Let me get this straight. Er, tapered. Wide?It's not enough to find pants that fit your bottom and shoes that fit your feet.
Now we have to collect one set of pants to wear with heels, and a completely different set of pants to wear with flats.
And never the twain shall meet.
I admit, I have no style, but does this sound crazy to anyone else? How are you coping with this non-frugal fashion trend?
77 comments:
I am not coping with the fashion trend. I do not wear heals any more. Take me in my flats or don't. My ankles are too weak from being broken (yes, both ankles have been broken) to support my body on heals. So I wear pretty flats. I love the trouser socks. I have several pair in brown, black, navy blue, and tan that I wear. Roxie
LOL...
Real simple. I don't wear pants. Skirts, or dresses (dresses mostly for Sunday wear, although occasionally I'll wear a more casual one during the week). Solves the problem quite nicely. :)
Me too Rachel. I haven't worn pants in 14 years....I don't even own a pair :) I believe God likes women to dress like women
Yes, if you wear both heels and flats then you must have different length pants. Nothing looks worse than too-short pants! If you pants are the perfect length with flats, then heels are not going to work with them. I believe that is written somewhere in Fashion 101!! (lol)
I just wear heels. I need the added height :)
I'd like to avoid a biblical definition of modesty here.
From a practical perspective, skirts do save a lot of trouble--but then you have the problem of tights!
I definitely can't wear heels around the house or out-and-about.
I'm going to have to choose flats. Neither my budget (nor my closet) can afford 2 completely different sets of shoes plus slacks.
No heels for me -- I'm 5'10"!
I buy the same pant in multiple colors and wear the same black shoe with them (not too tall, not too flat).
I think Nancy's on the right track--it helps if you choose flats with a slight heel and heels that are only about 2" high. Lower heels are better for your feet, too!
'skinny' trousers work well with both and boots too :)
Your problem is too many shoes! I have some pants that I only wear with heels (or heeled boots), and some pants that I only wear with flats (well, just a small heel anyway). For example, I only wear dress trousers with heels. No need to have dress trousers in different lengths. I only wear corduroy pants with flats.
It helps to take your appropriate shoes with you when you shop so you know the pants will be the right length.
Erm, I wear the same boots with pretty much everything. And buy my pants about the right length for that.
I sprained my ankle really bad two years ago and it still bothers it when I wear more than a kitten heel.
ok, first off, over here in the great white north the boots we where out are big ugly winter boots..lol...match nothing, so i'm good...
but i'm at a loss i don't know of this new fangled trend....
i think heels with dress pants looks nice..now they have RULES>..
wow...
celina in a canada
Well, since I don't pay much attention to fashion trends AND don't wear pants (modesty & comfort) AND don't wear heels (comfort), it really hasn't made it onto my radar LOL.
Easy . . . I don't keep up with fashion trends anyway, so who cares? I also don't really do heels. I used to, but my bad knee doesn't thank me for that anymore!
I just wear sneakers or something else comfortable. Of course, I don't have a choice due to a foot injury that requires special supports, but it gets me off the hook fashion-wise. ;)
My problem is too many shoes?
You're looking at my entire shoe wardrobe here! And that includes 1 pair I just bought for a wedding : )
I don't pay attention to the rules. It is just too confusing. I don't really wear "pants", just jeans. If I have to go someplace dressy enough for pants, I'll wear a skirt. So, I have running shoes, slip-ons (clogs), boots and dress shoes. All of them are old, all of them are taken care of and I just wear what I have.
Personally I love summertime, which lasts quite a while down here. I own tons of flip-flops and I think they go with everything!
No heels for me. I'm a liberated woman. And they make my back hurt.
I'm not sure this falls in the category of fashion trend. I believe it's always been that you hem pants to the shoes you'll wear.
For me the new thing is buying in twos. Before I bought jeans or casual pants for flats and work pants were all hemmed for heels.
However, I just bought two pairs of the exact same jeans and had one hemmed for flats and left one pair long for heels. I'm looking for a new pair of black dress pants for work that I plan to hem for flats.
You have to hem for the shoes or your pants would often be too long or too short, right? Stinks, but it's true.
If you are going to wear those heels, you are definitely going to have to have much longer pants or a skirt. Looks like you will have to shop for pants or shoes one. I hope you find what you need without too much running around.
Me again - you actually should hem skirts as well to suit your height, shape, and the shoes you'll wear. It's pretty amazing what a difference the right skirt length can make in how you look.
First time to your blog. Someone commented on the Nester's blog that they read her blog - and yours- every day, so I figured I might be missing out on something!
As far as the heel problem goes - My advice is to go through a few more pregnancies and then it won't be an issue. Flats is where its at.
Oh, and I really like your 'About this Blog' feature. I am totally going to steal that :)
Oh, Meredith, you would LAUGH at my idea of winter fashion! Today I wore to morning Mass:
* black loafers (clunky)
* handknit wool socks (black, purple, and turquoise)
* denim skirt
* turtleneck
* vest
I don't think there's a shred of hope that I'll become a fashionista anytime soon.
Jora
Okay, I REALLY planned ahead on this one: I married a guy who is shorter than me and I never wear heels. Ever.
Oh...and one more thing.
You don't have too many shoes. That's almost an impossibility :)
I like the comment about buying two pairs of pants you love, one for flats and one for heels (but then someone might tell you you have too many pants!)
Hi,
I'm not following the trend. I'm a stay at home grandmom with a 1 yr old so my outfits are jeans and T shirts. But your right about one thing, this trend is not very frugal. Good Luck!!
Coleen
Well, I can't say this is much of a problem for me. I have only a few pairs of dress pants, and they're generally just for days I substitute teach or tutor. I can't stand all day in heels, so I only wear flats with them. (Although I do have a pair of short boots with a 2" heel for my brown pants.)
I ignore fashion LOL. I have resigned myself to being unfashionable and calling it classic.
Oh, I feel for you. :) Skirts are all I have to worry about as I also don't wear pants. I think that may be more of a blessing than I realize. Right now, the big problem I face is whether to wear snow boots with my skirts or not. They just don't "go", do they? :) Us women have it so hard.
Can I confess that I pretty much wear heels only to weddings, when I'm wearing a long fancy skirt anyway? And even then I stick to small heels.
I'm fairly tall and rather uncoordinated (read: I fall off heels or tower over everyone else), so in my view, heels are for the birds!! :)
I have read that if you have two pairs of shoes and wear them every other day, they will both last more than twice as long as if you wore the one pair every day. My husband was a gym teacher and swore to that as well. Also, the padding inside has time to spring back if you let it rest a day, then they are better for you and your back.
I have a professional job, so I have black flats and black heels. I buy "fat" heels and they are very steady. That way I have shoes for whatever pants I buy, and I don't have to pay to get them hemmed. (I'm a terrible hemmer). I also splurged on some red shoes on sale. These days, red shoes go with just about everything.
Lisa
Ha! I had to laugh when I read this.... I struggle with this too. Maybe its because I'm short! I have a pair of jeans that I hemmed a tad bit too short and have a straight leg that go well with flats. Most of my other jeans are boot cut or straight leg and longer, so I tend to wear heals with those. Same for slacks- some are shorter and I don't wear heals with those!
Haha, fun topic and fun comments.
I'm with Kacie. 6' tall means no heels.
Ok, honestly - that and I don't pay attention to fashion trends.
Sarah
I'm 5"10 too tall for regular and too short for most talls, so I either have to buy talls and wear heals (usually boots with heals or I have to buy talls , hems them a few inches and wear flats.
lele
I don't wear heels - so that trend in particular doesn't bother me. I generally just wear what I want - I always look tasteful (and somewhat in style) - so I don't pay that much attention to trends.
I guess I am not so fashiony. I wear crocks with casual pants and my 'fancier' casual pants I wear with loafers. I don't do heels. ;)I like things that feel good on my feet.
I didn't know I was supposed to track pants/shoes. I must be frumpy . . .
Pretty little suedes!
I always wear a little bit of heel, just look dumpier in flats.
(exception: shoes for sports + summer cork slides + black-tie affair heel)
All my shoes and boots (5 pairs in winter?) are 2-2.5 inches. Trial and error proved this the best height -- I can stand in choir for over an hour, or even run if I had to, because of the position of the heel (must be wide and flush with the very back of the shoe), or a wedge.
Kitten heels...never. Wobbly, and LOOK like they are ready to collapse. I am no longer willow-y : )
I only have 3 pr pants and 2 jeans, some skirts ... and they are hemmed to interchange with any shoe or boot.
deb meyers
Who knew there was a fashion trend? I stick with long skirts and fairly flat shoes - both for comfort and for modesty.
I love fashion and I've given in. I have pants that I only wear with heels and pants that I only wear with flats.
Mostly-- dressy pants are the ones with heels and casual pants are the ones I wear with flats.
My opinion: as long as you're wearing nice pants (or any pants for that matter) you might as well look good wearing them. If your pants are too short for your shoes you look stumpy, and if you hem drags on the ground you look messy.
You might need more shoes, but I don't think that's a bad thing!
I know it's not a trend to match the right shoes to the right pants BUT it IS a trend to wear high spiky heels with casual pants...thus necessitating these ultra-long pants.
In AZ everyone just wears flip flops. ALL of the time! We have our winter flips, summer flips, date night flips... you get the idea. I have a couple of high heel pants when I have to make the appearance next to hubby at the office parties and by the time I get there I'm convinced everyone is looking at the jelly and boogers on my pants and not my shoes... keeping fashionable with 6 kids is like climbing Mt. Everest with your backpack full of boulders!
Dressy pants with heels.
Casual pants with flats.
Or, screw the rules and wear shorter pants with heels.
I don't have a lot of pants or shoes, so I pretty much use everything I have. I prefer shoes with a heel to total flats so I go for that plan.
I love pants vs. skirts because I am not fond of leg shaving! (did I say that?)
Well. if someone thinks you have to many shoes they should look in my closet . I have enough shoes to keep many centipedes happy . lol : )
Who cares what who thinks . Just wear what is comfortable and works for you .
Better yet , create ( and you are so creative ) your own style .
I agree -- ditch the trend, put on a smile. It goes with everything and makes everything look better.
Though I'll confess, some days a smile is harder to come by than multiple pairs of slacks... :)
I only have a few pair of pants/jeans. I just keep wearing the same pant/shoe combination over and over again. I try to have more tops for variety.
You know, I don't want to look too out of the loop, but I just don't care so much about fashion anymore. And as for jeans and heels? To me jeans will always be too casual for heels. I think they look stupid with heels. Denim is casual, period. Heels are not in my humble opinion!
Hi Meredith, I don't keep up with fashion trends, but I believe if you look in the mirror at different angles, you can tell if it looks good, and that is all that matters to me. I like the idea to just wear a skirt when you want to wear heels or just have dressy flats for dressing up your pants. I like my wardrobe simple like that.
You are totally not alone. I feel the same with some pants not looking good with flats, or with heels. I can totally relate.
I wear flats with everything - I havent worn heels for 20 years although I must admit they look nice but not nice enough to tempt me back into them. I just admire them on other people
I didn't know this was a "trend" -- I've always done it. It may not sound frugal, but ask me how many pairs of jeans I have right now. Answer: 2. How many pairs of pants? Also 2. No matter how much you have, you should always try to look your best.
For me, having both flats and heels fit being frugal. Thrift store shopping means everything isn't always a perfectly fitted size. So if the pants are longish I can wear heels and if they aren't I can wear flats.
Both tapered and wide shoes are nice, but wear what feels good. Even if they cost more, you will wear them more, so the cost per use is LESS.
If you're talking about pants, please don't wear tapered. You'll look nicer in straight legged and they won't go out of style, SO, again, the cost per use is less.
:)
My husband taught me how to dress, and wow, when I follow his advice, people comment. I don't look cheap, and really, I'm not spending any more than I did. I just know what to look for now.
LC
wait? I'm supposed to wear heels? :)
I only wear flats for everyday so no problems there. When I do wear heels I'm usually in a dress/skirt for dress up. Dress slacks are not very flattering on me anyway.
Off subject.. but more of the wedding pictures have been posted, if you are interested...
I have two pair of dress pants that I seldom wear.. but I wear flats with everything.. my husband is just a couple of inches taller than me ... and he doesn't like me to wear high heels.. that's one little thing I can do to please him...plus it sure is easier on my feet..LOL
Meredith I have noticed the high heels with everything (dressy jeans!) and been reminded of the pointy-toed with heels look that was so in when I was in high school 20 years ago. I know how to sew but growing up my mom found it easier to do the hems for me than teach me and I haven't remedied that yet. With the body combo of curvy hips, long waisted and short legs I have resigned myself to being glad to find pants that fit in the waist & hips and needing to be hemmed. A 1 1/2 to 2" chunky heel in laceup boots or other sturdy orthotic friendly (read: expensive so I have no choice but to buy classic styles & colors and keep forever...sadly lost a lot when feet expanded permanently with first pregnancy) is what I find most flattering and comfortable.
Last night I was reading an article in a magazine praising Michelle Obama for her unique style. At the same time there was a segment of one of the entertainment shows on tv that was bashing her style. A great example of not being able to please everyone.
I've seen women who wear heels with long pants and I've seen women who wear them with shorter pants so more of the shoe shows. Both have looked good. What I liked the most was that they each followed their own unique style.
I personally dont wear pants. I dislike how my body looks in pants. If I ever, finally, lose weight, I will start to wear pants again. And at that time, like now, I will dress my own unique way without a care to what anyone else thinks. As long as I and my clothes are clean, neat and modest, I'm fine. My shoe of choice? Different colored clogs with matching colored stockings to go with my skirt of the day. I have always gotten compliments on my outfits even though I don't follow a trend.
Valerie
I'd suggest you to wear what is flattering to you, no matter the trend. Stick to colours and shapes that are nice for your skin, eyes and hair colour and nobody will notice if the lenght of your hemline is slightly shorter or longer
hugs
Wow - who knew this would strike such a cord? :) I did find this out the hard way when I went to lead worship last week (in front of LOTS of people) and looked up on the screen during our run through and saw that my pants were WAY too short with the heels I had picked. I never thought about it before since I wear those pants all the time, but with flats....UGH! Tried calling the hubby to bring new ones to no avail so instead, I sagged those pants down on my waist, pulled my shirt down as far as I could, and made sure I didn't raise my hands too much....heee hee.
I, too, wear dresses/skirts. I believe that is what God called ME to do. What He calls others to do is a different story....I cannot decide for someone else what God wants for them, but it does solve the heels with pants issue....on a side note, I never did like heels with pants, even when I did wear them.
Kristy
Antonella, I think people will notice if pants are too short. It can totally ruin the overall look even if everything else is perfect and flattering. Obviously, Meredith realizes that those pants and heels pictured are not going to work together and wants to get it right. It's great if one is confident enough to truly not care what anyone thinks, but most of us aren't that secure. I know I am shallow enough to want to look "right", especially at a special event.
ok so we're talking less about the style of the pant, then to match the length of the pant..i get it...i'm slow...lol...
is there extra on the pants to let out a bit...i'm so short that pants are NEVER too short, i usualy wear heals so i dont have to pay to hem them...
celina in canada
This is why we have full-length mirrors. I "get dressed to shoes" (Flylady, anyone?) when I'm going out and give myself a once-over in the mirror, and yes, that sometimes leads me to change my shoes. Or my pants!
Susan in San Antonio
i just live in my jeans - cuz you can dress them up with high heels or down w/flats. one expensive favorite pair of black pants that i wear all the time too - same thing dress up w/hi and down w/lo. i have friends that take me shopping w/them cuz i have the "eye" (they say) - so let's go shopping! on a budget of course! :) lol!
Without getting into a big discussion of modesty, I wear pants 99.5% of the time because they make me look much slimmer -and mostly with flats or very low heels. I live in the South and have one pair of very nice black pants and one of black jeans hemmed longer to wear with boots or black heels when I need to dress up. The rest are hemmed for flats and sandals, which I wear a great deal.
I am heavy around the middle only, with nice arms and legs and I KNOW my pants outfits make me look 20 lbs. slimmer than a dress that hangs out over my large middle. I wear light sweaters or many jackets that hit just where I get slim again on my lower hips and hide the lack of waist. There are many ways to feminize pants and I feel much more feminine in them than a dress that makes me look fat!
Meridith, may I suggest maybe just one or two pairs of pants hemmed longer for the times you need to dress up with the same neutral heel and then the rest of your pants hemmed to match your shoes that have approximately the same height heel.(My flats have to be rather flat to be the same height as all those wonderful sandals for our HOT springs, summers and falls!)
Thanks,
Melissa B.
I don't pay attention to fashion.
As well, I don't wear heels
:)
My philosophy--don't wear shoes that will make my face ugly from the pain and discomfort. As a wife, mother, and teacher, I'm on my feet most of the day. I don't wear any shoes with more than a 1 inch heel.
I'm also one of those skirt-only women, although I believe it is a personal choice, and that pants can be a practical, modest choice for some women. However, I also think very few women look better in pants than in skirts--especially from the rear. Just my opinion.
I just don't. I wear heels about once a year.
I am a working career mama - I wear slacks with heels and get many compliments - Most of my slacks are cuffed and with tailored jackets - I am an executive, thus have to look the part - I also wear dress suits - heels are a must when I decide to compliment my suits with a nice pair of comfy pumps -
Meredith, you have to do whats most comfy to you - Everyone in my office KNOWS where I keep the flats, in case I must run to the bank or for a brisk walk to catch a few city blocks to get to a meeting... A backup pair of flats EVERYWHERE is a must for me - in each car - in my carrying back - in the stroller - wherever I am...
On the weekends, I get 'trendy' - still with light makeup and earrings - and sometimes a baseball cap - I like to change it up...
If you like dressing up, do your thing - Honestly, women who look their best, absolutely feel their best - that's MY motto and one that I picked up from my working career mama as a little girl.
When I wear pants - I look like a woman in charge - When I wear a dress - Look out - I'm still in charge - Might I add, all affordable designer gear and within reason - By the way, those shoes, I have them and they are VAN ELI - they are the best -
I "DO ME" whatever is best for me.
So here's a call for you to "DO YOU" and you shall continue to thrive and be your best yet - I know that for sure.
Fashionista Working MAMA in the Northwest:
Latrice
ps. for the record, god looks at the heart - some of the meanest women I have known to only wear dresses were the meanest and the most unfriendly - and wouldn't talk to me just because I had on pants. God Is Love - no matter what you are wearing...
I was brought up pentecostal and it was a good upbringing - there are so many unsaved who think they are going to heaven b/c of their choice of dress - I swallow hard at the notion...
I am tall and like being stylish, but I also have big feet which means shoes are expensive or hard to find. I have solved my dress shoe problem by making sure all my pants and skirts match either black or brown shoes. Then I just have 2 pairs of flats. I don't wear heels.
I am on my feet so much that I like a comfy shoe. Heels are not comfy when your on your feet for very long.
I loved me some heels before I had my daughter, so all my pants and jeans were suited for 2"-2.5" heels. Now that I'm out of the work world and loving being a mom-about-town, I prefer a lower heel, like 1". Anything completely flat makes my legs look like potatoes (in my opinion). So now most of my jeans work with that height of heel. But I kept a few pairs of pants and some dark denim to dress up with heels when the occasion warrants it.
I wear tall sized pants and I'm very frugal with clothing, which means that I don't have many pants options in my closet. Forget multiple cuts and styles, let alone having duplicates of colors in different cuts. Who has the budget or the closet space for that kind of thing?
you could create some sort of convertible hem or trim that would give you an extra couple of inches when needed and removed when not..
I'm pretty short and have solved the problem as follows: when I buy a pair of pants that are too long for my flatter-soled shoes, then I wear them with my non-flat-soled shoes (these aren't really heels, but boots and the like). If a pair of pants won't work with my existing shoes, alas, it stays at the store. I hate hemming....
Post a Comment