There’s a big storm headed for Nor Cal today! The weather goddesses are saying that we’ll be seeing an atmospheric river. YOWZA.
Well, there’s no way I’d wear these wide-leg Madewell Harlow pants during a downpour (imagine how wet the bottom parts would get, yikes), so yeah, this is what I wore to work yesterday, when things were still dry.
Anywho, I’ve seen a lot of people wear this wide-leg style of pants, and you know, I never realized this until I tried on this particular cut, but pants this voluminous seem to go very wrong very quickly on me, and I definitely need to make very strategic choices when I wear them. Otherwise I look like I’m drowning in fabric or like a kid playing dress up with someone else’s grown up clothes.
These styling tips are really helpful to me, as a small person! Maybe you’ll find them useful, too.
1. Pairing pants with the tops of the same colour for a monochromatic appearance
I’ve found that these types of tailored, wide-leg pants tend to have a higher rise, and when I wear a contrasting color on the top, I look shorter because there’s a stark visual break between the top and the pants.
Wearing one continuous color creates a longer, unbroken line from top to bottom and seems to elongate my body, so that I look taller and less like I’m swimming in the pants.
2. Selecting a shoe with chunky soles or platforms
To my eye, wide-leg pants paired with shoes that have a chunky tread look balanced. When I wear pants with wide legs, I find that a shoe profile that is more delicate gets lost.
You could do a loafer with a chunky sole or something similar to what I’m wearing here, which is the platform version of Chuck Taylor All Stars. The white on the bottom is really striking. It adds some freshness to the look.
3. Wearing a fitted shirt and a slim-fitting jacket or blazer
I think that these pants would look good with a slim-fitting jacket and a bodysuit. I’m wearing an old body suit from J. I’m wearing an old J. Crew bodysuit that I got two years ago, and a chambray jacket I recently bought from J. The factory of J. Side note: I feel like J. Crew and J. Crew jackets are a bit smaller than J.
For fun, I wore the same top with pants and a boyfriend-cut oversized blazer by Madewell. I feel like this in itself is a very specific type of look, but for my petite size, it’s hard to pull off. I feel like I’m wearing my grandpa’s jacket or something. LOL!
Don’t get me wrong; I love this blazer and wear it all the time. It looks better paired with a more fitted jean. I wore it with the Madwell Vintage Jean a couple of weeks ago and thought it looked really balanced.
If you’re in Nor Cal today, stay safe! It’s supposed to be crazy out there.
Your local beauty enthusiast
Karen