Remember those below the knee pants we were talking about a few pages/posts ago? Does anyone really wear those? They are on sale at Ann Taylor and fit me really well, but I can't decide if I can get away with wearing them to work. Or what to wear with them shoe-wise?
Or they'd also look good with some nice pumps, too.
I bought a pair of those short pants earlier this year--they're Fall weight, really, knee length but plaid wool. Unfortunately I bought them (on sale) just as I set about losing the weight I had gained over the winter and I never got to wear them. They're too big. They're also a bit dressy for where I live, in truth. I live in a very casual universe--most of the professors are wearing jeans most of the time. I look extra-dressed up when I wear black pants and real shoes.
baffled -- My campus is pretty casual too. Especially the men. Women tend to be more variable. I may end up being a little dressier than most this year but... I wanna wear nice things!!!! At least some of the time!!!
I can't find the yahoo site where I was watching those fashion shows this morning. Sorry. Lots of drapey, loose shift dress type things. 70's geometric prints. One bit of totally out of place ruffle. Those 3/4 length sleeves.
We're going to Frankenmuth this weekend and I'd like to try a pair of those short pants. Above the knee? I might be able to get away with that.
Wyllenn, I'm with you. I like to look nice and I really love real shoes with heels. (I pretty much have only worn flip flops since April. Out to dinner, in my office, at the bar for drinks, I'm wearing flip flops because they suit the local culture. But really, given my druthers I'd be wearing high heels and boots and strappy sandals all the time. ) And besides, now that I can finally fit my chest into shirts with buttons, I wanna wear them! My excuse for being well dressed and well tailored is that because I'm rather young looking, the clothes give me an edge of 'authority' with the students. That's what I tell people, anyway. Mostly I just like to look well put together.
I was shopping the other day and this time I saw those short pants! They even had them in denim. And they weren't capris. It's more like a flare at the bottom. They're definitely not for me.
Mel, as for the ones that I have seen, besides the denim ones of course, they do look fairly professional to me. They are a nice weight and a nice print. Herringbones, tweeds and whatnot. I think for the office, they would look good with either a nice flat, a pair of low pumps or have you seen the new lace up ankle length shoe boots? Those are very professional looking as well.
I actually bought a pair of the ankle length boots. Very nice. And they are pretty comfortable. I got a nice mid-size heel. I bought a nice pair of dress shoes too. I didn't really need them, I have nothing coming up, but I figured it was good to have them just in case. I have a fairly wide foot and these had a nice sized toe box. I bought both pairs at DSW. I love that place. I had some rewards points coupons, which was a ten dollar savings on each pair.
I've also been buying belts like crazy. I bought a great large link silver metal belt last week. I love wearing a fairly long fitted shirt over a slim skirt and wearing a belt over the shirt, down towards my hips.
I love feeling put together these days. I used to feel so frumpy in what I used to wear. Everything was tent-like and baggy. And of course I couldn't be picky and really choose my own style. It had to be whatever would get around me. It's amazing how much wearing fitted clothing can really make you feel good about yourself. I'm sure the weight loss didn't hurt either.
Good point about the fitness clohtes, baffled. I definitely agree. Some medium tops are too tight on me across the chest and I have to go with a large. If the top is really fitted, some larges are even too small.
Meg, I like Jones of New York too. We have an outlet store close by and I love to go there and stock up on basics. I'm usually a 6 in their styles, but find I really have to try slacks and shorts on because some just don't look good on me. As far as fitnes clothes go, I find that Nike runs large and Adidas runs small. Isn't that funny how our experiences are so different? I bought a pair of Danskin capris in a small, and that really blew my mind. They really attract lint and I don't like them much, except for that S on the tag. :-)
I just realized that my new black slacks have the anti-theft thingamabop still in place so now I have to go back to Macy's. Maybe I'll do some more shopping. Evil grin. Too bad the coupon sale is no longer going on.
Not too long ago I bought three pairs of size 4 pants at The Gap (khakis, "browns," and a pair of slightly dressier gray slacks). I wore one pair, but then it got too hot for pants. Luckily, I didn't get around to removing the tags on the others, because they're now too big. I'm so sick of wearing baggy butt pants that I took them back and exchanged them for size 2's. Good motivation to maintain...
I also looked at some of those short pants. I can't see myself wearing them more than once or twice. Seems like they'd be too casual for work, too formal for weekends, too hot for summer, and too cold for fall/winter (at least around here). I guess it's yet another fashion trend that will pass me by...
I finally had some shopping success yesterday! After many failures searching for a dress to wear to the rehearsal dinner for my wedding, I wandered into a shop I'd never seen before called B. Moss. They had some great dresses on major sale -- I pulled a bunch of black and white dresses off the sale rack, couldn't decide, so I bought three! Each was only $15. If I had gotten there earlier I would have spent more time poking around since the rest of their clothes looked great, but by the time I finished with the dresses it was 5:50 and they closed at 6. Maybe next weekend I'll make a return trip!
As for vanity sizing, here's my experience. NY&Co I wear a size 6 or small. J. Jill I wear a small or extra small in shirts, never tried anything else there (for the record, my bra size is 30FF, and there is no way that is an XS in a shirt!!). Ann Taylor Loft (I don't shop at regular Ann Taylor) I wear a 6 regular or 8 petite usually, small in shirts (although I have one XS shirt I bought on clearance that fits ok). Express is 6 regular, 8 petite. When I tried on dresses at Macy's the other day 6 fit me in most brands, 8 in a couple. At the Gap I'm almost always an 8. At Old Navy I can sometimes squeeze into a 4 but usually 6 fits. That's about all the stores I shop at . . . The store I found last night, a small or 6 fit me.
Heather - I found Christopher & Banks in Eugene, Oregon last summer. Had a lovely time shopping there. They even shipped everything home for me, except one pair of white pants and a sweater I kept to wear at my conference. Great store!!
My friend who's smaller than me told me about www.anthropologie.com. Next time I'm in Philly, I'm going to check them out. She says that 80% of the clothes in her closet came from that store. She waits to shop after a season and gets great discounts. Their clothes are funky and have a lot of flare.
Today, I'm wearing one of my Goodwill finds - a straight, knee length, dark denim skirt with a slit in the front. It's comfortable.
Yesterday, I went to TJ Maxx just to browse. They finally got in their fall clothes. I found a pair of dress black pants in petite that will only need to be hemmed 1 inch when I wear heels. The pants are well tailored with darts instead of pleats and no pockets so they lie very flat.
Then I went to the Famous Footwear and looked for winter black high heels. I have several pair of black heels, but they are all opened toe and I know I'll need a pair that are closed toed for walking around NYC. The pair I picked has a pointy toe and an ankle strap. In the past, I never wore ankle straps because I always thought my calves looked too big with them. Now, I'm happy to show of my leggs.
Since they were having a buy one get the other 1/2 price sale, I splurged on a pair of rust color clogs. Do I need a pair, no. Do I want a pair, not until I saw them. Do I have much to wear with them, only a few things. Don't I already have a pair of blue seude clogs, a pair of black leather clogs, a pair of brown mules, a pair of olive seude clogs, a pair of burgandy mules? Didn't I just buy a fancy pair of cowgirl boots and have a pair of pink seude boots and a pair of loden seude boots? Don't I have enough colors in the rainbow in terms of footwear? Isn't the floor of my closet overflowing with shoes? Have I become materialistic, I think so.
Carolyn, you may be a tiny pixie-woman, but you are a world class shopper!
Anthropologie is ok, but their clothes are VERY expensive and they're all a bit too loosey-goosey-I-just-rolled-out-of-bed-after-a-3-day-coke-fueled-bender for me. I have a problem with paying $200 for a skirt that looks as though it came out of a dumpster and is 4 sizes too big. But it is very funky, I'll give them that. And I like some of their stuff.
Be sure to post a photo for us!
They're also a bit dressy for where I live, in truth. I live in a very casual universe--most of the professors are wearing jeans most of the time. I look extra-dressed up when I wear black pants and real shoes.
They even shipped everything home for me, except one pair of white pants and a sweater I kept to wear at my conference. Great store!!
