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WIW, and thoughts on changing your 'normal'

Helena

Veteran

Because we all have way too much experience at changing our normal at this point!! In this case, I'm talking about sartorial normals ... specifically rises. These shorts were one of four pairs I bought a couple of years ago from the J. Crew outlet ... I liked all of them because they were polished, a bit preppy, and made a bit more of an outfit (the others were a bright green pair, a chambray, and an eyelet navy pair). However, I've gotten rid of three of the four this year, because the rise - what I would have described as mid-rise when I bought them - is now way too low. Given my torso has not gotten any longer, I can only assume I've slowly adjusted to the higher rises and now a 'normal' rise for me has to cover my belly button (which would have felt Urkel-ish just a year or two ago). I change slowly - but I do change! These shorts just barely make the cut, sitting just below belly button on me. I imagine this might be their last season. Accessorized with delicate earrings and necklace to counteract the tablecloth vibe of the shorts

What style 'normals' have changed for you recently?

Anyhow, that's it for my musings! After a brief slump in energy and attitude, I'm getting myself back together and so going to try to post and participate more often again! xoxo Happy Monday all!

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26 replies

Latest reply was from Renata

Jenn

(website)

Veteran

Rises, and the accompanying top lengths, for sure.

Also, skirt lengths. I used to only wear skirts that sat on or just below the knee. Longer looked dowdy to my eye. And longer with sneakers? Even worse.

It's really interesting how these differences in proportion go from "wrong" to "right" in the space of a decade or so.

slim cat

Veteran

I like your outfit - looks fresh and put together! Delicate jewelry works great - especially when layered.

Midi length skirts came back to my wardrobe this summer. First to cover my knee support sleeve I was wearing at that time, then - just for fun and "swish" factor .
While making outfits with 2 new skirts I started to wear shorter tees - cropped length ( with loose shape ) and tied into knot regular linen tee
( I liked that look on others ). I avoided cropped tees before since I don't wear high rise pants/jeans but it works surprisingly well with skirts.

Windchime

Veteran

Super cute summer outfit! It looks great on you; I love your choices of delicate jewelry to accessorize the outfit.

I’ve pretty much adjusted to higher rises, but I’m not comfortable with short lengths in tops and sweaters, even though I admire the look on those who can wear it well. I’m somewhat long waisted, and I would be forever tugging at my top to pull it down.

JAileen

Veteran

Your necklaces are so pretty.

I’ve started wearing skorts this summer. They look like skirts, both front and back, and mine are well above my knee. It looks like I’m wearing mini skirts! And I don’t mind.

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

LOVE YOUR LAYERED DAINTY JEWELLERY

Yes Helena, I'm with you on how a mid-rise can feel too low these days........but they are NOT dated, and you look fabulous as always

Helena

Veteran

Thank you Angie! I am working on incorporating layered necklaces and dainty jewellery regularly! It feels just right for my style now ... Especially to soften the edges of high contrast looks. Thanks for the encouragement (and Jennifer Aniston recommendation as a style guru for me - she layers like a boss!)

Joy

Veteran

I love this outfit on you.
The high rises have finished my wearing jeans and many other pants with a waist. My normal was jeans nearly daily year round. I could still wear a low rise but they look wrong. I am trying to adjust to stretchy waists that are not too high In bottoms and longer tops to cover more. That is my new normal plus constant wear of a small bag for my glucose meter and glucose tablets for an emergency.

The Cat

Veteran

Your shorts look fine on you, but I well undertand that you want higher rises now.

Great jewellery layering! In fact, on adults, delicate jewellery often looks best when layering.

This summer, I surprised myself by choosing a high-rise bikini bottom:
https://youlookfab.com/welookf.....nd-socks--
For decades, I tended to think that high-rise bikini bottoms looked oldfashioned and frumpy. But they happen to look perfect on me. I guess that over the years, I have gradually adjusted to the look, by choosing boy shorts and similar styles underwear instead of bikini briefs.

For decades, I thought that Birkenstock style sandals, too, looked frumpy. However, since one year ago, I have four pairs and wear them with "everything" in summer and as house shoes in the other seasons.

Anonymous

Flat and low heels. 3ish inch heels were what I wore every day, and now wear at most 2 inch- but often flat sandals. In the house though, no shoes at all!

Sal

Veteran

Like others rises do feel more comfortable and secure at a higher level. I never liked truly low rise but I was a fan of a mid rise.

I have always loved a midi length but preferred it with a heel - I have adjusted to a flat look now.

Tucked vs untucked tips too - i don’t have a flat belly but to my eye now tucking gives me a better line.

I have always liked cropped or ankle pants and full length and floor grazing pants.

I am not sure if I will wear knee length longer shorts. That proportion is hard for me to get right.

I think these shorts look great Helena- I love the check.

rachylou

Veteran

Love the outfit! Indeed looks fresh, neat and tidy.

Re the question... my problem is I can’t even remember how to wear low rise. I can’t figure out what tops I ever wore with any of them.

Cardiff girl

Veteran

Love the gingham shorts and the layered jewellery ,looks very on trend to me.
As for your question,l love the look of high rises and cropped voluminous tops with them but try as I might they don’t love me.l guess body shape trumps trends in the end. I can do a high waist “lite” but not the full look.

nuancedream

Veteran

Love the outfit on you, Helena! I still wear some mid rise pants but high rise pants with cropped tops or tucked voluminous tops. are my jam now. I couldn't imagine wearing a low rise pant for fear of revealing too much when sitting or squeezing the slightly squishy bits up like a tube of toothpaste.

UmmLila (Lisa)

Veteran

I like these shorts on you, don’t get rid of them. I think stripes can roll preppy or punk, depending on how you style them. Like if you wore a black graphic tee (I know, not your style, but just saying).

My style has adapted to longer skirts, and higher rises. Yet, this week I bought a pair of mid-rise jeans, and an acid wash mini skirt, going for 80s and 90s all at once

unfrumped

Veteran

So cute!

I have singled out and added more "Athleisure" because am at home so much, pandemic of course but also retirement, had not heretofore spent days at home.
Have not been able to find higher rise pants with tailored waists that I think I will wear now--but am trying to discern what exactly those wold look like, to be partially tailored but that I would choose over comfy pants, when just at home.

nemosmom

Veteran

You look fab in this outfit! I am with you on gravitating to different rises, layered jewelry, (and the slump! ) For me, I used to hate wide leg crops on me until I thrifted a pair of jeans in that silhouette - they are the perfect breezy fix for summer, since I don't like dresses or skirts really. And, I find myself wearing more Vnecks than crews these days, although I can't really pinpoint a reason.

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Jaime

(website)

Veteran

First of all you look fabulous in those shorts. Keep them!
Secondly, interesting and this gels with what I have been thinking about since Angie posted about Dated being Dated. Although almost all, or maybe all, of my clothes are from previous seasons, I have not completely accepted the idea of Dated not being a thing. Because, as you said, the collective eye has been accustomed to higher rises, sneakers with everything, wider legs, puffier sleeves and so on. Maybe other things are not dated exactly, but they look less current? What is the line there - I know we both like to define !
All that being said, I am staking out my position on team mid-rise because high rises do not work on me at all!

Brooklyn

Veteran

Those shorts are super cute.

I’m also on team high rise these days. And team midi. My knee length skirts now feel really short! I still like shorts and skorts above the knee however. And heels just look strange to me. Funny how the eye adjusts. It will adjust again of course - all part of the cycle.

anne

Veteran

My teenage daughters are adamantly team high rise now!! I like them too.
My most worn pair of shorts (indeed my only non athletic pair of shorts) is however quite low rise. Non crush and black pin stripes I bought it maybe 10 years ago and it's still too valuable a clothing item to let go, although even when I bought it it felt very low on my long torso.

RobinF

Veteran

I love this outfit on you! I am not very particular about rises because I rarely tuck so it's about the comfort for me. I prefer mid-rise but I suspect that is really more of a higher rise on me because of being so short. I am happy that I can still find them at retail because the few high rises I have tried are laughable - definitely "Erkel-ish"!

Liesbeth

Veteran

Funny, and I think this also has to do with proportions. On me, a midrise can look totally acceptable still and any rise that comes up above my bellybutton actually makes my torso look freakishly short. So although I wear higher rises now, there's still quite a big range :).
For me, it's the look of superskinnies or leggings (long over lean) that no longer feel normal. I would do regular skinnies or straight pants with an oversize blazer on top but not much else, when years ago skinnies with longer/boxier knitwear on top was what I lived in.

cindysmith

Veteran

Shoes. I've become even more intolerant of any discomfort in my shoes. I just trashed a pair of Adidas because they smelled bad, a pair of Taryn Rose hi-tops are getting trashed because they made sores on my ankles, I donated 2 unworn pairs of heels that were most decidedly NOT comfortable...

I think it's because I've had to sit home on self-quarantine so many times since the coronapocalypse kicked off. I don't generally wear shoes when I'm lounging at home, and it's definitely affected my comfort level in shoes.

I suppose the same applies to clothes. I haven't been to the gym since this began, so I'm starting to lose what little body confidence I had started regaining and I'm choosing looser garments. Or maybe that is just about the stupid heat. If a garment is looser, it feels like I get more air flow on my skin.

This pandemic has really turned our world on its head. I just want to go home to mama for a visit so badly that I'd wear uncomfortable shoes and clothes; and yet I don't dare because she's even more high risk than I am and I am an essential worker who comes into contact with SO MANY people every day that I don't dare risk it. Maybe I'm just taking my frustration out on my wardrobe?

Liz

Veteran

I must be on team Very Consistent. I have a long rise and always searched out high rise pants, even when they were hard to find. Midi-length dresses are the best length for me, and when they were impossible to find over the past decade or so, I basically stopped wearing dresses. I never wore skinnies because I could never adjust to the look. I jumped on the wide cropped pants trend, not because I was trying to be trendy, but because it's such an easy silhouette for me to wear. I must be like one of those clocks that's stopped on a certain hour, and once every 12 hours, it tells the right time!

MsMary

Veteran

You all are not going to believe this, but I am pretty much giving up on my trademark high heeled pumps! I just feel like flats look so much fresher now with skirts and dresses. I just ordered all these loafers from Nordstrom and will keep the ones that work.

FitFlop Lena Loafer

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Liesbeth

Veteran

Popping back in because I just thought of an even bigger change to my 'normal': hem lengths!
Even though at or just above the knee is still probably my most flattering hem length, this feels totally wrong this year. I have gotten so used to midi and longer lengths I can hardly stand the sight of my knee-length dresses and skirts any longer :p. Shorter can work too, though it has to be with tights or leggings so not this summer. I'm not ready to part with my substantial collection of pretty knee-length frocks yet sooo... holding zone?!

Renata

Member

I would have to say more oversized fits. I've been wearing more long over lean, but I'm really liking the oversized fits of tops and jackets recently.