Wardrobe conundrum: flowy vs. fitted

cciele

So for the last year my wardrobe has been tending toward fitted bottoms (leggings, skinny jeans) and loose, flowy tops. This is because I've been trying to hide my expanded waistline.

But now I've suddenly acquired three pairs of wide-legged pants: the two from Anthro and a white (!) pair from ATL. Plus, I have some wide-legged jeans languishing about in my closet. I don't really have any fitted tops, besides a few layering t-shirts and camis and two new Sweet Pea tops, so I feel like I now have to build another wardrobe around the wide-legged bottoms!

My questions are: should I stick with one basic silhouette? If I go with wide-legged pants, are there tops that would work with both them and the more fitted bottoms? Do I need a separate flowy-bottom/fitted-top set of clothes? Of course, if money and closet space were no object, I wouldn't have as much as a problem What do you guys do in regards to your wardrobe?

16 years ago

Dressing

11 replies

Latest reply was from cciele

Louise

Veteran

Would belting some of your flowy tops work might give a leaner silhouette. I'm not speaking from experience so i could be totally off the point x

16 years ago

shiny

Veteran

You can wear flowy tops over flowy pants. I do it all the time! The trick however is that you absolutely have to put a structured layer over the top, either a blazer that is fitted in the shoulders and waist, or a cardigan that you button or belt to create a waist (I particularly like the look with cropped cardis), or a vest. Don't worry if the top is longer than the structured layer - the top will look all floaty underneath but the cardi/blazer vest will reign in the volume and make it work with the wide pants, while still disguising the tummy. Experiment!

However for warm weather, if you can't layer then yes, you're probably going to need some fitted tops.

16 years ago

cciele

Veteran

Loulou -- I'll have to give belting a shot! I've never been big on belts, but if I've learned one thing on this forum, it's never say never

shiny -- That's a great tip about wearing a structured layer over flowy tops! I will definitely experiment, although I don't have much in the way of structured blazers and cardis at the moment. Hm, I like the idea of a vest!

16 years ago

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Shiny, why can’t I remember you ever wearing a flowy top over flowy pants! Do you mean wearing boot cuts with an empire cut top?

CC, it’s imperative to wear a structured top with wide-legged pants. And to Loulou’s point, a belt on a flowy top is ample structure with the wide-leg (clever Loulou). You don’t need to wear a structured top with boot cuts though. I wear a voluminous welted top with bootcuts and it works just fine with a super tailored shoulder line. I hope that makes sense.

Loulou, when are we going to see more of your creative funky style WITH those fab new hats!

16 years ago

Louise

Veteran

Sadly Angie the weather has turned for the worst so unable to wear my hats (except round the house managed to get the wellies out today though! (i'm sure the weather does the opposite of what i buy for!) did finally find a yellow handbag though yay x

16 years ago

shiny

Veteran

Angie, I was thinking about my COH Huttons, which are a trouser cut. Technically they are fitted through the thigh then they flare out. So maybe it's not the same thing? But you may not remember because lately I've been wearing the straight legs and skinnies instead!

16 years ago

Chris

Active Member

I would think the second of your new Anthro pants (with the buttons at waist) is wide but the sky check was not really a wide leg was it? I can't remember exactly.

You do want to avoid wide on wide overall (cause that's just schulmpy looking) but look at the tops you wear with skirts as a start - the closer fit tops.

I never think belts right off cause I have a short apply waist and belting is awful on me but in theory I agree.

16 years ago

cciele

Veteran

Angie -- that makes sense, with the bootcuts.

Chris -- hm, you are right! I just measured the sky checks; they're 18" at the bottom, like a boot-cut diameter, whereas the other Anthro pants are 22". And my new white pants are 20". Unfortunately I don't wear skirts, so I don't have any tops that are appropriate!

That leads me to my main issue:
- With wide-leg pants (and skirts), should I just not go there?

In some fashion/style guide, I believe I read that one should only buy clothes that work with something you already own. I can see not having two separate wardrobes (I recall shiny saying something like this regarding color). But then again, it seems like you would be limiting yourself if you don't try something different every now and then.

Anyhow -- thanks for listen to me babble and try to figure this out!

16 years ago

Louise

Veteran

Could you post some pictures of some combinations perhaps with a fitted blazer or belt over the top of the flowy top x

16 years ago

shiny

Veteran

Can we see you in some pics of the new pants to compare the two silouhettes? You say you have a few fitted tops that will go with wide-legged pants; use those for the photo session, so we can compare that silouhette to your usual one.

I will say that I do like wide pants, and before I discovered jeans, that was my go-to silhouette for work, because all I wore then was dress pants. As long as they fit in the butt and thighs and aren't too wide - the scale has to be right for my height. I like the look because since I trend towards inverted triangle I thought it balanced out my figure and made me look more curvy on the bottom, and more hourglassy. But I also think this silhouette works great for those who are pear shaped too (the type that drop straight down from the widest part of the hip - I think you call this a column style pant?). I don't know if Angie agrees or not - curious!

(Firefox is trying to correct my spelling -says it's "silhoutte" not silouhette, but that looks wrong to me, hmmmm...)

As for separate wardrobes, I think there is some wisdom in "uniform" dressing and sticking to shapes that flatter the best. However, I'm afraid I just get too bored and need the variety. And I do think my shape is somewhat in between and not all that extreme in any particular direction (I'm not quite an inverted triangle, sort of an hourglass, kind of an apple... and really neither long or short waisted)... which means I can get away with a lot of different silouhettes. They may not be "ideal" but I can certainly get away with them. The only extreme thing about me is my short height. (Oh, and lack of closet space... hee hee!)

16 years ago

cciele

Veteran

loulou and shiny -- yes, I will post some outfits, but it might be a few days since my 3-year-old is out from school next week (goes back to summer school the following week) and she has low tolerance of watching mommy try on outfits

Thanks for your offer to compare and comment on them!

Oh, and shiny -- that's an interesting analysis of your shape. I had wondered how you look good in different silhouettes, and that makes a lot of sense since your shape is in between! I think my shape may be similar to yours but a little broader (correct me if I am wrong!), so you would make a good "role model" for me

16 years ago

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