https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/wiw-and-more-lightbulb-moments-on-neutrals-pants-and-shoes Style Advice for Fashion Lovers en-US Tue, 05 May 2026 00:41:17 +0000 http://bbpress.org/?v=1.0.2 q https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/search.php https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/wiw-and-more-lightbulb-moments-on-neutrals-pants-and-shoes#post-971667 Fri, 05 Jul 2013 23:53:41 +0000 Anonymous 971667@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>This is why I like straight and loose skinny jeans so much. &nbsp;I won't bother with bootcuts and wide trouser legs, at least for now. &nbsp;I have a hard time balancing a wide leg with a small chest. </p> <p>It's good to consider these things. &nbsp;Your musings are good food for thought.</p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/wiw-and-more-lightbulb-moments-on-neutrals-pants-and-shoes#post-971642 Fri, 05 Jul 2013 23:29:26 +0000 Nicole D 971642@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I never knew pants were so difficult until your post! &nbsp;Just kidding. &nbsp;I really love that jacket, styled perfectly with the pants. Very thoughtful post and worth bearing in mind. &nbsp;Maybe this is why I like crops so much. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/wiw-and-more-lightbulb-moments-on-neutrals-pants-and-shoes#post-971632 Fri, 05 Jul 2013 23:17:52 +0000 rachylou 971632@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>That's a really good catch, re. toned-down prints.</p> <p>Pants... pants are so difficult! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/wiw-and-more-lightbulb-moments-on-neutrals-pants-and-shoes#post-971603 Fri, 05 Jul 2013 22:20:46 +0000 catgirl 971603@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I would wear your outfit in a heartbeat! And I love your musings which are helping me gel my own stray thoughts about cohesiveness. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/wiw-and-more-lightbulb-moments-on-neutrals-pants-and-shoes#post-971595 Fri, 05 Jul 2013 22:11:40 +0000 Suz 971595@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I think it totally works...and I like the jacket collar, too. (And now I promise I will shut up about necklines, LOL!)&nbsp;</p> <p>The blouse is a gorgeous color.&nbsp;</p> <p>These are good revelations about pant widths for you, and the way they work with different footwear. Who knew all these little things, eh? It takes so long to figure it all out!&nbsp; </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/wiw-and-more-lightbulb-moments-on-neutrals-pants-and-shoes#post-971458 Fri, 05 Jul 2013 18:24:49 +0000 unfrumped 971458@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Some random discoveries that I hope will help shape my purchases and outfit creations over the next few seasons; maybe will help someone else who wears a lot of&nbsp;work trousers. Plus,&nbsp; a WIW. </p> <p>&nbsp;I have too many prints and not enough solids! I think; and maybethat&nbsp; makes some&nbsp;of my&nbsp;mix-and match goals more difficult, or items less versatile. But I think I know why, maybe! </p> <p>&nbsp;A lot of my prints are fairly “neutral” rather than bright, and some are in nice wovens, like silk. I think I’m drawn to them &nbsp;because I’m trying to achieve something &nbsp;mid-range on the color scale. Solids in&nbsp;woven tops are harder to find in neutral colors other than black or white/cream, and especially in&nbsp; &nbsp;interesting fabrications. It seems harder to find the neutral solids I would like such as a range of medium-toned grays, taupes and certain cool beiges, or even pseudo-neutrals like burgundy. The options in knits are better—think grays&nbsp;and beiges and subdued colors in&nbsp;cashmere or merino (but seldom taupe).</p> <p>&nbsp;Next, pant and shoe aha! moments:</p> <p>&nbsp;In my quest to move away from my&nbsp; schtumpy AT trousers, I found 2 “straight” black pants, one AT and one Louben flat-front from Nordies’, that are narrower by few inches but not skinny. Maybe 16” bottom leg openings. I &nbsp;&nbsp;really like how they look. BUT—they are harder to style with a lot of my shoes, which are high-vamped—oxfords, ankle boots, some chunky slip-ons. Meaning, they’re not tapered so as to scrunch&nbsp; &nbsp;above an oxford or bootie, but not wide enough to flow over for a longish PPL.&nbsp; &nbsp;They even “catch” on loafer-type shoes,&nbsp; but I make do. Low vamped, low&nbsp;heels mean&nbsp;either ballet flats or&nbsp;harder to find 1" full-heel "pump"&nbsp;. This is not a deal-breaker to avoid this type of pant, but it was kind of unexpected fall-out from the straight-not skinny style.</p> <p>&nbsp;Then—after trying on lots of other pants, Theory and others that did not work at all (but I have some slouchy Theyskens’ on order to try something unusual), I made another AT pant discovery after finding 2 pairs—one consignment tags-on deal and one internet order in a nice taupey-gray fabric—aiming to try that color/fabric. Both of these looked more modern and longer-legged on, &nbsp;so I assumed they &nbsp;must also be narrower at the hem, but no, they’re also 20”! BUT—they are narrower through the thigh by a couple inches than are my trouser-style. So, it’s kind of a minimal bootcut, just not very obvious. </p> <p><span>&nbsp;I feel like back to the future—this style&nbsp;may actually be the best&nbsp;for me, and goes&nbsp;back to the universal bootcut, when I thought straight was the answer.I would never have identified these style differences from&nbsp;the catalog descriptions, so it's another eye-opener --how to scope out different styles that may actually be out there.</span>&nbsp;</p> <p>If you’re still reading, thanks; these lightbulb moments helped re-focus me&nbsp;on pants and shoes as a package, and also how they relate&nbsp; &nbsp;to seasons—for example, the black "minimal bootcut" pair above is unlined, and I had targeted it to help my summer options, but it works well with boots; while &nbsp;the AT straight pair &nbsp;is lined and a heavier triacetate or something, so I targeted it as a cool-weather &nbsp;workhorse, but has the narrower leg openings. So I have to keep in mind how to create useful pant-shoe capsules and PPL's with different styles.</p> <p>Meanwhile I wore my track pants&nbsp; --"juxtaposing" slouchy pants and top with dressier flats and jacket. Leith pants, Topshop flecked T, WHBM jacket, Tahari flat. How does it work? I found in daylight the gray and the tweedy jacket don't work so well as in artificial light, but too late.</p>