My first WIW...Warning: Fashion Faux Pas Committed Here - YouLookFab Forum

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My first WIW...Warning: Fashion Faux Pas Committed Here

Suz

(website)

Veteran

So. Here goes. Here's what I wore this afternoon for some errands around town.

Apologies for the slightly odd angle of the photo. My daughter is very accommodating but she is an inexperienced photographer and we are working in a tight space so I am a bit foreshortened.

Or maybe that's just the effect of those ankle pants?

I know those are frowned on here. I hear the message. And I get that they're even worse, potentially, on a small, short-legged girl like me. But you know what? Sometimes I like them. What I've found is that the ones that hit mid calf are an unmitigated disaster. The ones that hit closer to the ankle can work better. But you can tell me if I am wrong. I can take it.

The other faux pas I'm committing has to do with colour. I'm not a big fan of the seasonal colour thing but I do think it has some usefulness. So, I had my colours "done." The person who analyzed me said I was one of her trickiest clients ever. It was immediately obvious to both of us that I looked horrible in warm colours. But once we got past that stage, I didn't fit clearly into any of the (12) categories. In the end she pegged me as a cool summer (which surprised her because I am quite fair) who looks horrible in most pale colours (apart from lilac and most pale blues) and can sometimes wear brighter tones than theoretically I "should" be able to. But I have to be very careful WHICH brighter tones. I ended up with the summer wallet with additions from the cool and clear wallets. And most of the palest summer colours just torn off.

What absolutely shouldn't look good on me is orange...and here I am in an orange print top! Admittedly, it has a lot of red in it. And the brown cardigan is the kind of brown that works well for me.

What you can't see too well are the gold sparkle threads in the tank. Cost $3.95

You also can't see the denim blue bag I was carrying. Now for me, that counted as a bold stroke.

Cardigan: Comrags
Tank: Thrifted
Pants: The Limited, Thrifted ($10)
Belt: Old Navy
Shoes: Ancient (as you can tell by style, but SO comfy.) Ecco, via Winners.

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44 replies

Latest reply was from LoP

modgrl

(website)

Veteran

Can you shorten the pants to clam length, just above the widest part of your calves? I think that would be more flattering. the top and jacket are very nice. Great start.

Sveta

(website)

Veteran

I think the angle of the picture makes your legs shorter than IRL so it is hard to say if cropped pants look good. I think they would work if they were tapering down more like skinnies. If you do not like when they hit mid-calf how about above the widest part of your calf?
I think this orange top looks good on you. I find that it is easier to wear "not your" colors when they are in the pattern and not solid.

cheryle (Dianthus)

(website)

Veteran

I agree that the pants could be narrowed or shortened. If you don't want to invest in the alteration, try rolling them a few rolls. It will both shorten and narrow the hem and give you more flexibility.

You look very much like a friend of mine who moved to Vancouver last year. She has a very classic pretty face too.

taylor

Veteran

very nice first wiw..thanks for posting:)

annette

I am new too! I have found the people here to be fantastic. I WANT them to critique my outfits. They are all very gentle when doing so.
This style of pant is the norm where I live. On any given day half the women in my office are sporting them, so they look normal to me. Having seen how cute they look rolled up, I think it would be fun to try that with yours to see what you think.

sarah

Veteran

I think that top and cardi are lovely on you! I echo others' suggestions for shortening the pants into clams, or rolling them up a couple of rolls. Great first WIW!

yellowgirl

I don't have anything to say other than that you look great and congrats on posting your first WIW! I'm still working up the nerve.

kellygirl

Veteran

Congrats on your first WIW! You're so pretty and have such a nice smile! I really like the orange and brown combo on you. I agree with the others on rolling up the pants a bit more of having them shortened to clamdigger length.

cheryl

Veteran

I also think the angle makes you appear shorter than you are and for that reason i think the whole outfit looks great. Try rolling them if you want to for a different look but i think you look great and the orange is lovely on you.

MNsara

Veteran

High five to another clandestine cropped pant lover! (I know they are NOT leg lengthening, but they sure do serve a great function and are easy to wear.)

Your outfit looks very nice, but even as a closet cropped pant wearer, I can come up with a recommendation or two to improve the leg situation:
1) wear a sandal with low vamp that exposes more foot, or wear a nude sandal with cropped pants.
2) if your sandal covers a lot of foot (like yours do) then raise or roll the hem to clam length

I think the idea of cropped pants is brillian,t and sometimes I am perfectly willing to sacrifice some of my short legs to wear them

Great first WIW - and here's to many more!

Jenava

(website)

Veteran

I love those reds and oranges on you! The color of the pants is nice but I agree that the combo of the wide, high-vamp shoe and the shorter, straight-leg pant aren't doing any favors. I'd rather see a more open sandal or a more tapered/shorter leg. (or both). I do think the shoes are dated and in general you could do better with the shoe...

CK

I am a cropped pant fan, too. (Shhh, don't tell!) I think they're flattering when they show off a slim ankle. Perhaps try them with a strappier sandal - maybe with a bit of a wedge heel?

And I love that orange on you!

Aunty

Veteran

You could get away with anything with that sunny smile. I love the colours on you

Katiepea

(website)

Veteran

~~YAY YOU!~~ Congratulations on your first WiW post! You look lovely in those colours and you have the most beautiful smile that lights up your face.

I look forward to seeing more of your posts in the future as you have now formally and officially commenced your own personal style journey. I'm sure you'll find it lots of fun. As a word of advice, posting WiW threads can be rather addictive, so consider yourself warned!

ButterflyLady

(website)

Veteran

You look gorgeous in those colours! I can't advise on the pant length (I posted a thread asking about this recently, with loads of photos, and I am in the process of shortening quite a few pairs, after the advice I got here!), but I like the combination of colours (pants, top, cardigan).

I think you have quite 'neutral' colouring, which is why when you had your colours done, they couldn't 'place' you neatly in one category. I am similar (a warm-ish skinned blonde) and have a swatch book made up of various different 'categories'!

Suz

(website)

Veteran

Thank you, everybody! What a great community. I was nervous...so nervous that I bit my husband's head off when he asked why our daughter was taking a picture of me. Poor guy.

Re the pants: I won't alter them because it's not worth the money (they are $10 thrift store pants, bought just so I would have something to put on.)

By the way, I consider my current wardrobe, apart from a very few pieces, an "experimental" wardrobe, because it is mostly thrifted, or culled from what I already had (some altered, some not). So it is okay to tell me to ditch stuff and what to replace it with! I really am starting from nothing and at this point just throwing together stuff that is really, really inexpensive, and hoping to learn this way.

Anyway, even if I don't alter, I like the idea of rolling them up to experiment with the length. But you know what? I'm just about 100% convinced that "clam" length pants are not going to work on me at all. The shortness in my legs is mostly in the lower leg rather than the thigh. So there isn't that much territory to play with. In the past, I've found that any pant that hits anywhere except the near the ankle is just horrible. But I'll roll and take pics, and get your thoughts. I totally agree that pictures tell a very different story from the mirror and it is SO enlightening! That is a brilliant feature of this site!

I agree, clams or even ankle pants might work better with a different shoe, a lower vamp and higher heel...but my eye has not yet got used to heels with super-casual outfits. A wedge, yeah (these shoes actually have a small wedge). But not heels. And it's not just my eye that rebels; the fact is, I walk almost everywhere, so overall I vote for team flats, at least for casual days. (I do like platforms, though, and can wear them.)

In the past, I never could wear to-the-knee shorts, either. I am not sure now if they will work with my new shape, but they used to look dreadful on me. I guess it makes sense in a way, if I'm right that my leg length is in the thigh vs. the calf...to stop the pant at the knee could make the calves look stumpier.

Hmmm. Maybe there is a reason I've mostly voted Team Skirt vs. Team Pants in summer?

Still, I really do need a casual pant look that works for the summer months; skirts are lovely and cool and I'm comfortable in them but they are not always perfect for the playground!

Thanks for your vote of confidence on the orange tank! The one value of that colour consultation is that I found out I'd actually been picking pretty much unerringly for myself for many years. Also, I did make a new discovery: plum tones, which I'd never really tried for some weird reason. (Weird, because I like the colour, just never thought it was "me.")

By the way, my skin tone reads warmer in the photos than it really is, although I do have a bit of warmth now due to being outside; I'm one of those blondes who (without SPF) burns then tans, not the kind who never tans or the kind who tans instantly.

Thanks again, wise women! I will keep honing!

Mo

(website)

Veteran

Just wanted to add that I never wore knee length shorts before. I had short shorts and I had capris, and nothing in between. Well, those days are gone! I did actually have a $10 pair of capris altered to be more bermuda length (I am a super bargain hunter so that wasn't an easy call). I've been wearing them to death so far this summer!!
So, yes, try them rolled up and see how you feel. But I would caution against outright discounting the notion of altering inexpensive purchases - you may give them a whole new second life and get tons more use out of them.

MsMary

Veteran

I think everybody's got you sorted out with the advice, so I'll just say congratulations on your first WIW, welcome to YLF, and man! You look great in that bright color!!

Jonesy

Veteran

Yay for your first WIW! I think you should definitely consider shortening the pants to just below knee length (capri) or just above (bermuda). I'll bet they would look really cute and you would get lots of wear out of them. Here are two recent posts from forum members re. shortening their pants, just for inspiration :). Both women are petite (I think):

http://youlookfab.com/welookfa.....o-bermudas

http://youlookfab.com/welookfa.....hort-of-it

Suz

(website)

Veteran

Jonesy, thank you so much for those links! They are VERY instructive. I love those blue and white striped pants altered!

And Mo, you are absolutely right..just because I paid a pittance doesn't mean I shouldn't get some life out of the pants if I can. I will roll and we can see what we think. Thank you!

Carolyn

Love the outfit! You really are beautiful! I too have a love of cropped/capri pants and have quite a collection. I'm trying to wean myself off of them slowly! I don't think my eye is trained yet to "see" what is so unflattering about them but hopefully it will come with time

christy

Veteran

Congrats your first WIW! It's a little stressful the first time, isn't it? The ladies have given you some great ideas, so I don't have anything to add except to have fun trying new silhouettes, especially while you are starting out. You might find that something you've always thought you couldn't do really just needs a few tweaks to be just right for you.

Kristine

Veteran

Nice work on your first WIW! It looks great, polished but casual.

I'm somewhat similar in coloring (although my hair is darker) and, although I only put so much stock in it, I settled on a soft autumn. I always thought autumn meant warm colors, but cool colors look better on me. The orange definitely works here but I think in part because there's only a little showing.

http://www.prettyyourworld.com.....utumn.html

Vix

Veteran

I've already welcomed you elsewhere but congrats on your first post with "real" clothes!

I hate to nitpick, but I'm with the others re cropped pants for you.

I *would* say that if you've been dying to wear a light-colored gladiator-type sandal then it wouldn't hurt to try them with these pants. You might be able to create a longer leg line that way (and I know you said that's something you're interesting in exploring).

tarzy

Veteran

I wonder if your coloring is similar to forum member San?

I remember she had the same problem - could never figure out if she was "cool" or "warm." I think she changed her hair color and that made all the difference.

Hopefully she'll weigh in!

kitty400

Welcome and congrats on your first WIW! Those are great colors on you I tend to agree with everyone else not a huge fan of the cropped pants but can't wait to see those pants rolled

rae

(website)

Veteran

Everyone else has the advice down, but welcome to WIW!

Suz

(website)

Veteran

Very interesting, Kristine, about the "soft autumn." I followed the link and know that's definitely not me. The colours in the examples make me look my absolute worst.

I think the photos are making me look a lot warmer toned than I am in real life. Or maybe I was just blushing!

So. I experimented with rolling the pants today. No go. Unless I go all the way to shorts, that is. I am not sure pics will work because they just look strange rolled (it mucks them up in the thigh so the line is hard to judge). But if I can manage some, I will. Stay tuned!

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Another congrats from me! You look radiant in that orange, Suz. Just gorgeous!

I am on Team Leg Shortening here unless the hems are tapered and you wear heels. The low contrast colour does help in this regard, but it's not enough. I 100% vote shorten and taper. Or just shorten.

Suz, I am basically sticky about one thing - lengths! And I am very consistant about how I feel about lengths. I hold very strong opinions about wardrobe items that are too short or too long. Of course, it's just my opinion - and fashion and style is very subjective. So do take my opinion for what it is worth to you

Look forward to seeing more great outfits!

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