Ilana Kohn Caroline Pants | small
Eileen Fisher organic cotton tee | extra small
Stella McCartney bag | secondhand via The Real Real
Golden Goose platform sneakers | purchased with credits I earn at Shopbop
Must everything fit on everyone the way it does on “the model?” Must it? I don’t know. Will it? of course not. But then what do about it?
I no longer expect that things will fit me “perfectly” or exactly the way I want them to right out of the box, but then I wonder, how do I, or how should I, alter a garment to make it fit? How do I REALLY want a piece to fit ME, and how do I want it to work in my wardrobe?
Behold the contradiction with these pants:
- I might actually like the length of these pants as-is, and I don’t have a lot of full-length pants for fall/winter (to keep my ankles warm). And maybe the long line elongates my body a bit? (not that I am going for that specifically) But since I’ve been wearing things shorter, or showing my ankle a bit, this length looks “off” a bit, you know? And like it might not be “right.”
- I do like to show a little of my foot/ankle when I wear pants because I prefer the overall look. Especially with wide silhouettes, I feel like showing some skin helps to keep me from looking completely overwhelmed by my pants. And honestly, that’s how these pants seem to fit just about EVERY. SINGLE. PERSON who wears them (on social media, websites, etc). In almost every photo of these pants on a person, they are WAY cropped. Too cropped if you ask me, but are they actually meant to fit that way? Is that they way the designer meant them to look? and in wearing them long, am I “ruining” the look?
No, I don’t believe that I am “ruining” the look by keeping them long, but I do wonder sometimes how things are “supposed” to look and fit on a body according to a designer. Is it the way she sends a piece down the runway? or shows it in a store? or how she wears it herself?
How do we translate the “art” that is clothing design and make it our own once we add a piece to our closets? Or do we? Should we? Are items of clothing meant to be worn a certain way, and look a certain way on the wearer? Or are they meant to be poked and prodded and altered to fit the body and lifestyle of the person wearing them?
Just wondering 🙂
I’m keeping the pants long FYI. I like them this way, although I will have to get used to the look. And at the end of the day, I think we are meant to make pieces we love work for us, not the other way around…
Wear it how it makes you happy! I have a few shirts that I wear backwards regularly. Not how they were intended to be worn by any means, but the fashion police haven’t come for me yet. As far as I’m concerned, once an artist makes a piece of work, it’s then up to the viewer to interpret how they see fit. It’s the same with clothes. You buy it and it’s yours to do with it what you will. It’s just a matter of your own preference how you want them to look.
This post speaks to my soul!! I often stress about how things are supposed to look versus how they look on me. I don’t really have an hourglass shape, which is what is most commonly shown in plus size modeling. I can fake it pretty well, but I’m definitely more of an apple. So when things look different on my body, I feel like they look wrong. But in actuality, they look good! It’s taken me a long time to understand that there is no right way to wear clothing; it’s how we interpret it and what makes us feel our best. I love those pants on you!!
I just discovered your blog and love it. Your posts are so relevant to shopping for clothes and fit for someone who isn’t a kid!
I am actually a designer who now does technical design (designer’s Florida) so I am working on how clothes are meant to fit. There is runway fit and production fit. I have seen trends come and go more times than I would have thought when I was younger! So don’t take too much seriously The longer length looks great! So much of what is made for runway is exta long as it gives a longer look to the wearer. I think there are no rules for what someone wears – as long as it actually makes someone feel good.
These pants look GORGEOUS on you exactly as they are. Love!
We have forgotten function as one of the reasons we wear clothes. Yes, function!! Aside from covering our nudity, we need clothes to protect us from the elements, be they rainfall, heat, sand blowing, or snowfall. I have a friend from south India and I really want to raid her home closet for all the baggy pants and long tunics of the most wonderful cotton. One reason I just cant wear polyester anymore: I live where its beastly hot and humid. Come the Winter, wool sweaters are all you need- IF its real wool and made like an Irish fisherman. So fashion (for me) must follow function. Being in a controlled environment all the time for most people, we are all confused!
I think so too!