This is a sad prediction, and rather unexpected. Retail analysts at NPD Group determined that from April 2006 to April 2007, there were more than $5 billion sales of dresses, 30 percent higher than the previous year. We wear them about four days out of every week and are not sure how our legs will react to being encased in fabric all day. Dresses are wonderful creations. Yes, they’re feminine and flattering, but they have other merits, as well. As Amelia says, “They’re drafty, and they make it easier to pee in public.” [NY Times]