There’s a big storm headed for Nor Cal today! The weather goddesses are saying that we’ll be seeing an atmospheric river. YOWZA.
Well, there’s no way I’d wear these wide-leg Madewell Harlow pants during a downpour (imagine how wet the bottom parts would get, yikes), so yeah, this is what I wore to work yesterday, when things were still dry.
Anywho, I’ve seen a lot of people wear this wide-leg style of pants, and you know, I never realized this until I tried on this particular cut, but pants this voluminous seem to go very wrong very quickly on me, and I definitely need to make very strategic choices when I wear them. Otherwise I look like I’m drowning in fabric or like a kid playing dress up with someone else’s grown up clothes.
These are some styling tips that really help me as a petite person! Maybe you’ll find them useful, too.
1. Pairing the pants with the same color top for a monochromatic look
I’ve found that these types of tailored, wide-leg pants tend to have a higher rise, and when I wear a contrasting color on the top, I look shorter because there’s a stark visual break between the top and the pants.
Wearing one continuous color creates a longer, unbroken line from top to bottom and seems to elongate my body, so that I look taller and less like I’m swimming in the pants.
2. Choosing a shoe with a platform or a chunky sole
For some reason, wearing wide-leg pants with shoes with a chunky sole looks balanced to my eye. I think when I wear pant legs that are very wide, a shoe with a daintier profile gets lost in the fabric.
You could do a loafer with a chunky sole or something similar to what I’m wearing here, which is the platform version of Chuck Taylor All Stars. I really like the pop of the white at the bottom there. I think it adds a little freshness to the overall look.
3. Wearing a fitted top and a slim-fitting blazer or jacket
I think these pants look really good with a bodysuit and slim-fitting blazer. I’m wearing an old body suit from J. Crew that I got a couple years ago and a chambray blazer I bought recently from J. Crew factory. Side note: I feel like J. Crew and J. Crew factory jackets and blazers tend to run a little small.
Just for funsies, I tried the same top and pants with an oversized boyfriend cut blazer from Madewell. I feel like this in itself is a very specific type of look, but for my petite size, it’s hard to pull off. I feel like I’m wearing my grandpa’s jacket or something. LOL!
Don’t get me wrong; I love this blazer and wear it all the time. I think it looks better with a tighter-fitting jean, though. I wore it a few weeks ago with the Madwell Vintage Jean and I think it looked very balanced.
If you’re in Nor Cal today, stay safe! It’s supposed to be crazy out there.
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
You are killing it with your work outfits, Karen! Stay safe during the storm, I hope it’s not too bad.
Thanks Rachel! I heard from my boss that I can stay at the nearby campus tomorrow, which is a relief. I wasn’t looking forward to driving in the rain.
Hope things are going well on your end. 🙂
Love the outfits! I agree the 2nd blazer looks much better with the more straight leg jean.
Thank you! I hope you’re having a nice week, Sami.
I love wide leg pants! Adding a blazer to balance out the amount of fabric is a great idea—I like the ensemble with the chambray jacket!
Apologies if you already have and discussed it before, but I wonder if you’ve tried Uniqlo? They might not be high end, but I think they’re solid. Here in Asia, most of their pants are made for petites (they offer versions for taller women though not always, at least where I’m from) and the wide leg pants not made of denim are cut a bit slimmer, I believe. They’re surprisingly flattering on me (I’m 5’3” and an apple shape and never imagined I could pull off wide leg pants until a few years ago) and I imagine they’d look really even more amazing on you since you’re very slim. They have wide leg jeans as well.
I second Uniqlo and I live in SoCal. I’m also petite and love their smart ankle pants for the fit and fabric and definitely the price! I live in their wide leg jumpsuits all spring and summer too.
I got the Harlow pants over the summer while looking for something cool and comfortable to wear. I put them and it took me less than 5 seconds to say “Nope, these are going back” Just way too voluminous for my frame. I’d have to be at least 6 inches taller to make them work.
Hope you don’t get too much rain. So far it’s been manageable down this way.