Earlier Drafts:
I wore this tee with a casual look, I started wearing this jacket again when I tried cuffing the sleeves, and these shoes were an important back-to-school purchase.
Composition:
white and yellow striped tee (Gap)
navy blue jacket (Gap Outlet)
pewter toned chain necklace (H&M)
light gray trousers (Express)
yellow buckled slice wedges (Nine West)
Usage:
You guys, I'm having a pants problem. I'm having fun experimenting with skirts for work and trying out new casual ensembles, but I can't get myself interested in wearing my trousers. This seems stupid because I really love my collection of Express Editor pants.
For this pants look, I tried to gain inspiration from a few looks I like otherwise. I like yellow paired with light gray and yellow paired with navy, so I tried to incorporate both of those combinations here. I put on the chain necklace to try to draw some of the gray upward and keep the tee from reading as too casual. I did like how the yellow top helped the yellow shoes stand out, and when my vintage copy of Katherine Anne Porter's Ship of Fools arrived on the same day, in the same color palette, I knew it had to make it into the photo. Overall, though, this outfit still left me feeling a little "meh."
A friend of mine did tell me I "look so cute!" in this ensemble, though. So I'm wondering-- does this outfit look as average to you as it felt for me? Or do I need to figure out a way to banish my pants prejudice so I can properly appreciate cute, pants-anchored looks? Is my love for my skinny jeans unfairly pitting me against my old straight leg trousers? Help!
Prompts:
- How are you wearing pants this fall? Do you have any theories about how to make looks that include pants feel more exciting?
- I wonder if part of the problem might be that most of the ladies whose blogs I read also favor skirts/dresses over pants. Have you seen any pants looks lately that I could use for inspiration? Please share links!
Posts
15 comments:
Looks like a put-together yet laid-back and comfortable professional outfit to me, so two thumbs up! But I think I have been feeling more skirt-love so far this season, too. It might be the mild weather at SSG Headquarters.
Have fun with your shoe choices when you're thinking about wearing trousers, as you did here with the yellow. Oh, and colorful belts, too...
not sure the casual tee goes with such formal pants. maybe that's the problem?
You look great. I totally hear you on the pants, though. I am wearing pants today and it just doesn't lend itself to easy cuteness. Since I started taking pictures of myself and what I wear, skirts have been much more appealing. I wonder what the is all about.
The Auspicious Life
I've just recently discovered your blog and have to say that, as a fellow grad student struggling with the same issues (what to wear for what occasion and what it all might communicate), I LOVE it.
On to your post: I'm totally with you on the pants problem. I think for me it's definitely related to my love of skinny jeans, and wonder if it might feel a bit more natural/"you" to wear a more tailored trouser? E. of academichic has a few pairs of straight/skinny-ish trousers and she manages to look both stylish and professional in them!
I've been waiting for this outfit to post because I really liked it IRL!
Maybe it's just my computer, but your blazer photographed as more eggplant than navy, and I think navy blazer looked much better than the picture makes it out to be.
I know what you mean about the trousers. I haven't been able to bring myself to put any on since...probably last spring. I think I'm in a pants slump too, though this outfit makes me want to get out of it.
-Katie
I absolutely love this outfit! Definitely not "meh," in fact it reminds me of Resortwear ads given the polished, slightly nautical look. I dig it.
I have been having the same struggle with pants lately. With the exception of jeans on the weekend, I find myself reaching for skirts and dresses more than pants. I have been consciously trying to change that. I think you look great in that outfit.
Hmmm. On my computer, the blazer translated as black, and I did think that the combination of light grey, pale yellow, and then (what seemed to me) black was a bit jarring. Maybe with a lighter blazer or darker shoes? Just a thought...
However, all that said, the pants are lovely on you. I really like when people take what's usually perceived as formal pieces (like dress pants) and then casual them up. And the necklace added to the t shirt was perfect.
I don't think I'll be much help as I have exactly the same problem with pants! I'm just not inspired by them. My job (academic lab) is pretty casual which is great because I can wear whatever I want, but that means basically I never wear my trousers. It's jeans or skirts/dresses all the way. I think for me part of it is that most of my shoes (boots mostly) are not conducive to trousers, plus I want to show off the shoes! I think also that I at least associate trousers with boring business wear, which is just not exciting!
I used to wear trousers more... back then I had more interesting trousers though (like dark brown ones with red pinstripes, and some awesome floral patchwork ones from Anthro that had to be seen to be belived - sounds hideous but they were actually really awesome), so perhaps trousers in fun colors/prints might be a way to make it more exciting.
I often have that same problem with trousers, but I love these, especially paired with that sunny yellow striped top and navy jacket. That necklace is great, too - I love the interplay of stripes and chains.
I like the casual striped shirt with the dressy pants. I think it make the outfit put-together, yet relaxed and not fussy.
I like the outfit. I think it works.
I really like the yellow t-shirt with the gray pants. I also love that it matches your copy of Ship of Fools!
I'm a big skirt wearer right now but this is mostly a climate thing. It still feel too hot to wear pants so I keep to a skirt & dress rotation. That said, I wore pants today, weather be damned.
I have the same problem with pants! I feel like I always look more 'average' when I wear them, and I feel prettier and more me when I wear skirts. That said, I think you look cute with these pants...but it's not a POW outfit for me, sorry!
Blah. You usually do a lot better.
Thanks for all the feedback! It's nice to know I'm not alone in feeling ambivalent about pants. I'm going to think about how I can incorporate your compliments and suggestions to start building outfits around pants that I feel better about. I tend to wear pants a lot more frequently as the temperatures drop, so this is a good time to be thinking about this. Stay tuned!
And A, thanks for the note! We love hearing from new readers, and we're glad you enjoy the blog! Hope your graduate studies are going well.
I love hearing from "old" readers, too, so hello all of you! Great to see you all in one place. : )
-Liz
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