Wide leg pants - keeper & k/r ETA returning

I posted a while back about looking for breezy pants. I have been successful since then by looking outside my usual brands. I got the palm print pants below from Wit & Wisdom, and the chambray colored linen pants from Amazon. (Finds included as an FYI.)

I thought I was done, but I stumbled on these striped pants from Beach Lunch Lounge at TJ Maxx for $20. I size up, since striped woven pants can be tricky on me, and they fit well and aren't see through I can't find a Find for them, so they're in puctures #1-2, with the usual apologies for my terrible bathroom setup. I ripped the tags to wear them today to entertain some friends who will visit later on (very casual - we may go out to a local pub but will otherwise stay home and play board games). These will be great for my upcoming vacations. SCORE. ETA - that mirror and angle do nothing for me. I swear they're more flattering around the waistband in person.

The k/r is these black Anthro pants (by Maeve). They were backordered for a month and finally just arrived. I didn't want them for my vacation but was curious to try them as a summer work alternative. I kind of like that they're black palazzo pants and feel almost like a skirt. They are split leg on the sides, so hemming them would be too expensive (I had a button front dress hemmed recently and was ABSURDLY overcharged.) So I have to like them as is. I got my husband to take a photo to help with the usual angle issues (kitty windowsill photobomb!) Are they at least JFE? ETA decided to return. I have an acceptable substitute option and these came too late in the summer for me to want to figure them out.

NB: Guess which half of the closet behind me belongs to me, and which to my husband?

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Nordstrom

Tab Cuff Crop Pants

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Amazon

Mariyaab Women's Wide Leg Casual Loose Fitting 100% Linen Pants with Elastic Waist and Drawstring

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5 years ago

Cardiff girl

Veteran

I like the anthro pants on you .The waist band is very flattering and I like the fact that they look like a skirt,but Ido feel they could go slightly shorter.Please don’t think that I am lecturing you because I do know how daunting sewing can seem but hemming is really quite straight forward and might be a skill worth learning for future use especially if it’s going to save you a lot of money.l was really cross when they cut textiles at my daughters school.As far as I’m concerned everyone should be taught how to sew on a button and take up a hem,it’s a useful life skill.
Sorry Christina,l will get off my soap box now.I really like those palm print ones as well.

Christina F.

Cardiff girl - it’s okay, I don’t take it as a lecture. I’m very clumsy with my fingers - i’ve had poor fine motor skills all my life., and I get easily frustrated when I can’t do tasks with my hands too well. This is why I haven’t wanted to learn to sew. If I had the space for sewing machine, I would be more open to considering it, but that’s not an option until we buy a new apartment next year. And then only maybe- we want more space, but how much will depend on a lot of factors. Also, by bringing my stuff to the dry cleaner I am helping to support local businesses... something my area of New York City very badly needs. That said, I was burned by having the dress I mentioned done - the tailoring cost twice what the dress did!

Fortunately my husband is an Eagle Scout, and he can do buttons and mend small tears. So I don’t need to bring it to the tailor for everything.

Back to these pants - I would probably return them rather than go to the trouble of having them hemmed I’m afraid. I don’t need them that much. Glad you like them. I think they’re fun too! If I did keep them, they would replace a lower quality pair of black culottes; but those culottes can stay if I decide to return these.

SarahD8

Christina can you do an outfit lab (for yourself, not to show us -- unless you want to) with outfits you might wear with your existing culottes and then swap in the new pants? That might give you a better sense of whether these are really a good update/replacement, or better to keep looking looking.

Sarah - I won’t have much time for that the rest of the weekend, but I do have a recent photo of a similar outfit either culottes.

These pants are more of the cropped length already but the material is scratched here. Since they are loose it’s not a complete dealbreaker, but the newer pants are nicer fabric for sure.

Basically, I ordered the new pants on a whim, and then almost forgot about them because they took a month to arrive. So I’m not so invested in keeping them that I would go to the trouble of hemming them— especially since summer is now almost half over!

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Gigi

Hmm...I like the idea of the palazzo pants, but I'm not sure of the fit. I think hemming would be necessary, and I'm not sure the waistband is in the right spot (?). To me, it looks like the waistband should be up higher, at your natural waist. I vote pass on them, since it sounds like you have other wide-leg pants that are better.

I bet you look super cute in the palm-print pants! I'm glad you're having luck finding breezy pants. I need to find some too...it's hotter than the dickens here.

Sal

I added black wide leg wrap pants over summer and found them a bit hard to style. I wore them 3-4 times only. I will keep and wear this summer. So I would tend to stay away especially since you have plenty of other options as I think they won’t get much wear.

I do like the palm print ones! What fun. And the stripes are nice and a steal.

Thanks ladies! I decided earlier tonight that I’d rather pass them on than deal with hemming. I do have lots of other options and these came too late in the summer for me to want to bother with figuring out the hem and how to style them.

The palm print pants are fun, and very comfy.

That seems like a smart decision, Christina. From the photos you posted, your existing black culottes seem easier to wear/style. Just a friendlier proportion, if you will.

But I can definitely sympathize with wanting to replace/upgrade a basic item and not being able to find quite the right thing. Argh! Tough to be ppp even though you know that’s the right way to go.

Bijou

Christina, I like wide leg pants on you and the black look nice to me when you have a top fully tucked in. However, given you already have black, I think getting a more fun print is worth it rather than replacing your existing black pants. I prefer to get my alterations done professionally (my feeble attempts are always fraught with danger of completely wrecking the garment). I sympathise with the cost of getting expensive alterations done and think twice before committing to something that needs to be altered.

Anonymous

While I don't love this particular version of the black ones, the flowing, almost skirt style is pretty on you. Maybe a trimmer, more tailored fit around the hips would be better? Ironically, even though I don't love them, the living room photo gave me a much better view of your figure, including what looks like a very defined waist, and I can imagine that the striped ones, which I do like, are more flattering in person.

Everyone is so wise - thank you all!

Yes, Sarah - I'd much rather be PPP. The black culottes (Gap) serve my purpose and the fabric doesn't put me off too much. I haven't posted about this, but I've been on a mission to replace some of my summer items in poorer fabrics - this tends to be the season when I got nuts looking for clothes for a bunch of reasons.

Bijou - I agree. Those fun palm print pants above fill that need already and I have a couple of others.

Isabel - thank you for the advice!

lyn67

Haha, all yours? (the closet!:-)).

Sadly, lyn, this is NYC and we’re lucky to have one closet that large in a one bedroom apartment. It’s the only one. It can’t be all for me. The more colorful side is mine! I have exposed hanging storage in the bedroom too.

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