Elizabeth Suzann silk crepe florence pants – size large, short
Eileen Fisher organic cotton tee – size XS
I’ve had several Elizabeth Suzann pieces come through for slowre recently that “fit” me and that I’ve tried on, so I thought I would share my thoughts:
Clyde vest – khaki cotton canvas in XS : I took some videos wearing this in my Instagram stories if you’re so inclined. I loved this, and it’s my size, but the pockets were way too deep for my short arms. That’s what happened when I got the clyde jumpsuit in cotton canvas, size medium, during an online sample sale too. I guess the pockets alone aren’t a complete deal-breaker, but it’s sort of annoying to me. Anyway, while I love the idea of this vest, I’m not really sure how often I would wear it? I think I read that she made the pockets less deep in the newer generation jumpsuits though? Does anyone have any input on that?
Clyde work pants in khaki cotton canvas, size 6 regular : these fit me, after a bit of shimmy to get them over my hips, but are too tight on my calves. Like really tight. They’re not mine so I didn’t wear them around to see if they’d stretch, but I’m assuming they will? But I was sort of meh about them anyway, I think I prefer the Clyde culotte now. Anyway, it’s so much easier for me to just stick to wider legs so I don’t have to be concerned about my calves fitting or not.
Clyde work pants, navy linen, size 6 tall : these came through a while ago and I really liked the linen, and felt like the calves fit fine, but the rest of the pant was just too big on me and I’d prefer the size 4 regular in those.
Clyde culotte, black cotton canvas, size 8 short : I bought these myself and wore them a few times before realizing they were just too big on me. I had a chance to try the size 6 (tall) in clay canvas and when I order a new pair I will order the size 6 regular length. I really really really love the clyde culotte and didn’t have a problem with my hands reaching the bottom of the pockets. Also, I saw on Liz’s instagram stories yesterday that one of the team cut the hem to make it a raw hem, which I ALWAYS love to do. So I may copy her when I get mine. I haven’t ordered them yet though…
Lara dress in linen gauze, size large : I really really really loved this dress!!! It was too big on me up top, but didn’t find it completely overwhelming. The linen gauze was very nice, cool and comfortable on – light as air. Most of all I liked the longer length of the large on me, which I’m sure I couldn’t replicate if I decided to get this dress in the small; I would lose a lot of the length.
Florence pants in flax linen, size medium, regular : These literally just came in the mail yesterday and MAN. I LOVE THEM. Which is good because I placed my order for these pants in black, medium regular a while ago after I returned my Alabama Chanin order. I like the flax linen a lot too. Of course I don’t know how much they’ll stretch because I haven’t worn them around though, does anyone have any input on that? the waistband fits well, it’s not too tight, but I’m afraid if I tried to go to a small in the linen pants, the waistband would be too tight.
**although now that I’m trying them on again and look at the pictures I wonder if the regular inseam is too long? or are they just too big on me? Ugh.
My silk florence pants are size large, short, and I think they’re too large on me, but I am really hesitating to part with them! On the one hand, I can still wear them, although I’d like them to sit higher up on my waist and not have SO much “extra” material, but on the other hand, if I sell them, then I can use the money to get the smaller pair. I would get the Medium, regular and hem/not hem as needed.
Now, questions for you…(I’m struggling to figure out what to use the generous gift Elizabeth Suzann just sent me on!!)
Does anyone have the florence pant in cotton canvas? Thoughts? I’m all about cotton canvas lately; I prefer the structure. I’m tempted by these for fall – maybe in the clay color.
What about the andy pants? Does anyone have those? I am really tempted by those in rust silk, but worried about sizing/fit on my calves.
Please add your fit advice/thoughts here on this post if you have any! (Not everyone is on social media and uses selltradees 😉 )
What questions do you have? what is your favorite ES piece? What are you waiting on??
Ohmygosh where to start.
I have the Florence pants in clay cotton canvas!
I’ve practically written a love song to the Clyde jumpsuit around here but as far as the pockets go, my hands reach the bottom. I recently sized down in my linen jumpsuit and honestly didn’t find much difference in the S vs. M. I find their sizing has been a little inconsistent or something lately.
I like my linen Flos looser but I hate tight waistbands, plus I just think the drape looks better over all and it avoids that weird pull across the crotch.
I just heard from customer service that with the release of the extended sizes in the Harlow they are FINALLY releasing the midweight linen in all sizes which is the one piece I have been desperately waiting for.
What about the Parabola dress? weren’t you interested in that piece when it first came out? I ordered the Ella so am waiting on that one. But I think my favorite ES pieces are the Maxine crop in raw silk, the Clyde billow skirt also in raw silk, and the Artist dress in silk. I love them all but those would be my top 3 probably.
Re. the flax linen Flo pants, I have had mine for 2 years and didn’t find that the waistband stretched at all! I have them in S and I wouldn’t mind if they did stretch a little especially during times when I’ve gained some lbs.
Happy to see this topic, hope you get lots of comments, as I really would like to order ES pants, but am afraid, very afraid. All that expense, time and trouble if they don’t work out. It seems that the way they are cut, you either have to have a bigger than average difference between your waist and your hips, or you have to be ok with the feel of a tight waist on your body. At least that is what I gleaned from the comments section and from protracted back and forth from ES itself. I was told they have to make the waist extra tight to hold the amount of fabric they use up, but personally I wonder if that is not more of a problem with the way they elasticize the waist itself. So hard to tell when I can’t see the product. I do have the bell linen skirt, and I find the waist very overwhelming on that. I have had the linen gauze Lara dress since it first came out, and I think I have only worn it once or twice. Don’t get me wrong, it’s very practical, and the fabric is great, but I don’t like how they have done the dropped shoulder. At least on me it looks like I’m a linebacker. On me, dropped sleeves look best when the line of the garment drops down more gradually, or not at all, rather than tapering directly to the waist/hips.
I have the Flo’s in navy blue linen (small 3rd gen) and I almost sold them after the first few wears because the waist band was so tight and uncomfortable. I used a pants hanger with the clips and stretched the waist band of pants out for about two months and tried them again. They ended up stretching just enough and I enjoy wearing them much more. The linen has softened up so nicely! Im still not 100% sold on the high waistedness of the pants (my waist is basically right under my rib cage)
I received the Celia pants for a Christmas gift and sent them back because they came up over my rib cage and they were laughably unflattering. I exchanged them for the Flo’s in rust silk and according to the new size chart I ordered a medium and they are perfect. I love them so very very much. I also have the Ella slip dress in rust silk and I love it, also love the harper in linen and my Georgia midi in linen.
I have on order a Lynn tee in black linen. I am hoping it is cropped but not as cropped as my Petra in hemp which is hella cropped on me due mostly to my boobs. I can only wear it with high rise pants or under overalls or a jumper because I feel like 40 year old lady trying too hard with that much belly showing. I had the Marlena in the raw silk but sold them because it didn’t fit my chest very well ( front V too much boobage, front scoop matronly) I am very much hoping the Lynn Tee works, if it doesn’t I might give up on her tops for me.
if the Lynn doesn’t work I think I will exchange it for silk Flo’s in black. I cant wait to see what you pick out with your gift from her! 🙂
OMG, where to start? You are so fortunate to have been able to try on so many different pieces!
Of the pieces you’ve listed the Lara dress in linen gauze would be my first choice. I have the Georgia t in that fabric and love it.
I’ve always been tempted by the Harlow but I’m not sure I need another sleeveless dress in my closet and not sure I’d want the tunic. Maybe if I ever wear out one of my Marlenas…
Waiting for my Mara jumpsuit in linen to arrive this week!
Hi, I also love hearing about ES, as it was here that I first heard about her. I have the l/s Harper tunic, and the Parabola dress, both in black linen. I love them both. I did size down on both. The tunic is a OSM, and the dress is a S, even tho my measurements fall into the M range. I am short, and narrow shouldered, tho not thin at the moment, 5’4, 140, so less fabric in these was better. Wish I could help with pants, but I too am scared to try until I lose the 10 lbs I am up. Love the Andy, and the Flo…..
BTW, Gretchen, I think the flax linen pants look great on you. ?
i was interested in the parabola dress, but that faded pretty quickly…i don’t know why, but it doesn’t really draw me in like it did at first. i’m wary of the curved hem maybe? i’m liking more straight hems. but then again i did like the lara dress.
SUCH A HARD DECISION
Fitting into ES is fairly hit or miss for me — or rather, it’s been hit or miss finding things that are long-term pieces in my wardrobe. I wore my raw silk marlena tank obsessively last year but this year I’m realizing it’s just not flattering me the way I’d prefer, and I’m feeling similarly about my natural twill Clydes and my raw silk L/S harper. This year my obsession is the raw silk Georgia tee I got through STES and I’m lusting after the silk crepe Harlow online although with my track record, we’ll see if either has staying power. I was really into the Florence pants until I tried on the Only Child Dune pants at the West Coast Craft Fair, and promptly bought a pair in black linen because as it turns out I’m ALL ABOUT a flat panel in front and elastic in the back.
I’m afraid to try ES, too, unless maybe it’s consignment. The made-to-order aspect makes me nervous, and I’d be so sad if something arrived and didn’t fit.
In other news, I ordered Everlane’s Easy Chino in black, and I was happily surprised by how nice they are. They fit perfect and wash and dry easily with no wrinkles, plus they are lightweight and great for summer.
Oh! I have the parabola dress and I’m really happy with it BUT I sized way down to get the fit I wanted.
Looking great here Grechen. I have the newest version of the Andy trouser in two lengths. Black linen in Tall and Flax linen in regular. The fit of the legs is not tight at all. not quite as loose as Clyde Culottes but plenty loose, you should have zero problems with your calves. Both of my pairs are a size large. I do not have a small waist LOL, and the elastic is not too tight for comfort…not on these pants, nor my Clydes, nor my Tilda or Florence pants.
I have seen photos on Instagram of folks wearing size large Andy and then again wearing size medium…and the mediums just look too tight across the belly on them for my personal taste.
I have not found the linen to stretch much on me (I get three wears before I wash them due to my inherent messiness and dog drool LOL). I have not found the canvas to stretch at all. I do wonder if my lack of stretching is due to the fact that I prefer a slightly looser fit and therefore don’t put much stress on the fabric while wearing.
The waist on the Florence pants on you is sitting lower than they do on me…probably because you have that wonderful small waist!!
I did do some sewing over the weekend. Hemmed my Georgia Midi in flax linen, to a length just at the lowest part of my kneecap. PERFECTION…as I don’t see the same people in the same week, I wore twice this week (shortened about 6 inches but kept the original profile of shorter in front than in back)!! And I had the Elise dress in the black stretch cotton that I ordered before it left the website last year. I ordered in the short length and then hemmed another 3 inches off…again at the bottom of kneecap. LOVE it!! Wearing for work today.
My most-worn ES pieces are hands-down my linen Florence pants, in flax and black linen. I love how they dress up or down and are great for a surprisingly wide range of temperatures. The flax linen was super soft and dreamy-textured right away, but the black has softened up beautifully over the course of about a year of wear (though they were not overly structured right out of the box, either). The black I got in the old sizing and the waistband is a little looser than the flax pair I got in the new sizing–something to consider if you are worried about the tightness of the waistband and the amount of fabric. Getting ahold of aa pair from the previous generation might solve both issues!
I got the Clyde Work Pants in December and at first I wasn’t sure I liked them, but the linen is so perfect for hot days where I still want to look put together (and don’t want to shave my legs, lol).
Oh ES. I want to love her stuff but am still SO unsure.
I’ve picked up a few things on STES and so far…
Loving the ss Harper tunic. I am shocked by how great the flax linen looks on me, as someone who can’t generally wear beige/tan tops. Ditto the Georgia dress though I wish it had pockets.
Nabbed a Clyde jumpsuit which despite being a M-tall is both snug in the bust (I’m not busty!) and questionable for my long torso. I think all of Liz’s clothes are designed for normal to short-torsoed gals, though I know she likes to argue otherwise.
Have a raw silk Marlena in a M that is also just a hair slim in the bust and short in the armholes I should really just sell. Nabbed the artist top in OS and it’s gorgeous but that moss silk… shows every little thing.
Have a M Harlow dress in ivory silk I’ve yet to really wear because it’s light colored and silk. If this is about to be made in linen as someone implied above this may be my unicorn. Just wish it had pockets. Everything should have pockets!
So obviously due to my fit issues with the above I’ve avoided pants so far. Really really want to try linen Clyde work pants or shorts, ISO size 8! ?
I know folks love the Flos and they look great on you above but seriously how do y’all live in pants without pockets?!
Are you saying there’s about to be a linen Harlow?!??!!!?! Damn the 6-7 week wait still!!
Yessssssss I know I’ve been dying. Look on the ES website at the recent features with Natalie Channin and Lisa iforgetherlastname, they’re both wearing them.
Oh, I did notice Lisa wearing them. I just didn’t think we actually had a “coming soon” on anything haha. Just in time for summer to be over =(
i never thought i could live without pockets, but you get used to it 😉
for a good enough pair of pants, that is ….
thanks for your input on the andy trouser!! i’m really tempted by those now – i think i’ve reached “peak wide leg pants” lol and would like something a little different. and i would go for the rust silk. WHOA. 🙂
I adore the quality of the ES pieces, and what the company stands for, but I have had a tough time with fit too. I have a 28” waist, around 40” hips, 16” calves, and I’m 5’3 – just for reference on fit.
My first purchase was a pair of Clyde Culottes in 6-T. Now I am not tall at all, but the inseam is only 27” so I figured I’d give them a try. The fit on them is pretty great aside from the waist coming up to almost the bottom of my bra, but I can roll the waistband and they actually look good. I like the more full/ankle length of them in this size, and they really are a very dramatic in a good way silhouette. I haven’t sold these yet because I like them enough as is to wear them and make sure these pants have a permanent place in my life, but I will likely eventually order a 6-R and sell these.
Based on these, I bought a pair of Clyde work pants in a 6-R. These pants fit perfectly in the waist, comfortably loose in the hips, and are tight in the calves. Not cut off my circulation tight, but tight enough that I know I’d never reach for them, so I sold these.
Lastly, I bought a pair of Florence pants in size M-R. Based on the sizing on the website, I thought these would fit me well, but I didn’t realize the pair I bought (although unworn) were Gen 3. When they came, they were super loose in the waist and hips, and the legs fit me like a pair of JNCO jeans from the 90’s, including being full on floor length. The weird thing with that is I measured the inseam, and it measured at 25”, but they fit really long for a 25” inseam – longer then the Clyde’s which have a 27” inseam. I sold these too.
So I’m batting 0-1/2 out of 3 so far on my ES pants journey. The good thing is that if you buy used, you can easily sell for the same price you paid, so there’s not a whole lot of risk to trying and failing. Based on these experiences, I am saving for a pair of Clyde Culottes, which I’ll order in a 6-R sometime over the summer. I’d love if they came out with these in linen, since I’ve pretty well lived in linen since it started getting warm here.
I’ve been thinking about the linen Flos for a while and I think I am now sold from your photo. They look great on you! Are you happy with the M-R? Are these sitting at your natural waist in the photo (so I have a good sense of the length)? Do you have to shimmy at all to get them past your hips? Does the waistband stretch out to the same width listed in the measurements? Sorry for the many questions but I’m having such a hard time deciding on size. Customer service advised me to get an XS (26” waist, 36” hip) but said I would have to shimmy a little which I really don’t want to do. But wondering if sizing up to a S would look too big all over or is there enough drape in the linen that it look OK?
ok. first, here are my measurements so you can see how they compare to ES measurements of the pants: 34″ bust, 28″ waist, about 39-40″ hips, about 26″ inseam
the medium, regular fit me well, although they are not really sitting at my natural waist, they’re falling a little lower, and i feel like MAYBE the rise is a bit long. (my silk florence pants are short, so the rise is shorter), but i would not want to go shorter than the regular length on these.
I don’t have to shimmy at all to get into these, but they are secondhand, so they’ve been worn and possibly stretched out a little. they are NOT MINE though, so i didn’t wear them around much to get a feel for how they would stretch
according to the ES site, the waist unstretched measures 14″ – the ones i have in now measure about 14.25″ (so that indicates that they’ve stretched about a quarter inch with wear – but again, they’re not mine so i’m not sure how often she wore them)
to be honest, the shimmy isn’t bad – i had to shimmy to get into my clyde culottes and they were too BIG for me overall. and then i had to shimmy a lot to get into the clyde work pants i showed here, but once they were on, i couldn’t really feel the waistband.
whoa. hope that helps! i would be wary about sizing up in linen, just because of stretching. although i have heard that these don’t seem to stretch as much as other linen
I am also 5’3″ (and long-waisted) and all 3 pairs of my ES pants are regular length. My oldest pair are Clydes. I originally ordered the short but immediately exchanged them for regular. My Flo’s are from a sample sale so I assume they’re regular. My original Cecilia’s were from before they were offered in different lengths. ES replaced them with the latest version (I had emailed about a zipper issue and they immediately offered to replace them) and I chose the regular length.
I just received the Mara jumpsuit and ordered the regular length. I’m slightly tempted to exchange it for the tall for extra length in the torso but I want to wear them now!
Oh!! What do you think about the Mara? How is the belt situation? How do you find the sizing?
First, it’s adorable!
Belt – I like it tied in the back better than the front however that mean the ties are dangling low. I could cut them but then I could never tie it in the front if I wanted to.
Sizing – Based on reading the reviews I ordered the XS-R. I knew I’d need length in the torso and wanted it to be slightly more fitted. I almost think I might need the XS-L (which seems crazy since I’m 5’3).
I’m giving myself another day or two to decide.
I’ve also heard of people saying that their inseams are longer than the listed measurements which is also frustrating. I guess that comes with different people making the garments, but it keeps me waffling between between S and R length. I’m the same inseam as you. If the M sat at your natural waist, would the R length hit above or below your ankle bone? Thanks for all sizing help!
yes, if they sit a little higher up then the hem hits just above my ankle bone. it’s complicated, a little, because i don’t really have ankles, but i like them better when they sit exactly at my waist and are a teeny bit higher on my legs.
Keep in mind that there is a difference in rise as well between the short, regular, and tall. An inseam is an easy fix, rise not so much.
I have black canvas Florence pants, size medium. They are snug in the hips but not in a bad way, just that nice “held in” feeling you described about the Kamm pants. It feels like a nice hug. To be honest though, I haven’t had the guts to try them out in the summer heat. I have a feeling it will be too much, and it’s probably best if I stick with linen. Sometimes I think no matter how much ES I have, I will always want something else or wish I’d made a different decision, a different fabric or color. AHH. I think the Andys are great though, you should get some!
i would NOT want to wear cotton canvas pants right now. but those sound so intriguing!! how do you like them compared to your clyde culottes? i’m thinking i’d prefer the clyde culottes because they’re a more straight leg…
and yes, that’s my same situation LOL – i can always think of more ES to add to my wardrobe. in that way i guess the wait time is a blessing, because otherwise, i’d buy it all.
Hi Grechen! Thanks so much for providing a fantastic blog with so much information on Elizabeth Suzann, and a community to discuss it with 🙂 I’m new to ES, just purchased my first piece last week and anxiously waiting the 6-7 weeks. I’ve ordered the Harper tunic in the smoke linen gauze fabric – have you seen this fabric before? I can’t find many pictures of it. I’m second guessing myself because I don’t want it to be too crinkly. Knowing me, I’ll probably order the regular linen in the long sleeve version at some point too!
thank you kristine! i’m so excited for your first order ! 🙂
i had a dress come through slowre in exactly that color and fabric and it was beautiful! the fabric wasn’t too crinkly IMO, although slightly more than the regular linen, just because by design gauze is more textured.
i really liked it a lot, and would be tempted if she made a piece i liked enough in that fabric…