Wide leg pants yay/nay - YouLookFab Forum

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Wide leg pants yay/nay

Uggbootdiva

So all the girls are wearing skinnies, is it still possible without aging oneself horribly to wear wider legged pants? I think they keep getting referred to as "boot cut".
I've lost a bit of weight and finally fit my pants again, but they are all about 5 years old and look like this pair. I look pretty crap in the gorgeous straight tight straight pants around at the mo, ie. 5'4" and aaah, curvy, short waisted. The straight pants just highlight this lovely saddlebag thing i'm working.

so, I know style is not fashion etc. But I'm newly 40 and feeling it and not wanting to totally age myself or waste all those pants and buy new ones...
thanks!!

Dressing

20 replies

Latest reply was from Kiwichik

marit

Look like which pair - did you mean to include a photo or a link?

I have to say I feel like bootcuts are a classic style - they're not trendy right now, no, but they don't feel dated to me if they're not baggy in the thighs. I still wear mine. If they look good on your shape, rock 'em.

donnat

Veteran

Wow, I don't get what you are saying...Do you have pictures?

Uggbootdiva

Sorry new to forum posting, how's this link?
http://shop.target.com.au/p/ho...../P51240714

Sarah A

Veteran

If you are going that wide be sure your hems nearly touch the gound and i would think youd be ready to rock! The model has them hemmed too shirt IMHO.

Sarah A

Veteran

Adding that if you search for Aida's outfits she has some awesome looks with pants cut like this, as does Angie in het outfits tab. It is all in the fit and styling of the pant.

Uggbootdiva

Ok thanks sarah.
I agree with you sarah re length, but not sure I could go much longer, plus I don't have the long legs either...
Perhaps I'll have to bite the bullet and post pix of myself in said pants!!

Suz

(website)

Veteran

All in the fit and length! And the styling of the rest of the outfit. If you feel fab in them, then that goes a long way!

Peri

Veteran

I wear wide legs because of a shoe issue and I think they are very flattering. Not really the kind that are wide leg all the way down but the kind that are fitted through the thighs and flare out below the knee, so I guess you'd call bootleg.

I hate the idea that straight and skinny are the only acceptable thing, because I remember not long ago that straight leg was considered dated. I get rebellious about this kind of "rule".

donnat

Veteran

Even if you have short legs, if the pants almost touch the ground those boot cuts will make your short legs look longer.

donnat

Veteran

I want to add, I love my boot cuts, they make me feel thin, and tall. I am 5'2".

Beth Ann

Veteran

No need to wear skinnies to feel fashionable! Even if you're conscious of trends, there is always choice in silhouettes!

I wear both bootcuts and wide legs, and, at a size 14, I also wear slim straightlegs that stand in for skinnies. I think bootcuts work particularly well with matched with a jacket.

Janet

(website)

Veteran

I still happily wear my bootcutsl, and I posted a look with wider leg pants (that look pretty similar to the ones you posed) this spring that got raves from the forum, so I think as long as the length is good and the styling is modern, you're good to go! Bootcuts are still one of the most flattering things on me, even though I wear other silhouettes too (5'7" and with proportionally long legs but short-waisted with significant saddlebags).

Aziraphale

Veteran

I agree that wide legged pants, or bootcut pants (which are narrower on the thigh than wide leg pants, but still flare out a little at the hem) can be very flattering, especially if worn with a chunky heel. Tall skinny heels don't work as well -- they look a little unbalanced with wide hems -- and flats might not give you that oomph if you're 5'4". Experiment, and you'll see. Also, as others have mentioned, it is imperative that the pants are as long as they can be without dragging on the ground. Sarah A is quite right; the pants are much too short on the model in that pic.

Anonymous

What Sarah said. They must be long enough not to be frumpy and best worn with heels. The Target model looks frumpy in that length. A boot cut ( slimmer on the leg, then flared a bit at the foot) looks more current to me than pants that are wide all the way down, but that style may be coming back.
Remember Angie says to wear something on trend with an older piece like the pants to modernize them...pointy toes come to mind.

Lisa

Veteran

I am 5'3" and a pear shape. I do wear skinny jeans but I also adore my boots and wear bootcut jeans too. I think the wash and how long they are (I wear them very close to but not touching the ground) really helps keep bootcuts looking classic and not dated.

unfrumped

Veteran

Ditto ditto! All about recognizing the right fit for you.

I have gone in 2 directions-- straighter( not skinny) and Back to Bootcut. the common thread is I need some ease through the hip and thigh, but not bagginess. So not just any bootcuts, but just the right amount of fit and some but not too much flare. A slight
chunky heel is good but also will hem a pair shorter for a flat boot. The key there is the right vamp that lets you hem as long as possible and that the fabric flows nicely over the boot or shoe. Ballet flats can work sometimes but don't give as streamlined a look.

Laura (rhubarbgirl)

(website)

Veteran

To me, pants like those you linked to make me think of workwear - because so many ladies around here wear them with button-up shirts or twinsets to the office. It's not a look I associate with current trends, but it certainly looks appropriate and not horribly dated. If you want to look a bit more current I would make sure to wear them with trendier tops and shoes, and make sure the length is long enough as the other folks have mentioned.

christieanne

Veteran

I still wear my bootcut jeans and picked up a new pair a few months back. The older models are a little wider all through the leg and the newer are a bit slimmer until they gently widen below the knee. Both work especially with a slightly pointy shoe or wedge heel.
As for trousers, it's hard not to have a little wide leg or slight bootcut. That's pretty mush the trouser cut. I don't love the length in the pair pictured with those shoes but that is just for a catalog anyway. I think you could make a classic trouser work anytime - not many people wear a skinny leg trouser to work right?

kkards

Veteran

uggbootdiva, are you talking about work pants (ie business wear), jeans or something else? for business wear, i would say wide leg pants no problem, but boot cut - those could look dated....
how boot cut are they? IMO, the straighter the leg the more current they will feel. but straight leg and skinny are not the same thing.

Kiwichik

Veteran

Such an interesting thread as wide leg pants are my business staple & I have been guilty of PPL violations but with advice from the forum have hopefully solved this issue. I'm a plus size pear (or at least my bottom half is) so skinny legged pants are a no go for me - so wide legs for work, boot cut & boyfriend cut jeans & straight jeans if I'm feeling slim. Look forward to reading everyone else's comments - and you have received plenty of good advice.