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Editing "dated" pants and jeans

nemosmom

Veteran

I have the next week off of work, and the kids are out of school, so I am taking advantage of the cloudy, damp, COLD weather to edit my pants and jeans in preparation for spring.

In addition to things that don't fit, or are worn out, I have cleared out all low-rise jeans, leg-sucking jeggings and flares, and any with details that no longer fit my style (white stitched pockets). I am left with 22 (yes, twenty-two) pairs of individual denim bottoms (no dupes), 8 different trousers/pants that I believe still fit, best as I can tell... There may be some hem/don't hem or shoe pairing questions, but I'll save those for a later post....

In lieu of photobombing the forum with 30 pictures of my pants, I want to ask if there are other features or cuts or washes I should be looking for that immediately scream "dated"? Like, are bootcut full-length trousers still current? Flat front chinos? Wide-leg linen pants? Released hem jeans? Coated denim? Boyfriend jeans?

General

36 replies

Latest reply was from nemosmom

cjh

(website)

Veteran

I have seen all those named styles at retail within the last few weeks, so my analysis would be that nothing is not currently current. Of all those in your list, boyfrjeans might be the easiest to avoid.

Janet

(website)

Veteran

I was eyeing my boyfriend jeans too -- I've had them for quite a few years and they are not frequently worn, but I do find them handy for around-the-house wear or really casual days when I am doing work tasks like framing that involve a bit more activity and may be a little messy -- the looseness makes them comfortable and I don't care if they get more distressed.

I think bootcut full-length anything is a modern classic as long as the rise is not too low. I feel like the only thing that truly looks a little out of step right now are very low rises. Coated denim seems like something that may be part of a signature style (leather look for people who always crave a bit more edge), but not exactly trendy ATM. Chinos are classic, as are wide-leg linen pants, as far as I'm concerned.

Janet

(website)

Veteran

Oh, meant to add... To my eye, seriously distressed and very holey denim looks dated, but I sure see plenty of it at retail. I'm done with it, though. Light distressing is OK. And I love released hems (I have a couple of DIY'ed pairs) because so many jeans are too short on me and this hem treatment makes them more wearable for me.

Runcarla

Veteran

Yes, released hems still look good to me. Saw a woman today with slightly wider legged jeans with released hems and a medium to low block heel - square toed shoe (black). She had a black waterfall sweater over a ditsy floral on black boho shirt, shoulder length golden blonde hair and black hornrimmed glasses. She looked fabulous.

nemosmom

Veteran

cjh - thank you!

Janet - I have a love/hate relationship with my boyfriend jeans. They are SO comfy but can lean sloppy... I feel like I'm not seeing flat-front pants; more pleated front or otherwise relaxed/mom jean-ish in the hip area... I haven't been shopping for them, so maybe that's it...

I too am done with overly distressed denim. I love released hem and have a DIY pair that get a lot of wear.

nemosmom

Veteran

Ooh Runcarla - that sounds like a fab outfit!

Janet

(website)

Veteran

I don't care how much pleated front jeans and pants are trending -- me and my hips are staying far away from those! Flat-front pants FOREVER.

Sal

Veteran

I think it is a matter of personal style and taste over your remaining pairs..... and fit of course.

I would try them all on and see how you feel. My guess is that there will be a number you clearly love, some you are ready to let go of (orphans maybe) and some you don't know.

My boyfriend jeans became too ripped last year and I converted them to gardening shorts. But I haven't replaced them.

nemosmom

Veteran

Janet - YES!!! I always feel like I look pregnant in pleated front pants...

Sal - I suspect in this day of "anything goes" where fashion is concerned it is likely more about fit and feeling. Maybe it's time to be more critical on the 'feeling' part. Thank you!

Sal

Veteran

At the moment here in retail I have seen

wide crops
slimmer crops
skinny jeans
distressed jeans
chino style
paperbag waist style
palazzo style pants
coloured jeans
coated style jeans
dungarees
released hem jeans
Mom style jeans/
Drop crotch/harem style
etc

The only thing I am not really seeing is the good classic work trouser....almost mens's style, full length. I love this style and have been keeping a loose look out for it without success.

I am not into distressed jeans (practical reasons) and dropped crotch (aesthetic reasons). I would give all the rest a go - even dungarees!

Anonymous

There's a little of everything at retail it seems (aka the jumble sale)! Are there any you feel you're over? Colors you're not stoked about? Poor condition-seams coming apart, fabrics too sheer, etc....

Helena

Veteran

Hiya, good job with phase 1 of downsizing your collection! I think everything you mention sounds current (what Janet said), so I agree with Sal - time to tune into what you really enjoy wearing. See which ones you grab naturally over the next few weeks. And if there's a pair you like but don't reach for, maybe do an outfit lab on the forum! As for the chinos, I feel like those might look fresh this spring ... Seeing a lot of them around. Maybe try rolling or cuffing them?

unfrumped

Veteran

I have been slowly culling as I don’t seem to be able to do the instant “ joy” assessment.
I suggest:
1) be even more critical of fit.
2) compare styles and be thinking of your signature/ timeless style, and which things you just keep coming back to , vs it was a “ trend” or experiment that doesn’t grab you now even if fits.
3) try some on with your tops and toppers as outfits to see if it’s a great outfit- maker vs more looks good in isolation. Or if you love it enough to buy things to go with it.

Ask the questions such as,
Is this the perfect..( bootcut Jean, etc) , or am I secretly still looking for a better version?
What do these pants DO for me?
( make a sharp interview outfit, go with my favorite boots, work in specific temperatures, etc)
Would I buy these again if I found in store or if these got destroyed?
Do I wear them just because they’re there, but prefer these others and feel happier in other outfits?
Am I ever going to buy pants again? ( likely yes) So, getting rid of which ones will open space or imagination for better style, fit, quality, fun?

nemosmom

Veteran

Sal and suntiger - YES! There seems to be just about everything out there. I've culled those pieces with condition issues, I think a deeper dive is in order.

torontogirl - Yes, time to get more critical for sure. Chinos would be quite fresh - mine may all be skinnies, which could explain why I'm not reaching for them....

unfrumped - I struggle with the "joy" assessment as well; those are fantastic questions to ask, thank you.

Time to jump back in the closet for a deeper dive. Thank you everyone for taking time to add your input!

Anonymous

I'm following along with great interest here, as my jeans collection is admittedly out of date , and too big. I've whined about jeans here on the forum too many times so I won't do it again now. I'm following your lead and going through my collection this weekend in preparation for moving next week - and getting rid of the hole-y and overly distressed skinnies, and any boyfriend jeans still lingering around. I loved BF jeans for their comfort and slouch factor, but have to get real about the fact that they never looked quite the way I imagined they would on my very average , middle -aged body. I agree with Janet in that flat front chinos and wide legged linen pants are classics, never to be tossed unless they no longer fit.

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Check fit
Check wear & quality
TRY THEM ON - no guessing
Assess how you feel wearing them. Your current opinion about the look is what counts.
Put aside the pairs you aren't feeling and assess WHY.

Here to help every step of the way.

Marilyn

Veteran

Following with interest. I'm currently doing this as well....deciding what to part with and what I need for replacements. I've already, sadly, removed what used to be my 3 favourite pairs of jeans. I'm finding the rise to be too low....I guess my hips are a bit more fleshy than they were a year ago and I hate that little bump above the waistband. A bit higher rise skims over that area and is much more forgiving.

nemosmom

Veteran

LisaP - I have the hardest time letting go of bf jeans... different washes and lengths and I love the way they feel and fit, but again I am not reaching for them. UGH. Why are pants so hard???

Marilyn - I hear you on the low rise! One of my most cherished pairs I just put in the donate bag because the rise was too low. I don't wear them in colder weather because they are cropped (2"+ above the ankle), but it seems like I lived in them last year. I pulled them out to wear yesterday and was fine until I sat down - whoa!! They felt VERY low and "fleshy" compared to the jeans I've been wearing this winter.

Angie - thank you for being here I am so very grateful!

jussie

Veteran

Good grief I hope flat fronts stay in to some degree. I need those babies.
Remember cargo pants? They’re out... that much I can say.
Woven joggers still seem to be sort of half in... lucky for me.
Good luck with the clean out.

nemosmom

Veteran

jussie - you wear flat fronts so beautifully! I like the new wave of woven joggers, but the lengths always feel off to me... I love cargo pants and still have one pair - Maybe I could demote them to yard wear...

krishnidoux

Veteran

I just wanted to add that I have had a seemstress take in the waist on some of my favorite jeans and it changed everything. I realized then I hadn't really known what Angie was talking about when she was speaking of fit, until I saw and felt what it was like to have a pair of denim truly fit me around the waist. For me, it literally changed how the whole garment sits on my body. When previously I had thought my thighs looked somewhat weirdly wider in a given pair, for example, I realized that I was not crazy. It was due to the garment sitting too low on petite me (we're not talking BF style low, but really something almost indetectable to the naked, untrained eye that was mine); a slight curve in the cut, designed to compliment and follow the female hip curve, had slipped offset lower than supposed to. As a result, not only did my thighs appear a bit bigger, but my hips looked narrower, which amplified the illusion. Once the seamstress took in just an inch or two at the waist, suddenly the whole piece didn't look like it was the same garment! And suddenly I had hips, suddenly my thighs were back to their normal size. Not to mention the upgrade in the comfort.
I wanted to share this experience with you as you are courageously and smartly editing your denim collection. It might make a difference for you too.

(Let me add that the jeans I'm talking about are not from cheap brands; this was happening on expensive 100-200$ pairs that were, in all other apsects, my true size. It's just that you never get true true fit, until you hve someone adjust it on you).

kkards

Veteran

i'm actually finding boyfriend/slouchy jeans looking really fresh right now, but...with a high/higher rise....i'm on the hunt for the perfect pair...
also ligher wash
and cargo is back.....

Gretchen

Veteran

I think this is going to end up being a matter of your personal taste vs trends. I’m retiring skinnies and ankle jeans now, even though both are still all over the market. I’m just more in the mood for higher crops or wider cuts. But that’s what works for me, and everything is available right now!

Plus 1 on thinking about a seamstress visit. DD just took 2 pairs in to be adjusted at the waist to avoid the dreaded slouch at the stomach. It’s amazing how much that helps!

Vix

Veteran

Hi Nemosmom --

Thought of you when I saw Tucker's spring looks...on the Tops page there were any number of jean styles.

(see just a couple below!)

So advice upthread plus your gut should get to you a great place. Happy editing!

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LaPed

Veteran

It seems like anything goes right now. I'm someone who craves variety so I tend to hang onto whatever fits well and is comfortable regardless of the trends, especially with things cycling in and out of fashion so quickly now. I'm feeling very over skinny fits, especially with lower rises. I love a high rise, but now that high rise is becoming pervasive, I am more excited about lower rises, especially if the fit is loose and slouchy. I actually think that "boyfriend" look is going to make a resurgence, but in chino fabrics rather than denim. I have some olive chinos from a couple years ago that I'm glad I held onto despite being some of my lowest-rise pants.

My other thought is that cropped and ankle-bearing everything is starting to feel a little tired. I'm liking full lengths, even a little scrunch or pooling at the ankle, which would've seemed blasphemous a year ago. Less Audrey Hepburn, more Diane Keaton, IYKWIM. Today I'm wearing really old, somewhat oversized, straight-legged khaki utility pants because they suddenly feel relevant after several years of being uninteresting to me. I never know how much of this is the zeitgeist and how much is just me, so take it with a grain of salt.

Janet

(website)

Veteran

La Ped, I am with you on feeling a bit tired of EVERYTHING being ankle-baring and craving full lengths (as evidenced by my recent quest to find new jeans in a full-length straight leg), and on some slightly slouchy chino-type pants, which I really like for spring and summer as they feel breezier than denim.

I’m test-driving two of the three pairs of straight-leg jeans that worked for me, as I wear them around the house today — I already cut tags and committed to one pair. I’m liking both of the others well enough that I’m thinking of keeping all three and letting go of another of my old pairs of calf-sucking skinnies since I’m not as crazy about them anymore.

Anonymous

LaPed and Janet: you two are stressing me out with the cropped pant length side- eye . I can’t handle full length pants - and love crops ( NOT CAPRIS ) because they make me feel sparkier than a full length pant does . I feel like I look like a man when I wear full length jeans ( or cargos or chinos ( unless they are skinnies , which are never “ calf sucking “ on me ) . I’m worried that I’m totally out to lunch on this .

Janet

(website)

Veteran

Lisa, I thought maybe I was the one out to lunch and was relieved to see La Ped feels the same way! It always seems to me that everyone here on the forum wears crops so well, but I never feel like I do. I do a bit of the crop thing (mostly rolling or cuffing full-length pants because it seems most actual cropped pants don’t hit me in the spot I like), but I always feel like crops make me look more squat. I’ve always chalked this preference up to the fact that I have relatively thick legs and it’s usually best for flattery if I keep everything from the waist down as streamlined as possible. I often feel like exposing my ankles gives me that ice-cream cone effect.

kkards

Veteran

count me as one who likes a variety of lenghts....some days i crave cropped and sometimes full lenght....here's to variety and options...

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