Chris987 - totally agree about wearing what makes you feel good. I had capris that I didn't feel good in, and I had stopped wearing shorts. Now I made them into shorts and feel better than when they were capris. You didn't feel great in Bermudas, and feel good in capris. I don't go around eschewing women wearing capris. I just know that I was ready for a change, so I made one.

I'm sure when I walk around there aren't many people giving me side eye whether I'm wearing capris, crop pants, or shorts. Some people may not like the length of my crop pants, think they look like floods, etc., but if I feel they look how I intended, I can be content with that.

I just want to feel my best in whatever I'm wearing, as that makes me happier. At whatever length that is.

I had a "moment" reading this thread, where I realized just how heavily our locations/environment can influence our clothing perceptions. While I can certainly picture what you're talking about, it's not at all the first thought I have when I hear "capri." Living in a Colorado college town, less than an hour from Rocky Mountain National Park, I immediately go to the images below.

I have some similar associations! My Mum likes rock climbing, and on our recent trip to Nepal I was very grateful that she lent me her hiking pants for trekking, as I owned nothing like them.

Agreeing with Echo and Angie. Yesterday I caught myself starting to post, and then deleting what I wrote regarding the use of 'soccer mom' in a derogatory manner. Coached soccer for 6 years...so that certainly qualifies me!

Why do we use some terms in a disparaging way, and not others? Why ridicule hipsters and soccer moms and laud rocker chic and athletic-luxe?

Yes - Jenn's pics are the reason I can't see capris as a bad thing - they are what they are.

Cropped, capri, culotte, clamdigger - it's all confusing to the uninitiated.

Capris are fine. 'Mom capris' are not. It's a fit, or lack thereof. And I'm not exactly sure they're worn by moms, tho they may be worn by women with children and those children voice loud complaints. It's like 'dad rock' (think Billy Joel). I think they come from drugstores and are worn with plastic shoes from the same drug store...and also one of those rayon tops from the same aisle as the foam beer holders. Things that are basically rectangles sewn together on a few of the sides.

...Which is not to say I don't love my fake plastic drugstore shoes - I do. But hey! I wear them with the leggings from the sock aisle...

I remember Russell Smith's article on capris. I was off capris after that. He was equally hard on men.
I don't wear capris, clam diggers, Bermuda shorts, etc. Only for dog walking and that is becoming iffy. My pants go to my ankles or I wear shorts that are mid thigh. Nothing in between. I just don't like the way it looks on me. Fine for others.
My mother did not wear capris. She wore long pants and skirts. DH's mother did not wear capris. She wore skirts and kilts (Scottish). I don't think she ever wore pants. Vildy does have a point. What is wrong with looking like a mom?

I have surprisingly strong feelings about these, and similar feelings about the use of "mom" as a synonym for "less than fashionable," but that's for another day. I have lots of capris, and I wear them all summer long because I am NOT going to wear shorts (above or at the knee) out in public. I have cargo capris from Eddie Bauer in tan, grey, and olive, I have more tailored capris from NY&Co, I have yoga capris from Lands End, and I have capri leggings to wear under a couple sundresses (and I was just looking at some printed ones that this discussion is making me want to go back and buy, just for spite), and I have chino capris in navy-based prints and good old stone colored preppy capris. I'm short, I'm hippy, they skim my hips and midsection and make my short legs feel longer and they seem to balance out my heavy top, especially with the flat shoes I wear 99% of the time. They aren't my mom's Alfred Dunner cropped pants by a long shot. I'm ok with looking like a mom, I just would like to look like a fun mom (and not in a Mean Girls way).

I just bought these pants from EB. They're called crops but they look and fit like capris to me. I haven't tried yet but I think they can work as summer bottoms with tops I have, but if I can't I'll use them for hiking pants. I think the sporty cut and fabric make them trendier than the capris I have and never wear. By the way, my mom was way more concerned with fashion than I am and would never wear capris or shorts.

Thirkelgirl, I just watched Mean Girls for the first time with DD and the images of that "fun mom" are rioting in my head right now!! You definitely don't look like her, and thank goodness.

I'm with Echo, Angie, and Carla -- let's have a wider conversation about how/ why and whether we should be using terms like "mom," "mumsy" and the like to talk about fashions we don't care for. This is not about mud slinging. I fear I may have started this-- it was me who worried about looking like my mother "in the worst possible way" the other day! (Having said that, I also have fond positive memories of my mother's style.)

I think what we really mean to say is that some articles of clothing worn by some people imply a lack of effort or attention — a complete lack of interest in style. And as people who care about design and aesthetics, that pains us. But it's never really the article itself -- it's always how it is styled and who is wearing it. And it is all relative. On some bodies, capris are going to be more flattering than short shorts or bermudas (and vice versa).

This forum includes members in many different situations and with many goals. Some come after life changes (weight, job, new baby, move, etc.) needing some new direction for their wardrobe. Some have always loved clothes and fashion but it's never seemed to come together for them -- they have a mish mash of stuff that doesn't serve them well and they need to get a handle on how to dress for their real lives. Some have never ever felt stylish or had any interest really in style but have realized that this is costing them in some way, and they want and need help. Some are passionate about fashion and extremely knowledgeable and have a highly developed personal style. Some want to learn how to explore trends without breaking the bank. And so on.

Where am I going with all this? (Not enough coffee yet, ha!) I guess i am just saying that there is certainly nothing wrong with capris, ever, for certain people in certain situations. If you are hanging at your cottage with your kids and capris are the most practical and comfortable thing you can wear, then wear them with pride and put some effort into styling them if you feel like it (or decide to wear them into town on a grocery run). And look for great ones like the Zellas Angie pointed out.

And if you think capris look tacky on you, then don't wear them!

As others have said, the associations also seem dependent somewhat on geography. Capris make a lot of sense for some places and activities. Taken away from those contexts perhaps they make less sense, especially if not styled with any effort. But that is also true of shorts, skirts, crops, long pants, or really, any article of clothing!!

I don't think there are really too many hard and fast "rules." That can make it difficult to make decisions and means we have to train our own eyes.

Let me be clear... my question had nothing to do with being a mom, or looking like a mom, or being disparaging towards moms. I was just trying to get a handle on the style of capris that many find unfashionable. It's not a term I coined, it's a term I've seen several times, here and in other blogs.

I have no intention of giving mine up either, I wear gear/casual ones to the soccer field in the evenings, and in the morning/evenings at the cottage on the weekends, and I wear dressier ones to work - they are great when you don't want a skirt, and pants are just too much. So I'd prefer to wear ones that are considered flattering, than dowdy. I'm trying to get a handle on what some consider makes them dowdy.

Great feedback everyone! I just don't have time to respond to every one individually, but I do appreciate your stories and thoughts on the matter.

Suz, you rock.

And my mother gardens in skirts.

To answer your question, when I think of capri pants, I think of what almost every woman ( especially over 40) is wearing on a Saturday to Sam's Club or Walmart in our area with athletic sneakers or flip-flops and a stretched out tee. Styling is important, also where the pant ends on the leg. I definitely have some lengths that are unflattering. The frayed hem, to me, can make a difference in the look, as can ankle strap footwear.

OK, having also felt the confusion, I read this thread with interest and am still trying to clarify in my own mind the difference between outdated capris and contemporary crops.

The key, I think, is in the relationship between the pant length and top of shoe. If you wear a crop or capri with a shoe, probably a heel, that "closes the gap" as Angie puts it, then you have probably nailed it.

Am I right?

I am sure there are other shoe/pant length combos that work. But I when I was picking someone up at the airport the other day, that is the look that stood out to me as stylish in an "aha" kind of way.

Mom capris?!

I have an image in my head of what Mom capris look like. It has to do with the unflattering fit, not the fact that they're capris. I think the fact that they're referred to as Mom capris is because so many women wear them. My mom did not.

For. what it's worth, I use cropped and capris interchangeably.

I dislike the connotation "mom - whatever jeans,carpi" Moms are fab not drab. As far as the actual item we they are not for me and I find them unflattering. I am really loving this discussion.

LOL, deb, I hear you!

Maybe "mom capris" and "mom jeans" are unfortunate labels attached to clothing, but that's how many people refer to them. I am a mom of 4, and have nothing against moms.

I don't quite understand what a "mom capri" is. I bought these and wear them. I think they are fun and fab!

MY point is that there is a style of capri, regardless of what it is called, that is considered frumpy and not stylish. That is what I'm trying to get to the bottom of.

It seems to boil down to: unflattering length, too straight a leg, and how you style them (like most things fashion, surprise surprise). Which includes the all important shoe.

Deb, that video clip is priceless.

Gigi, those ARE fab. Love them.

Elizabeth -- I get your point. My octogenarian mom, who resides in a year-round warm climate, pretty much lives in capri pants. She is always well coifed and takes time to carefully plan her outfits and accompanying accessories. For someone her age, she looks terrific. That being said, she does dress mostly in the type of capris that we tend to associate with "women of a certain age" (complete with elastic or drawstring waist). Below is a sample of the styles and colors she would likely select. I always associate these types of capris with my mother and her peers. It is not really a "negative" association -- just something I picture them wearing.

I think more of, what Janet said.

More about saggy, elastic waist with too much fabric, poufy, often neither crisp nor flowy, and not fitted for body type.

So sure, there would be " trending" lengths and fits, but somewhere in there is fitting to the persons body type and proportions and includes elements of what tops are worn, what shoes. Then the outfit might not be " cutting edge" but would still look very attractive and not mumsy.

So for me, as a pear and also caring about the Rear View, I might attack it by finding the most conventionally flattering fits ( there being more than one, but some typical styles) and doing more of my trending/ updating with tops, shoes, color combinations.
Folks who can wear any kind of bottoms, including trash bags(!) and look fabulous, would have more options.

That would overlap with long pants, shorts, and skirts

I'm thinking the term came about from moms tending to spend all their cash on their teenage daughters and not putting themselves first as far as spending money on their own clothes.

I therefore encourage all moms to stop buying your teenage daughters all the clothes they want and spend the money on yourselves instead. Then the daughters won't have room to gloat and the rest of the world will quit taking moms' sacrificing as a given and "mom style" will come to mean beautiful and current.

And after we've handled that, since the teenagers won't be the ones getting all the best stuff, as the beautiful moms age, "old lady" style will be honored like it should be as something you earn and grow into, not as the sorry fall from privileged youth.

Haha! Thanks for that, Peri. Brilliant.

Amen, Peri!

And Joy hit the nail on the head with her description. If you've ever shopped at Sam's Club or Walmart, you'll know what she's talking about.

I haven't been to a Sam's Club ever or a Walmart in decades, so I'm not sure what people who shop there wear (what do you wear there, BC or Joy?) but I do go to Lowes to buy potting in soil and Target for paper towels, and I'm a mom and I wear capris there in warm weather, and never with heels. Is that acceptable? I'm so confused, lol.

I held off commenting because these discussions about what is "fashionable" vs. what is "frumpy/soccer-mom/like-my-mother/doesn't care" threads are the least appealing aspect of YLF to me. I totally understand and support the desire to look our best--after all that's why most of us are here--but the judgemental nature of "oh, THIS cropped pant is fashionable while THAT one is soooo old-lady" really get me. As Angie has stated over and over, something can be less current, but still a valid choice.

And who can judge when a woman has "given up"? My always fashionable mother wore Tan Jay outfits in her late eighties because those were the clothes that fit the requirements of her aging body. She was as picky about her prints, styles, and color combinations as any YLF member. To her, classic cuts and careful matching were HER style and no 20-something blogger in ripped jeans and a mix-up of neon prints and stripes would have ever changed her mind.

I really wish we could figure out a more neutral way of providing help on the forum without the poisoned eye digs at women of a certain age who have no desire to wear a rocker-chic outfit.

Gaylene, it's my goal to achieve just that. It brings me back to, "judge the outfit, not the person". We are within our right to not care for an outfit, despite keeping poison eye to a minimum. (You can't take the aesthetics out of fashion and style). But negatively judging a person's persona and motivations based on what they are wearing is a very slippery slope, and a bad idea. And actually, some of the most stylish people I know "of a certain age" are far from rocker-chic.