That's pants

This year when I was looking through magazines and at fashion shows, one of the looks I was really drawn to was high waisted, somewhat bell-shaped trousers. I've seen that silhouette in skirts and dresses for a few seasons, but the pants were something new. A bit more relaxed, modern, more something...So I was really excited to see that my friend Jane had some great ones at her sample sale.

But what I noticed as I was getting dressed for work one morning this week is that the proportions are so different from what I've been wearing recently, I had to rethink what to wear on top. For skinny pants (esp really skinny ones), loose and long is my way to go, but that doesn't work if the narrow waist is the only thing that prevents you from looking fat. Don't want to cover that up! And for the paper bag waist pants, anything with much detail just looked too busy and fussy. I might get more adventurous as I work my way through my closet and I've seen some great looks in magazines that might influence me. But for real life, for me now, I am keeping things simple. White shirt, long cardigan and sparkly necklace (and heels), so i don't look too much like Madonna in the "Who's that girl" era.

For me, this cut of pants works best if I keep it feminine (keep the waist uncluttered and wear heels). Otherwise, it's Charlie Chaplin, or just a dumpy pantsuit. The volume around the hips does make them tricky - but they're super-comfortable, and if you get it right, there's a very careless "now" vibe that reads as slouchy , not schlumpy. Well, the trousers in the middle photo are not slouchy at all, but they're a play on that bell shape so the proportions are similar.

But it's not just new trousers that I'm excited about. I've been going on about tights and I really like the contrast of a military style jacket and short skirt. And I still think short skirts and dresses look so great with short swingy coats - or a cape. Capes are really comfortable over jackets, actually, as there's a bit more room in the arm, but I find that the fabric gets a bit caught up if you're wearing a purse with a shorter strap. So I like the longer, cross the body kind of strap. I like that anyway, especially as, no matter how many times I try to unload non-essentials from my purse, it still seems to weigh a ton.



Btw, I bet it is not hard for you to guess which photos are from right after my haircut! :) Still amateur photography, but at least my hair looks good! Thanks Ellen!