Q: Broomstick skirts are perfect for teaching school and walking to work -- which I do almost every day. Do you have a suggestion for a type of comfortable slacks that might fit into my lifestyle? I tend to gain 10-15 pounds every winter and then shed it as it warms up.

A: Two words: stretch pants. No, not the old skintight kind that would have parents raising their eyebrows and make you the talk of the teachers' lunch room. The ones you want look like normal pants but have enough spandex to let you sit, bend over, breathe, and gain 10 or 15 pounds every winter. They're available in a zillion variations, from snazzy ones for formal Evenings, to tailored trousers you'd wear with a jacket, to knock-arounds you can throw in the washer. L.L. Bean, as well as Lands' End and Eddie Bauer have some slim cotton/Lycra pants and some with roomier hips and thighs.

Patricia McLaughlin is a nationally syndicated fashion columnist.
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