Wear nude-for-you hosiery to achieve the appearance of bare legs, but with coverage and insulation. Opaque hosiery is thick and robust. Sheer hosiery is soft, delicate and pretty. Make a statement with patterned, lace, or non-neutral hosiery. 

Sizing up in hosiery reduces the stretch, preventing pattern distortion and distributing the colour more evenly. A larger size can also be easier to pull on and off, and feels comfortable on the midsection. But not too large, or it will sag at the ankles.

If hosiery is not for you, wear leggings or long johns for warmth with skirts and dresses. Hosiery, leggings and long johns can all be worn discreetly by covering up with longer hemlines and taller boots. Or forego them entirely and stick to pants and jeans.

Sometimes when pants are a little short, you can can let down their hems for an extra inch to inch and a half in length. Of course, there has to be a generous hem to let down, or it’s a non-starter. 

Also, lengthening pants this way when they are new, rather than old and frequently laundered, will prevent permanent distressed fold lines across the bottom of the pants. The creases caused by the fold of the shorter hems should press out quite easily too. If they don’t, the faint line isn’t much of an eyesore. At least, not to me. And definitely not as much of an eyesore as pants that are too short.

I had a pair of very summery, big and baggy, lightweight white cotton pants on my shopping list this year. Everlane’s Pleated Wide-Leg Chinos ticked all the boxes. They are off-white, instead of optical white, which works well too. I like the way they feel, drape, fit, move, and crease in that carefree Summer way. But I didn’t fancy the length, which is what you see on the models in the product photos.

Custom Find

by Angie

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Custom Find

by Angie

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Custom Find

by Angie

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Custom Find

by Angie

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To my eye, these pants were begging to be lengthened by an inch and a quarter, which would take them to skimming the surface of the ground. They have a generous 2 inch hem, so I could do just that. I let down the hems, washed the pants to make sure they were preshrunk, and had them hemmed to a longer length. Now they’re perfect and waiting to be worn on a hot Summer’s day when I don’t feel like wearing a pretty dress.

Casual and smart casual olive pants are a staple in many wardrobes. Wear them in a silhouette that tickles your fancy, and style them in some of these easy-to-pull together combinations for Spring. Focus on the colour combinations if the items aren’t for you. 

1. Olive and Teal

Combine a pair of olive pants with a teal sweater of sorts. Here, a fluid and shorter V-neck cardigan is buttoned through and worn as a top. Chunky black loafers match the black buttons on the cardigan. I see a black or cognac bag complete the look, and possibly a bit of pretty black lace from a camisole peeking through from under the neckline.

2. Olive, Light Blue, and Cognac

A column of olive is created by combining olive parachute pants with a cropped and quilted body warmer – or vest if you’re in the US. The column is broken up by tucking a light blue shirt into pants. Cognac boots complete the look. Add a bag that works with the palette.

3. Olive and Nautical Navy

A big and boxy navy and white striped sweater is paired with casual olive pants. It’s worn out for a comfy and relaxed vibe. White sneakers match the white stripes of the sweater. Add a bag to match.

4. Olive and Off-White

Last, a juxtaposition of dressy jacket with casual pants and casual footwear. Super wide olive cargo pants are topped with a boxy buttoned through off-white topper. It’s shorter length adds structure by showcasing some waistline. Off-white shoes match the topper, and pull the look together. Add jewellery, bag, watch and eyewear as desired.

Outfit components that match closely in colour pull the look together. And it’s often attractive when footwear matches accessories. But not everything needs to match. For example, match your shoes with your belt or bag, and mismatch the rest. 

A tonal colour match is just as effective as an exact match. Mismatched patterns work together when their palettes match. Subtle colour repetition in the tones of solids or the palettes of patterns harmonizes the outfit, creating a coordinated look.

Intense colour mismatches can look interesting. There is creativity in the clash. When in doubt about combining mismatched colours, harmonize the look by creating a perfect or tonal match with other components. That way the eye can rest and be happy.