As I was coming back from a little after lunch stroll (destination: Duane Reade; opposite direction of Saks and where I can't do nearly as much damage), I noticed the group of guys ahead of me, all of whom looked like they were about to lose their jeans.
I know saggy jeans have been around for years, (and longer than that, in prison, they say) though I found it really amusing to see these three guys all walking around like penguins. It creates a little dramatic tension, maybe that's the point? If you're walking behind them, you're bound to feel a bit of that car-wreck or bad plastic surgery reaction: "I can't look, but I can't take my eyes away".
These guys were no amateurs - jeans stayed up and modesty prevailed. But as they waddled down the street, it struck me - this is kinda harem! Dropped crotch (check) and a bit of gathering at the ankle from the pulled down legs (check)..Yep, harem didn't go away, it just hung out in hip hop for a while.
HAREM or HOAX?
ReplyDeleteAfter seeing pictures of stylish harem pants featured month after month in normally reputable fashion magazines such as Vogue, L'Officiel and Elle, in April, at the sick-and-tired-of-everything-I-own point in the season, I decided to give them a try. Hell, at least they looked comfy.
It sure was easy to find harem pants. I didn't even have to leave the confines of my suburban home. Harem pants were offered on every major web shopping space that I regularly surf : Net-a-porter, Vitrines Parisiennes (for the young Paris edgy look), and Place de Tendances. I decided to play it safe with a pair from Sandro which were shipped to me 48 hours later.
The immediate verdict was positive: the harem pants were comfy - and in addition, they looked great with a cropped Paule Ka jacket and a jersy / satiny Vanessa bruno top. In fact mine instantly became my perfect overseas plane pant and were put into service in this role the very next day for a business trip to New York. I did note that I was the only person in business class wearing harem pants. Figures - just a bunch of stodgies. An older French business man looked over at me several times during the flight as if intrigued. That didn't seem too bad. Hey, maybe I would inspire some of the ladies in business clutching Lancel handbags to lighten up.
I wore them over that weekend in the city as well. But curiously enough I saw no other New York female wearing harem pants. Oh well, maybe just another case of Europe fashion being somewhat out of phase with NY fashion. The only thing in my mind being - was I ahead of or behind the trend back at home?
Two weeks later, back in France, with my husband and his daughters, we spent a long weekend in Paris. The harem pants came along on the trip, of course, having proved their worth once already. And as a cold spell hit that weekend, Paris taking on its often spring-time chill, I was happy to have those harem pants, adding black tights underneath them. I tromped along happily with them the whole day in my Repettos. My husband liked them overall, the only drawback being the view from the rear, which admittedly had it's limitations. But one thing was funny - we didn't cross a single other person (male or female) wearing harem pants. Not in the metro, not at lunch at the Musée d'Orsay, not by the bouquiniste stands on the quai of the Seine, not on the Bateux Mouches boat tour, not strolling around the Musée d'Histoire Naturel (very nice, in the Jardin des Plantes near Gare d'Austerlitz). As you see, it was more of a family trip and major shopping was not on the agenda. But nevertheless as we strolled around, I monitored the Parisiennes we crossed. No sign of that rare recognition from other stylish females you get when you hit the perfect fashion groove. In fact, one or two times I seemed to detect a slight bemused look on a few fashionable faces. Or was it just me?
That evening, for dining at a favorite sushi spot near the Bastille, I added Alexander McQueen heeled low boots which earned a few looks of admiration - but then those boots always do. The harem pants passed in an odd silence.
The next day, Sunday, under my direction we did as all fashion-obsessed people in Paris do. We shopped in the Marais. In that mass of folks, I looked in vain - not a single harem in sight. Ironically, we even passed by Turkish bathhouses that are tucked in here in there between the Jewish bakeries and the super stylish sunglass boutiques. Nada.
I must say I came back from Paris in a state of mild bewilderment and I have not pulled out the harem pants since then. The following weeks the weather warmed up very quickly, pulling me into other wardrobe dilemmas. But this blog of Villagette's brings me back to my puzzle. Were harem pants stylish ?
Was it a hoax? A large collective joke pulled on me by the entire French fashion industry? Or did I somehow imagine this fictive trend?
Was I ridiculous or stylish for wearing them? Does it matter?
Any opinions or data most welcome!!
Well, for one thing, having seen you in those harem pants, you looked very stylish (in an effortless way) and very cute.
ReplyDeleteI think this is one of those cases where magazines and buyers promote a trend that's not really new (I feel like we've seen harem for a few seasons now), but still ahead of where consumers' eyes are. Remember how Marni took some getting used to - we knew it was so chic, but couldn't quite get our heads around going for volume and clashing patterns? Now that look is normal for cool girls. Seriously, Banana Republic is doing a watered down version now.
Hold onto those pants - you're just early, madame!