Ask Angie: "A" silhouette pants

I dress mostly by silhouette and just read the links thread where there is an article predicting a major shift in pants style toward a wider leg slightly A shape. The retailers are very excited about this since they hope it will necessitate the purchase of a whole new wardrobe in order to have tops and third layers to match this change. eeeK

Is it possible for you to offer a blogpost hitting the major points of what kind of volume, structure, hem lengths of top pieces will suit this? I believe the article mentions such as crop tops but there's more to wardrobe life than those.

The article shows several non-skinny styles that I'm already wearing and am fine with creating outfits. I already have and wear two pair similar to the A shape but I'd love fresh ideas. The picture in the article shows them with ultra casual tops and I'd enjoy dressier and especially structured, tailored suggestions more. I've worn the style in the summer without a third piece so that is the part that is the most perplexing to me, especially jacket lengths or what other third piece options.

https://qz.com/quartzy/1372046.....ens-pants/

7 years ago

LaPed

Veteran

Hmm, I guess I don't see this as a sudden shift but more of a long-term one. Cropped wide legs and culottes have been gaining popularity for a couple years, and rises have been getting higher at the same time. I feel like it was only a matter of time before people started demanding full-length pants with straight, flared, and wide legs. I think the full-volume midi skirt is part of the same silhouette sea change, just more adaptable to hot weather. I've been seeing a lot more cropped/boxy tops the past year or two, to go with wider/higher-rise bottoms. Tees and layering tops seem, finally, to be getting shorter again (for the past decade they've mostly been waaay too long for me). I haven't yet seen many tailored/fitted shirts and blouses, the kind designed to be fully tucked into a pair of wide-leg trousers, but I imagine they're coming. Workwear is always a couple steps behind casual wear.

One thing I'm curious about is how the trend towards longer, oversized blazers plays into this. I've definitely seen runway looks doing volume-over-volume, long-over-long, but is anyone wearing them that way IRL? My sense is that the long oversized blazers are, for most people, a way to keep their skinny silhouettes feeling current. Personally I'm not opposed to a fully oversized look, but the proportions are tricky. I'm wondering if we'll get another round of shrunken, hip-length blazers in the near future.

Even in the gear/athleisure realm, I'm seeing a lot of alternatives to leggings and tights cropping up -- bootcut yoga pants seem to be coming back, along with soft gaucho styles and slouchy wide leg track pants. The means lots more cropped jackets (motos, bombers, etc) and hoodies that hit at high hip rather than low hip, not so many tunic-length toppers anymore.

Vildy

La Ped yes, I'm wondering about those longer man tailored blazers, too. I quite like them and wear them. And structured dusters, sleeveless or no, sound like a disaster with A line pants.

I look fine in motos but don't own any nor wear them. They've been too ubiquitous for me to get interested in them. I do love bombers and Harrington jackets but they don't love me back. Way too much bulk. Though I did see a wonderful take on the bomber that was in a plus size and the twist was that it was slit up the sides and hung more front and back, thus eliminating all the bulk at the high hip, which is just where I can't have it.

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

I agree with, La Ped. The shift has been infiltrating fashion for a while, and I've been blogging about it for years

There are:

cropped versions
cropped flares
wide crops
wide full lengths
culottes
Palazzos
bootcuts

Vildy, right in line with yesterday's full length bootcut blog post. Did you see it?

https://youlookfab.com/2018/09.....t-is-back/

The full length bootcut is ONE example of an A-line pant/jean - and ALL with mid to high rises. The higher the better. The point is to SHOWCASE the rise - and there in lies the answer to tops. How do you feel about that? Cropped as you mentioned. Tailored tops are tucked. Fluid and oversized tops are semi tucked.

Toppers go right over the lot and can take on just about any silhouette depending on how much structure you want to exude.

Barbara Diane

Angie, for those of us who never tuck or wear cropped tops, what do you suggest we wear with bootcuts?

Thanks Angie, yes, I've been reading right along and in fact had just bought a pair of higher rise bootcuts! And I'm great with tucking. I prefer to indicate the waist and can't wear lower rise, anyway, because they just slide down my (flatter) hips.

cindysmith

The trend for wider pants has been building for a bit now. I first noticed it with the new wave of "palazzo pants" that were less palazzo and more wide leg boho print pants. I also feel like wide leg pants are one of those classic things that might not be "trendy" sometimes but it doesn't look out-of-touch either

Anonymous

I like a shortish top with a welt hem to wear with fuller bottoms when I don't want to tuck. They seem to be available more than last year.

Barbara Diane, a shorter roomier top. OR you can just wear a regular top or tunic over the lot and make the outfit look current in other ways.

Vildy, sounds like you are SORTED

outlaw

Member

Style Fan

Vildy and La Ped, a blogger I follow, Style Bee has been wearing long blazers and dusters with high rise wide-legged pants. I think she may have written about this. She wears this look well but I will pass on it. I prefer a shorter jacket with my "A" silhouette pants.

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Style Fan, I LOVE reading Style Bee! Her budget is way larger than mine (and I'm sure she receives lots of freebies too), but her overall look is so inspirational. I've managed to put together an outfit this week using wide leg crops and a duster-length black vest. I'll write about it in my next weekly tracking challenge post... The main sticking point for me with long toppers is that they're only practical for very short seasonal windows. As soon as I need a rain shell or puffer, a long layer underneath becomes an annoyance. In a dry, mild climate, I'd be all over that look.

Thanks, La Ped and Style Fan for the recommend to look at Style Bee. One thing I'm trying to avoid is looking like something out of the Mr.Natural comic, what with all the visual weight being on the bottom.

I know what you mean Vildy! I have a vision in my head but sometimes I end up looking like something else.
I love reading Style Bee. She is 30 years old but her style is ageless. She definitely has a larger budget than I do but I have purchased a few things because of her recommendations. She lives not far from where I use to live.

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