I play in a community orchestra, which means I need to wear a “concert black” outfit several times a year. I decided it was time to make my dream concert black pants, and this super simple palazzo pants pattern is versatile enough that I knew it would have an elevated look if made in the right fabric.

That fabric turned out to be sandwashed cupro from Core Fabrics. Cupro is made from cotton fibers that are too small to spin into regular cotton fabric, and it’s one of my favorite fabrics to work with. It’s breathable, with a beautiful drape and a suede-like sheen; it’s sometimes called “vegan silk.”

The only hack I made to this pattern was to add slant pockets (because I consider pants without pockets a crime against humanity). However, I did take some extra steps during construction to ensure that the seams wouldn’t fray on this delicate fabric. I used a seam finishing technique called French seams, where the seam is first made inside-out, then flipped and stitched again to enclose the raw edges inside the seam. French seams work better for straight seams than for curved ones, so for the crotch seam, I enclosed the raw edges with bias binding.

The result: dressy black pants that are high-quality, comfy, and durable enough to last me through many more concert seasons!