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K/R - is this a wacky idea? (NAS)

sarah

Veteran

I was very taken by Angie's outfit here: http://youlookfab.com/2012/07/.....user-look/.

It made me realize that I really, really want some well-fitting trousers this fall, but unfortunately the Theory trouser are no longer available (yes, I am stalking them). Also, last year I became quite discouraged by flares/bootcuts/ppl issues - I was constantly hemming and letting out pants and I still felt like my flares were never ppl. In part this was related to the fact that my BR Sloans were continually shrinking on me. Also I like the versatility of being able to wear shoes of different heel heights with the same pair of pants! So, I think I'm going with straights this year!

So, if you're still reading after all that, I was thinking of "pegging" these Halogen NAS trousers, which are called straight legs but are actually boot cuts. In the mirror, they seemed to fit quite well in the rear, which is rarely true for me (I'm part of the flat butt club).

What do you think - do they look good enough on me that I should keep them? And do they look better with a narrower opening? In 1/4, I've pinned one leg to have a similar leg opening to Angie's trousers, and the other leg is shown unaltered. 2/3 are for you to judge the fit.

I know that brown doesn't get a lot of love around here, but I actually like brown and could imagine these with lots of different colors on top.

THANKS for your opinions.

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30 replies

Latest reply was from sarah

Anonymous

For you, I like the pinned leg best.
I think the trouser fits great, relaxed and very modern.

Queen Mum

Veteran

First of all, those fit you amazingly! Definitely keep!
As far as the leg, I *think* I really like it narrower. What does it do to the lines of the plaids? It will certainly allow you to wear different heel heights if you narrow them. That was really clever of you to think of.
I like the color too, although they look grey to me.

Anonymous

Too funny Sarah, I actually had the same idea. I initiated a live chat with Nordie's to see what the ankle opening measured on those trousers to get an idea of how to begin (still waiting on an email from them).

I really like the pinned leg, and I love the idea of saving your pants; they fit you very well. If you do it, please take lots of pictures and give us a tutorial!

shiny

Veteran

I hear you about the PPL frustration. Angie will kill me for saying this, but I gave up on PPL and decided that it's just not worth obsessing over. Besides, PPL pants always bugged me because it looks like someone ate your shoes, or cut off your feet!

As for these slacks, I also am a member of the flat butt crowd. My butt is actually not all that flat, it just looks flat in pants that are too wide for me in the hips. If you are going to go to the trouble of a tailor, I recommend you have the tailor narrow these pants at the hips. To my eye, your narrow hips aren't filling these slacks out, which is giving the illusion of a flat butt. Take them in a pinch in the hips, and your butt will probably perk right up. You could then have them taken in all the way down -- from the outside, not the inside, seams.

Try pinning it that way and see what happens? What I'd do is turn them inside out, pin all the way down from hip to ankle, then put them on -- inside out so you don't hurt yourself with the pins.

Anonymous

Sarah, I really like the narrow leg on you.

And my goodness, you are a member of the Flat Abs Club! I am envious! I am trying hard to join your league.

modgrl

(website)

Veteran

I don't know - I would keep looking for pants that are the right cut before you buy these just to completely redo them.

sarah

Veteran

Thanks for you input. I think I would do this job myself, but I would definitely baste them first to make sure that the plaids line up. It's not that difficult a job (I learned how to do it in Seventeen magazine when I was, oh, seventeen!), as long as they do.

Claire - the leg opening on my petites are 18 3/4". I hadn't thought of documenting the process, but I know your posts along those lines have been very helpful, so I'll try to do that if I decide to take the plunge.

Ali - THANKS. I've been doing pilates 3x/week, and I'm glad it shows. I just wish I could get rid of the you-know-what that is on TOP of the ab muscles. Then I'd really be satisfied.

Shiny - I'm glad to know I'm not the only one with PPL-frustration. And it's interesting to hear your perspective on flat butts! I actually returned a different pair of NAS trousers, because my butt just did not fill them out at all. My plan was to taper these from the hip down, actually, so I'll have to baste and see how they look.

Traci

Veteran

hrrrmmm.....I really like the look of the unpinned side on you.

KathyL

Veteran

I like the unpinned side better too. The fit at the waist is great. I say keep and leave as is. PPL is hard, and I think you just need to commit to one length and heel height. For me, most of my shoes are about 1 1/2 inch heels so I hem my pants to that length and just go with it. Shrinkage is frustrating though.

christy

Veteran

Sarah, did you see the Lafayette straight leg pants at NAS? I picked these up in black and navy and they came in espresso also. I think they came in petite, but I just bought the regular length and had them shortened.

http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/la.....sultback=0

These Halogen pants have more interest with the pattern, but I'd be hesitant to buy pants that I'd have to completely make over to work. Although I have done that in the past with closet orphans so I get it! I do think they fit well enough in the waist and butt, so it might be worth it.

Sveta

(website)

Veteran

I think it may work beautifully. Take them to the tailor and check if it can be done and then go for it!
I was thinking along the same lines for jeans because I have very hard time to find jeans long enough for PPL as bootcuts or flares but they usually work for straight leg.

Anonymous

The Pilates is definitely showing, you look great!!!

Makrame

Veteran

I am no help with this because I really like them on you as they are.

sarah

Veteran

Ah, the "as is" team is starting to catch up.

Christy - I actually tried those, but they didn't look good enough on my butt to make them worth the price : )

Mamapicklejuice

Veteran

Goodness, pants can be very tricky to make (from scratch) so if all you have to do is peg the legs to make these work for you, then go for it!

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

I vote peg! Why not

These trousers were not all that expensive. It's worth doing a little experimentation. Fun!

I'm not sure that I agree with Shiny about slimming the hip too because that's where you want some slouch. And I don't see a flat bottom either. There is curve.

FWIW, I have never seen you with your pants too short. You have an amazing sense of style Sarah, and ALWAYS look sensational.

shoppingisfun

(website)

Veteran

I like them boot-cut, but if you want to peg them, go for it! I had a pair of pinstriped wide-leg trousers "narrowed" into regular bootcuts once and it turned out great, so I'm sure it could be done with plaids as well.

DonnaF

Veteran

Sarah;
If you are interested in solid, machine washable straight trousers, have you tried the Vince Camutos in the regular size? They are part of NAS and come in black, red, and ocean blue. They are supposed to be ankle length, so the petites are cut at 27" but the regular size is 29.5" which gives me some front scrunch but hang nicely down in back. Like almost every single pair of pants, they are a bit loose around the waist for me, but the back seam goes through the waistband so the alteration should be easy and cheap. Normally, I would never consider *loud* trousers (I have enough black ones!), but the narrow cut and soft drape seem to mitigate the screaming.

CocoLion

(website)

Veteran

You look great in these Sarah, and I look forward to seeing your peg project posted.

And count me as another admirer of your flat abs. I have a pretty active job and lifestyle but have stopped doing yoga etc and my abs can no longer tolerate fitted tops.

sarah

Veteran

Well, Angie, that's very nice of you to say. I think part of my struggle is that I have enough trouble finding shoes without having to restrict my criteria further by selecting an exact heel height. I like to be able to wear a variety of shoes with my trousers - flats *and* heels, so I just wind up frustrated by PPL, and found that I avoided my flares last winter. OK, here goes!

Donna - Thanks for the tip! 29.5" is a good "slouchy" inseam length for me. Did you find the "regulars" TTS up top? Sometimes I have to size down in regular pants for them to fit properly around the waist (but other times not...). I normally wear a 4P. What size did you get in the VC trouser?

Denise - that's very nice of you to say, but honestly, I have muffin top issues just like every one else, unfortunately!

KatinaStyle

Member

I like the unaltered leg. It gives the illusion of more curves where you might not have as many like around the hips. It's a more feminine silhouette. The tapered leg just repeats more straight lines. IMO

JR

Veteran

I think you win either way. :o) Which means you can't lose.

FWIW, I love brown. All kinds of marvellous things can be done with brown. It started for me in Grade 9, when I put on a brown corduroy jumper with a red and tan print blouse and magic happened. Nobody talked about colour seasons in those days, but even at that age, I could see that those colours made me light up.

Beth Ann

Veteran

Definitely taper! I'm thinking of trying to taper wider leg trousers to get a pair of "slouchy" pants. It seems they have more ease at the the top of the leg, which is good for my shape. I look forward to seeing the final results!

Deborah

Veteran

I think they look great pegged. I love the latter and I agree these would be very versatile. I think it's definitely worth the alteration.

Isis

Veteran

oohhh, I like them tapered! I think the plaid and the straight leg have a cool "mod" vibe!

Vicki

(website)

Veteran

Sarah, you look great (as I just lifted my top and told myself to go do some abs!) and you DO have a butt, although you made me LOL at your "butt club" comment.

While we may not be pants twins, we very well could be pants sisters, as I just bought the brown plaid Halogen pants from the NAS (wish I knew how to embed that link like the others do on the forum): http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/ha.....ts/3282148

I think they look great unpinned, but it sounds like you're going to give pegging them a try. I'm a bit like KathyL in that I choose the shoes to give myself something close to a PPL, although that doesn't always work.

As for pairing tops with these, I was thinking of you and your Nexx Hibiscus blouse when I got my pair of plaid pants. One of the reviewers also mentioned wearing cream, turquoise and burgundy, too.

Diana

Veteran

I like the slimmer leg. Let us know how it goes! I will be curious as I think I want slimmer leg trousers as well - I think I just don't love wide legs for me and, like Shiny, really detest the "my pants ate my shoes" look. But if it's an easy alteration to slim the legs down, that gives me far more options.

DonnaF

Veteran

Sarah;
I bought the regular 2. In pants, I usually fall between a 2P and a 4P, but more likely a 2P in dress pants and a 4P in jeans unless they are ridiculously size inflated like NYMJ. The VC 2P was snug in the hip/thigh area on me such that the pockets showed through, and I think the 4P was too big. Since the regular 2 falls in between, the pockets don't show through so no VP(ocket)L at least on me! I find VC pretty TTS, including the jacket which is slightly nipped at the waist and flared at the hips. I also got a lightweight white VC jacket from Rack online. Both are P4; sleeves aren't too long & no pulling at bust.

If those plaid pants are a 4P, I would first try a regular 2 in the Vince Camuto, then try a 4. If you do try the VC pants, let me know how they fit. I think we are size twins on top.

FWIW, due to the pattern, I prefer plaid pants unscrunched so prefer the bootcut to show it off. It would make me nervous to make such a major alteration on brand new pants unless they were *new to me* as in thrifted pants.

cjh

(website)

Veteran

I lean toward the boot cut look, and the fit looks great to me. And I might be asking for boos here, but if you do taper them in, they shouldn't be that long, IMO. Is this the shape you are looking for? If so, then this length would be good, too. Seems like it is just below the ankle bone.

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