Stockings and ankle pants? - YouLookFab Forum

Hello fab ones. I have enjoyed reading and learning from you for a few weeks and now have joined you.

I would love your perspectives on a style dilemma that has haunted me for a few years: Should I attempt the ankle bone-exposing pant?

The problems:
-I am shortish (5'3) with proportionally short legs. The ankle pant look will never be my favorite for this reason, but the darn things won't go away, and I try to stretch my comfort zone for new styles that are more than seasonal trends. (For the shape and age barometer, I'm a not-very-curvy 4P-6P, and in my early 50s.)

-Must wear compression stockings-they are nude, black or dark brown depending on what I'm wearing. They have reinforced toes and heels, so no open-toe shoes, sandals, mules or sling-backs. Also, no shorts or sundresses or very casual summer skirts, which would be incredibly weird with stockings.

-I only wear flats, or up to 1.5" heel but not for every day. This removes the chic lengthening higher-heeled shoe as a remedy for the leg-shortening effect or an offset to the dated effect of the stockings.

I'm not (I should say "no longer") self-conscious about the nude stocking visible in, say, ballet flats, which expose the top of the foot. I also wear business and sharp casual skirts and dresses with the nude stockings (unless black or dark brown work better in a tights sort of way).

But in this day of bare legs for everyone almost everywhere, how odd or dated would the nude stockinged ankle bone (and whatever else of the foot the shoe leaves uncovered)?

To me it seems not as bizarre as shorts and Keds would be with stockings, but not as acceptable as dresses or full length pants with a discreet stocking. It's somewhere between, but I can never decide where.

Nude is close to flesh tone for me, by the way, but we all know a stocking as opposed to bare skin.

I may try ankle pants with booties this winter. No issue with stockings then, and if the pant and shoe are the same color or tone I would mostly keep my leg length.

But back to the question: how would you view a stockinged exposed ankle in an ankle pant, or ankle and lower calf in a cropped pant for that matter?

Yay for Wear the stockings with ankle or cropped pants and covered-up flats or low heels.

Nay for Just forget about the ankle pants, they'll go away one day.

Thank you.

12 years ago

FlorenceFearne

Active Member

I have tattoos on the tops of my feet and on my ankles that I don't always feel like showing off, so I try hard to avoid too much bare foot/ankle myself. But crop pants are very much in style. Here are a few options. If you want to wear crops in the summer you could wear the nude tone, then look at a higher vamped mesh bootie (#1-2) or even something similar to my beloved Born sandals (#3). That way less stocking is visible, but the effect is still summery and "barefoot." You could also wear a low vamp with the black/brown and layer a patterned trouser sock over top like in #4-5. I love that look, and wear it all the time myself. Finally, you could make like Kristine from 'Kristine or Polly', layer some brightly colored socks over your stockings, and let those peek out. (#6.)

All of that said, if you want to wear an outfit that exposes some ankle bone, I wouldn't let your stockings hold you back.

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Pawprints

Florence, what creative ideas.

This fall I am going to try the layered patterned socks-I love the net and diamond effects you showed.

Maybe I'll even try the bright sock effect between bootie and rolled jeans. If I don't try new things I'll never know and my style won't grow.

I will also look out for low-heeled mesh effect booties for moderate weather. They're new to me and I would love to try them on if the exist without the high heel.

I love your stylish solutions, and knowing I'm not the only one working around unusual ankle pant challenges. Thanks for those photos. I will be studying them while I try things out this fall.

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