Taking an orphan out for a spin

Well, Joy -- your orphan post has had me thinking. These shorts have been sitting in my closet with the tags on for a few years now. Probably purchased end of season and grown out of by the next...

I do not wear pale pink but I think I bought these a) because at the time I could get them on my body, and b) I thought they might work with a pretty little yellow floral shell that has some pink in the pattern.

I've worn the shell quite a bit this summer, but the shorts just fit me now. Paired today with a very oversized lightweight hoodie that has seen quite a few wears over the last two summers. It isn't particularly striking, but it takes a bit of the sweetness out of the pink and bookends my sandals. For vanity reasons I still need a loose top to skim the muffin top, and for temperature reasons I wanted a sleeve without having to wear a topper.

Anyway, thanks for the inspiration, and thanks to anyone who decides to look. Comments and suggestions always welcome. Wearing this to duck our for an hour or two of b&m shopping if its' not too crowded when I get there.

PS -- I've also dressed to match the bruises on my knees -- sustained in a spectacular fall Friday eve. Tripped on a cord and fell squarely on my hands and knees - wine glass in hand. (And no, it wasn't the wine's fault. I was about two sips in!) Wine splattered everywhere but both my knees and the glass survived the fiasco intact.

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4 years ago

Stagiaire Fash

Veteran

Awesome—getting the shorts into circulation in a good outfit and the touch of humor about yourself in your writing. Hope you had some wine to use as a painkiller.

I don’t think of myself as a pastels kind of person, but it turns out I wear quite a bit of pink. I often pair it with burgundy. I like the not-in-the-red-family-at-all way you’re wearing it here. Nice bookending with the sandals. Did you see the discussion of Rosewood (I think that’s the name) in another post? You might like that too.

Kate

I like the way you de-sugared your pink shorts with the hoodie and sandals, Carol. Good use of an orphan!

Anonymous

Good for you for giving those pink shorts new life. Pink is not my color either but it is best worn away from the face. The oversized hooded jacket does a great job of downplaying the shorts. Your knee bruises can be a conversation starter .

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

That soft pink is cute with your grey hair! Nice to see an orphan in action, and styled in a way that makes it feel fab for you. I bet that soft pink brings out the pink in your cheeks too.

CarolS

SF -yes, I did pour a fresh glass once the first was cleaned off the floor. Needed it very much by then. Like you, I have a complicated relationship with pastels and "pretty" colours. In certain mixes, in certain ratios, depending on what they're with, I'll give them a go. But I cannot go too sweet.

Kate -- thank you! Not an exciting WIW, but it did the job for today.

Joy -- the bruises have intensified -- now leaning toward shades of wood rose (is that the name of the colour?) and olive. Perfect for fall. Pun intended.

ophelia

I agree w/ Angie-the pink looks great w/ your hair color. I’ve noticed that on quite a few women w/shades of gray or white in their hair. It looks so much better on me now my hair is a mix of salt & a little pepper. Re-think pink?
I love pink & don’t bother w/ associations of sweetness.

Thanks, Angie! It's fun to fit into these poor little orphan shorts at all, and wearing them out in public was an interesting experiment. I've brought in small amounts of a deeper pink lately, but really haven't played with pale pink.

Ophelia -- thank you. It's interesting how the change of hair colour changes what works on us! I actually brought home a deeper pink top that I thought might be cute with them, so I guess I am opening up my thinking already.

Ooooh I bet it will be pretty!
And yes, for me at least, everything changed! It was & still is bewildering.

I like the idea of pink for you - and this was a great outfit for shopping today ! Sorry about the “ incident “ - those hurt , don’t they ?

Thanks, Lisa. And yes, both pride and knees were wounded. Thankfully my kitchen floor is LVT and not ceramic.

Preppy Pear

Those shorts are great on you - way to bring them out! This makes me think that you should wear more shorts!

Thanks, PP! This is the first time I've worn shorts in at least four or five years.

Windchime

Super cute shorts on you and I like the casual styling with your hoodie and sandals.

Sorry about the wine incident; a few years ago I managed to spill most of a glass of red wine on my almost brand new light blue jeans (also not the wine’s fault).

Thanks Windchime. Why is it that red wine is so drawn to new and light coloured clothing?

Jaime

I spilled a glass of red wine on my wedding dress - and it was rented! Thankfully a resourceful friend completely removed the stain on the spot using white wine or sparkling water mixed with some sort of magic.
Anyway, knees are more important than wine glasses and I am glad you survived intact. Love the peek of your gorgeous hair and grey and pink are a excellent combination on you!

Thanks so much, Shevia -- and thank goodness for your friend's quick thinking!

Star (Lise)

Your shorts are great, I would wear them. I am not into sweet pink myself but do find blush pink very versatile. I mix blush with cinnamon, olive, navy and yes to mixing it with gray! I had been off most pinks for quite a long time but now that my hair is more silver I am starting to embrace it once again.

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