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Our daily TPS reports suggest one piece of work-appropriate attire in a range of prices. Bergdorf Goodman just added some Fall 2010 designer styles to the website, and it's worth taking a gander just to drool — so many lovely, lovely things. For today's TPS, we're loving these high-waisted tweed pants from Chloe — they strike us as such an elegant, sophisticated look, from the cut and shape to the largeish chevron tweed pattern. We particularly like that the wool pants are lined with cotton instead of polyester. The pants are $1,115 at Bergdorf Goodman.Chloe High-Waist Tweed Pants Seen a great piece you'd like to recommend? Please e-mail editor@corporette.com with “TPS” in the subject line. (L-0)Sales of note for 11.5.24
- Nordstrom – Fall sale, up to 50% off!
- Ann Taylor – 11/5 only – 60% off sale
- Banana Republic Factory – 50% off everything + extra 25% off with your GAP Inc. credit card
- Bloomingdales is offering gift cards ($20-$1200) when you spend between $100-$4000+. The promotion ends 11/10, and the gift cards expire 12/24.
- Boden – 10% off new styles with code; free shipping over $75
- Eloquii – Fall clearance event, up to 85% off
- J.Crew – 40% off fall favorites; prices as marked
- J.Crew Factory – Up to 60% off everything + 60% off clearance
- Lo & Sons – Fall Sale, up to 35% off
- M.M.LaFleur – Save 25% sitewide
- Neiman Marcus – Up to 30% off on new arrivals
- Spanx – Lots of workwear on sale, some up to 70% off
- Talbots – Buy one, get one – 50% off everything!
- White House Black Market – Holiday style event, take 25% off your entire purchase
And some of our latest threadjacks here at Corporette (reader questions and commentary) — see more here!
Some of our latest threadjacks include:
- What to say to friends and family who threaten to not vote?
- What boots do you expect to wear this fall and winter?
- What beauty treatments do you do on a regular basis to look polished?
- Can I skip the annual family event my workplace holds, even if I'm a manager?
- What small steps can I take today to get myself a little more “together” and not feel so frazzled all of the time?
- The oldest daughter is America's social safety net — change my mind…
- What have you lost your taste for as you've aged?
- Tell me about your favorite adventure travels…
Legally Brunette
These look really silly to me. Maybe it’s the stance of the model that is throwing me off.
Shayna
Yes… they remind me of the wide legged jeans that were in style in the mid ’90s. Mostly I want to march them over to a tailor.
Emily
Yeah, I’m waiting for little children to start running out of the legs of those pants, Nutcracker-style.
Something tells me my 27″ inseam wouldn’t support this amount of fabric.
M
Heinous.
EG
With this much material, I think they will make a swooshing – swishing noise when you walk.
Anon
Or get caught in your heels when you go up or down stairs – disastrous tumble potential.
N
I like this Katharine Hepburn style trousers (which never look right on me and my limited height), but that is one strange pose.
AN
Yes, I thought of Kate the Great too! But my 5″4 frame would be LOST in there. Not to mention the fact that I’m shortwaisted and cannot tuck tops into pants (and these are a “must tuck” pair).
Still it’s a good look if you’re 6 ft & above……….
E
For me, while I would never (EVER) purchase these pants, this is a perfect example of Monday splurge — it got me thinking about pants for fall, tweeds, higher waist, wider leg, etc. This is a look that I would think about adopting, though clearly not to this extreme.
Kimbo
+1 Not only are these cost-prohibitive for me, they are too wide (and possibly too high-waisted). But, I have been on the lookout for a pair of tweed wide-legged pants for the past few fall/winter seasons now, and this reminds me it’s time to restart the search!
fresh jd
Every fall season, Zara has a mainstream version of tweed wide-leg pants that are a less-crazy version of today’s feature. My cousin has a pair, but then again she works in advertising so she can pretty much get away with wearing anything over there.
Ru
Wholeheartedly concur!
AIMS
I actually got a very similar though a bit more low key pair at Brooks Brothers last fall & I love them. Every time I wear them I feel like Marlene Dietrich; it’s quite a confidence booster.
Mine are dark camel colored, incredibly comfortable, & lined with silk (or what feels like silk). I wear them with super high heels and a thin black cashmere sweater (either slouchy turtleneck or high scoop neck), and a chunky necklace.
High waisted, pleated pants are clearly not for everyone, but I adore my pair!
Shayna
Can I ask what you body type/height is? I love the idea of Marlene Dietrich/Katherin Hepburn inspired trousers (sans this questionable pose, of course) – but being rather petite I’m not sure this is a look my admittedly short legs can pull off…
Anon
I also like this style of pants and my body type is pretty similar to Katharine Hepburn’s (i’m 5-8 and willowy, small bust, long limbs).
FinanceMe
Willowy…how I yearn to be described as willowy.
L
I really like these, but right now I am not in the right body shape to pull them off (leaving aside price discussion!). I am 6m postpartum and tummy is not *quite* small enough, and boobs are too big. If I were 1 size smaller (right now I am an 8) and my boobs were smaller – so more like the Katharine Hepburn body type – it would look better. (I am 5.8 and would wear w/ heels.)
lawDJ
I also love the Katherine Hepburn look but I think us petite girls just can’t pull it off (especially if also large busted). It’s sad because I think Hepburn’s style was so professional without being overly masculine (but with touches of) and I love it but at 5’3″ and 34DD and distinctly hourglass shape (when I’m not an apple b/c I haven’t been working out :) the only fashion role model I can think of is Marilyn Monroe, which is not exactly office appropriate. Anyone else have ideas of other fashionable famous women I could look at for inspiration?
v
Joan Holloway? :-)
lawDJ
I had to go look her up (haven’t really seen Mad Men). Wikipedia says she’s 5’8″ but you’re right, perfect hourglass. Her clothes are pretty awesome, but her bust is pretty out there (albeit without ANY cleavage revealed, something that is actually pretty hard to pull off without looking horrible IMO). She’s possibly a bit too sexy for the law office though :)
Shayna
I love her clothes! Christina Hendricks – the actress – gave a great interview on her looks/body image — It was just nice to read someone who sounds fairly sane…(http://marquee.blogs.cnn.com/2010/07/03/mad-mens-christina-hendricks-i-look-like-a-woman/)
AIMS
Sophia Loren. Liz Taylor (only 5’4). Ingrid Bergman (anything she wore in Casablanca still looks phenomenal in my opinion).
You could also look at more modern stars like Scarlet Johanson, America Ferrara, or even the actress who plays the lead in Lifetime’s Drop Dead Diva (the surprisingly not terrible show about a model who dies & comes back to life in the body of a “chubby” lawyer).
AN
lawDJ – I’m a 5″4 hourglass (size 8/10), office is biz casual though I am more conservative compared to the rest.
I reference the 50s without veering into overtly sexy Joan Holloway territory. I look to icons like Grace Kelly, Sophia Loren etc – the trick is to really tone down/remove the ‘va va voom factor’. So if Loren would wear a pencil skirt+halter, my look would be pencil skirt + fitted untucked tops with cowl/slash/v necks. There are various ways to show off a waistline without becoming vampy:)
Or maybe Audrey hepburn minus turtlenecks (which are bad for my big chest). So today I am wearing this blousy top (LOVE the Nordie sales) with a pair of slim ankle length pants (made of dress pant fabric) + heels.
http://shop.nordstrom.com/S/3064039?Category=&Search=True&SearchType=keywordsearch&keyword=missoni&origin=searchresults
Have fun stylin’….
AIMS
I’m 5’3 – 5’4 and an hourglass shape (maybe slightly smaller on top than the bottom) so you really wouldn’t think this would work, but I think it does (high heels are key, of course).
I usually wear a size 4/6 bottom (depending on manufacturer), and this particular pair of pants from BB is a size 4. I think the key, for me, to make this work is a relatively form fitting top (for ex., I love the look of pants like this with a flowly, tucked in bouse, but on me that would be way overwhelming).
My advice would be to experiment & try on different types of this style when you come across them. I really didn’t think this pair would work but it was surprisingly flattering & it’s now one of my fave pairs!
JM
Hm. I disagree that petites can’t pull this off! I am 5’1, straight figure, small bust, proportionally long limbs, and I consider wide legged pants very flattering. Perhaps I’ve been living under a rock this whole time? I also think that the pants have to be proportionally wide for your body, so I would probably take them to the tailor and have the rise shorted and the leg holes taken in.
JM
err…sorry not disagreeing with AIMS, but the sentiment that petites can’t pull off these pants. I don’t comment here often (but lurk multiple times a day).
AIMS
@JM — I agree! I am just pointing out that the conventional wisdom is that you have to be tall for this style, whereas my reality is that you don’t.
(I feel equally passionately about long dresses, which I wear all the time& find incredibly flattering, and which I am always surprised to hear referred to as “overwhelming” for the shorter among us.)
A-n0n-lawyer
You guys are giving me hope! I’ve got some wide-legged trousers, but no high waisted ones because I was always afraid I wasn’t tall enough for the look. I think I have a similar body type to you, AIMS. Same pantsize and height.
I will definitely try some on, now!
Shayna
Thanks fellow petite Corporettes! I will try this style out the next time I see a pair (usually I don’t bother trying things on that I ‘know’ aren’t flattering)
E
Second this — on a related note, I had convinced myself that I was too curvy for pencil skirts, and that it was a style I could never pull off. Then my husband (who has amazing taste) urged me to try one on at Nordstroms (Classiques Entier brand) and I looked awesome! It’s a good reminder that no style is necessarily offlimits to any body type, it’s just that the cut of the garment has to be just right…
MelD
I was surprised at how good the high waisted pants look on me as well. I think it may have to do more with proportions than anything else. I have a long waist, so pants with a shorter rise tend to make my legs look really stubby in comparison to my torso. I imagine the effect would be the same whether I am 5’1″ or 5’10”.
anon-ny
I was going to mention this proportion as well – I am 5’9″ but I have a very short waist so I think pants like this would look completely ridiculous on me despite my long legs because they would essentially come up to my bra line and I would look like boobs (small ones) stacked directly on top of legs. Not a look I imagine anyone going for.
EN
I also love this style of pant. I would definitely not describe myself as willowy but I am 5’8″ (still wear with heels) and I have a very long torso and do not gain weight in my stomach (more hips and thighs). I think this style is flattering on my body type and have received a number of compliments on similar (but toned down) styles.
i'm nobody who are you
Love these. I would wear the $h!t out of them.
I realized ca. 2002 the Kate Hepburn silhouette was flattering on my not-that-tall (5’10”) but long-waisted body, and it’s been a struggle since then to achieve it. Outside of an occasional Brooks Brothers score and JPeterman (yes, *that* JPeterman), it’s been hard to find something that’s long enough and also reaches my natural waist.
Fresh
AIMS – I love these pants, and your look sounds gorgeous. Agree about the Marlene Dietrich feeling.
AIMS
Thanks! :)
Martha
too extreme for a conservative office.
Lizzie
The pants look fine to me, but the model’s pose is out of place. A Bergdorff catalogue is hardley Vogue magazine. There’s no need for the broken doll pose there.
fresh jd
LMAO @ “broken doll pose” . totally agree, the pose is making the pants look wackier than they are.
KZ
they look much better in some of the other pictures where the model isn’t bizarrely posed.
lawDJ
I looked at all the pictures of these pants and is it just me or does it look like the model has to go to the bathroom?
AC
That was my first thought. Too bad that my second thought was that the pants are lovely.
A-n0n-lawyer
I guess I’m in the minority, but I really love these. I’m only 5’4, so I’m not sure I could pull them off, but I would love to be able to. I just love the Katherine Hepburn feel, and I think it’s really flattering on the right body type.
Ru
I’m with you – I think the pants are beautiful but would not look good on me. Still, it’s nice eye candy!
RR
Agreed. I love them. I’m 5’8″ and mostly legs (33″ inseam in flats, up to 35-36″ in higher heels), and wide-legged pants look great on me. I don’t think this would be the pair. The high-waisted look isn’t great for me since I’m busty, and they are a little extreme; but I love the concept and would love to find something similar in a more realistic look and price bracket.
jcb
Agreed as well! They are gorgeous pants, not the staple every-week pants but for a few times a season. Sadly am not skinny enough to pull them off myself.
Clerky
Thread hijack –
Based on a recommendation from Kat, I went to the library and checked out Trinny & Susannah’s book What You Wear Can Change Your Life. It got me thinking about colors and what colors suit me. I can’t figure out whether I’m a cool or warm and did a quick google search but didn’t find any really great sites. Am curious if anyone has done a color analysis, if it was worth it, and if so, where you ended up going. I’m in the DC area. Thanks!
Jen
I’ve never had it done, but I remember a magazine article from when I was younger that said if you look better in silver jewelry you are a cool and if you look better in gold jewelry then you are a warm. Hope that helps a little!
AIMS
I always read the trick was white tee shirts. Get one that’s pure white & one that’s off white. Depending on which looks better on you, you have either blue or yellow undertones & t/f are either “cool” or “warm.”
Frankly, I can’t tell though!
AN
I heard to check your veins at the wrist. If bluish, then cool. If greenish, then warm. Greater the contrast between skin & hair, greater the probability that you’re “cool” & vice versa. So Winona Ryder/Liz Taylor/Salma Hayek = cool (winter).
Kimbo
I’ve never had it done either (but am very curious as to how the process works)!
One method I’ve heard to determine your coloring on your own is to buy the same basic shirt in several different colors, try each one on and take pictures in multiple kinds of light (i.e. natural light, light from a regular light bulb, fluorescent lights) and see which colors suit you best. Then, return the shirts that didn’t work (or exchange them for more in the palette that does suit you). I hate to return things, but it could be worth it to really figure out what works best for you. (Although, it does sound kind of time-intensive, which is part of the reason I’ve never done it.)
Another method that might work is to find a trustworthy make-up artist at Sephora, MAC, a make-up counter at the department store, etc. This is difficult because I feel that some make-up artists at each of these places are amazing and will really be able to tell you if you are a warm or a cool, but others aren’t as well-trained.
Ru
Major pet peeve – taking the time out to really invest in new makeup and after 5 seconds, you realize the makeup artist is absolutely clueless. So awkward to say, “Ummm, not so much” while they’re painting your face.
jcb
YES. Had the Le Clerc woman at Barney’s tell me “oh, you are going to LOVE this mascara” as she applied several coats until I had disgusting tarantula eyes. Hard to politely say – thanks for the effort, but do you have any make-up remover so I don’t have to walk around like this. You never know who you are going to get, no matter where you go.
Kimbo
I completely agree with you ladies! I’ve finally found a Sephora with about 5 girls who I’ve found are all well-trained and really know their stuff. Luckily, I’ve never been there when at least one of them wasn’t working. And, there are two girls at the same store who are amazing with skin care. I hate that I have to lurk around and wait for one of these five girls, though, but I know they are good and I trust them! The only negative is that this is a very small store and they don’t stock every brand.
anon-ny
the Mac counter (and Nars I think although don’t frequent them as often) at Henry Bendell’s in NYC are pretty reliable. I’ve even gone in straight from work and told them I have a date or whatever that evening and they will touch me up in exchange for me buying a few of my standards (even if I’m not out yet and actually I’m usually grateful when I run low that I purchased ahead). I always clarify that I prefer a natural look and even for an evening out I don’t like looking overdone. Haven’t had a problem so far.
Shayna
Would love to have my colors done — my mother had hers done in the 80s (when it was popular) and I believe that part of the reason she regularly passes for 10 – 15 years younger than she is, is that besides being petite and dying her hair, she also wears colors that flatter her skintone/eyes/etc. rather than making her look sallow or sickly.
Karen
I had my colors done when I was in seventh grade, and the company is still around – sort of an Avon/Mary-Kay style home consultation thing, but if you can dig up an old copy of “Color Me Beautiful”, it is the perfect resource for figuring out your colors…just don’t laugh too hard at the cheesy name and the 80’s pictures!
http://www.amazon.com/Color-Me-Beautiful-Carole-Jackson/dp/0345345886
Shayna
Though not nearly as amusing in terms of pictures I did just locate the 2008 update – http://amzn.to/bOXfMR – thanks for the info!!
nonA
Whenever I read about “getting my colors done” I always think of Bridget Jones where her mother forces her to go do it – I’ve never actually known people did it in real life!
AIMS
I think of Michael Moore’s Roger & Me, where the totally incompetent woman declares him a spring and then calls to say that, on further thought, he really is more of an autumn (0r something along these lines.)
s in Chicago
Yes!
nonA
Not exactly perfect, but MAC (and probably other makeup counters) will color-match you. Their foundations are either NC (cool) or NW (warm) – its pretty accurate.
Clerky
That’s very helpful — I think my Studios fix is a NC, but I need to check back at home. Thanks!
Makeup Junkie
you can go to 4 different MAC artists and they’ll color-match you 7 different ways. Mall store lighting is terrible!
Clerky
I went to two different makeup artists at different malls and they both put me in the same color foundation, luckily. I did, however, go to a terrible MAC artist who put me in concealer that was totally not my color.
hmm
it’s not so much about cool v warm, these days. it’s more about knowing which actual colors suit you. but don’t pigeonhole yourself into thinking you’re only a cool or can just wear warm colors. that’s very limiting. instead, focus on the colors for each season (fall: browns, golds, mustards, russetts, etc; spring: teal, lilac, pink; summer: coral, turquoise, white…) that compliment you best.
MelD
I agree. I think it’s so easy to say “Oh I’m a cool so I can’t wear X color” when really it may be that you look great in jewel tones but not pastels, pastels but not dark colors, etc. I look great in colors on both sides of the spectrum and look horrible in colors on both sides of the spectrum. Sometimes it just takes a very little difference in the shade to make me go from looking amazing to looking like I should be 6 feet under.
Makeup Junkie
I agree! I am “warm”, but that doesn’t mean I look good in orange shirts or terrible with grey eyeshadow.
surrounded by lawyers
Agree, and as someone who simply loves color I also want to put in a plug for pushing it a bit with some items you own–don’t feel you always have to stick to “your colors.” Different makeup tones and jewelry can do a lot to make a wider variety of colors work on you–and those are only for things close to your face. For bottoms, anything is fair game.
Res Ipsa
Agree. And I always point people to the four universally flattering colors:
http://www.realsimple.com/beauty-fashion/clothing/wardrobe-basics/4-universally-flattering-clothing-colors-10000001584157/index.html
MelD
I can say for myself that those colors are NOT universally flattering. That pink they picked is one of the absolute worst on me. It’s just too close to my skin color to be flattering and just makes me look pasty/sick.
Clerky
Agreed. I love eggplant and teal, but I just don’t think red looks all that great on me. Very surprised to hear that red is a universally flattering color. And that pale pink washes me out.
Erin
Universally flattering in a universe where redheads don’t exist.
I hate you, beauty industry.
Clerky
Thanks for the helpful comments. I checked out the Color Me Beautiful book from the library so let’s see how that goes.
I also found this site very helpful for determining your colors:
http://www.prettyyourworld.com/free-quiz.html
Anonymous
I read that if your visible veins are bluish you’re probably cool, while if they’re greenish you’re probably warm.
rising 3L
I’m “cool” technically. I noticed that drug store/cheap makeup (think cover girl, maybelline, revlon etc) never matched up with me. They always made my skin look more orange than I was. I went to Prescriptives years ago and the girl told me I had cool undertones and that was why the general makeup didn’t work for me.
I was told that in order to save costs since their makeup is so cheap the cheap drugstore makeup brands made mostly warm colors b/c the majority of women are warm toned (or so they thought). I have to buy expensive makeup but it looks a million times better and feels so much better on my skin! Maybe if you’ve experienced similar problems it could help clue you in?
I also recommend just trying colors on. I for example look the best in purple, followed by green/teal colors and I look fantastic in orange and most bright blues. Pastels? Not so much. Also, I can’t do any shade of yellow. I found all of this out by trying it on and seeing how the different shades look.
Makeup Junkie
Interesting, I’m definitely warm-toned and drug store makeup AND department store makeup is way too pink for me; I always assumed it was made for cool-toned ladies. I just stick to mineral makeup, I can always find a yellow enough shade for me there.
Kimbo
I’m short, but long-waisted/short-legged, so the right pair of high-waisted pants looks great one me, as they elongate my legs, where I need the height the most. I don’t think these are the right pair (and they are cost-prohibitive for me), but I am going to continue to look for pants similar to these! (I have several pairs of high-waisted pants, but have yet to find a tweed pair.)
divaliscious11
These are gorgeous, but even at nearly 6′, I’d have to wear these with heels, due to the volume of fabric. I loved wide legged trousers and have several pair in a variety of tweeds. trying to remeber wear I purchased for those of you looking, or at least brand. I am thinking one pair is Max Mara….
Jill St. James
I love these pants. You could do a lot with them.
anon23
I’m curious what you all think about tan lines at the office. I just got back from a great vacay and wore a thick strapped bikini top that tied behind my head. I am quite tan and the tan line will show in a lot of my v necked shirts. I’m covered up today with a high cut shirt and a blazer but I am wondering if tan lines are like bra straps and should never be shown in the office. I wasn’t thinking when I wore that suit all week and it will be hard to keep it covered up.
Anon
I think tan lines are a no for the office.
Kimbo
For me, it would really depend on how formal your office is and whether or not you’re meeting with clients that day. I would probably err on the side of caution, but if you find you’ve accidentally worn something that shows the tan lines, I wouldn’t stress about it.
Shayna
Agree… not as disastrous as bra straps, but not a particularly flattering look in general, so best avoided if possible… I say this as someone w/ her own set of halter top tan lines :-(
ceb
Cover it up (or at least make it less noticeable) with self-tanner.
A-n0n-lawyer
I feel your pain. I don’t have tan lines from a swimsuit, but I do have crisp tan lines from my exercise gear. I even peeled my socks off this weekend to reveal a horrible SOCK TAN. Ugh.
I’d try to keep it covered up until it goes away if I were you. The ones around seams (one around your neckline or sleeves) are the most noticable, imho.
anon23
ugh sock tan lines are the WORST! I feel your pain.
Erin
Even it out with a little self-tanner? I don’t think visible tan lines are a good look, not just because it’s inappropriate but also because you don’t really need to rub everyone’s face in the fact that you were on the beach.
Housecounsel
Tan lines are a no-no anywhere! Haven’t we all learned about sunscreen yet? One of the joys of Facebook is seeing how all the girls who were supertan in high school look now that we’re all 40. I remember being so jealous now . . . not anymore!!!
I love the pants, but referring back to an early comment, I really want to know if I am the only one who has actually (and on more than one occasion) put one skinny heel into the cuff of the other pant leg and gone flying across a courthouse of office floor.
A-n0n-lawyer
You are not the only one. I definitely did that in front of a huge group of people at my first summer associate gig. The cup I was holding went flying across the hall aaaaand the cuff of my pants ripped. Worst. Day. Ever.
Ru
I have done this – thankfully AFTER my interview with the company I’m currently working at. I fell twice the same day, sort of sprained the same elbow (I don’t know how I managed to fall in the same exact position twice). It was pretty bad – couldn’t extend my arm all the way. Eventually, my start date was pushed back for 2 weeks (!) because I was not medically cleared (the doctor said I have to climb ladders so I need a strong elbow, shrug) – so ladies, beware the wide-hemmed pants and heels!
nonA
Oh yeah! Been there and done that (tripped as a first-year associate while walking downstairs, and fell right in front of a glass-walled conference room full of partners/clients in some sort of VIP meeting).
Needless to say, I don’t buy cuffed pants anymore.
LegallyBlonde
I have the cuffs taken out of any cuffed pants I buy for just this reason.
SF Bay Associate
Me too – no cuffs.
Cat
oh I am SO glad to hear there are others who do this. I have one pair of pants in particular that offends (it happened three times. Fortunately each with only one witness, but unfortunately not the same witness…), and have started wearing only wedge heels with them!
Louise
I haven’t tripped inside my pant leg, but I did manage to fall head over heels because of a skirt. Back in my callow youth, I was taking graduate level courses at a nearby university during work hours. To save time, I bought an ancient moped to ride back and forth.
Of course, I didn’t change my clothes just to ride to class. The day the moped engine seized, I was wearing a fairly short pencil skirt, which did NOT give me any freedom to stabilize myself by putting my feet out. Instead, I toppled into the gutter, right in front of a group of folks from the accounting department who were returning from lunch.
Nothing like lying in the street in your tweed skirt to boost your professional image. Nothing bruised except my self-esteem, and that took weeks to recover.
Elle
I do this more often than I would care to admit. In fact, last year I did this walking to the printer across the hall from my office and sprawled out flat on the floor. I wound up with a skinned knee and forearm. As a lawyer, I fully expected that my office-injuries would include papercuts and tension headaches from staring at the computer for too long, but never in million years did I think I would have carpet burns and skinned knees!!
AnneCatherine
I, too, fell once at work and got elbow and knee rug burn (well, I fall all the time at work, but once where I got skinned up on the carpet and, more painfully than that, the underside of one of those under-chair mats that have little plastic spikes to adhere them to the carpet). Oh, people enjoyed making the carpet burn jokes to me, but I’m somewhat above embarrassment on this topic because I’ve always been so, so clumsy. One of my “wounds” actually got really infected and I had an elbow scar for years. I have no solution, just commiserating.
anon23
I actually wore a ton of sunscreen but just have the gift of tan apparently. I live in a northern climate and don’t get to tan often so I doubt I will be an old wrinkly mess because of it.
and YES I trip every time I wear cuffed pants and skinny heels, usually on stairs.
anon
same here…i have olive skin and will get very dark over the course of a summer, even with the fastidious application of sunscreen. i use bronzer or self-tanner to cover up the visible/obvious tan lines.
anon-ny
I use lots of sunscreen but I brown up with any sun exposure – I currently have tan lines on my feet from wearing the same sandals a couple of days in a row over the 4th weekend. The lines were pretty stark last week and if you paid attention to my feet at the office it would be obvious but I never thought of it as inappropriate. Although the bikini/halter lines around the neck are more noticeable and when I get those (usually from running in racer back tops) I try to wear shirts that don’t make them noticeable. But sunscreen won’t prevent the problem.
MM
I my! I had a pair of pants that I did this with three times when I first bought them. Got a nasty sidewalk scrape once. I thought it was just me! Have not bought a pair of cuffed pants since.
cbackson
I caught a heel in a pants cuff and totally faceplanted…while being escorted by the hiring coordinator to an interviewer’s office. I got the job (yay!), but I still call those the “pants of death”.
anon
Phew — it’s not just me! I thought I was a total klutz
Anon
This. So so happy to hear it’s not just me. It’s happened to me twice with the same pair of pants. And once in the hem of a knee length skirt (I was stepping over a box). The skirt one darn near killed me.
JM
Ahhh me too! The last time I wore cuffed pants, I face planted twice on the same day. First time on the sidewalk walking to law school and got a nasty scrape up my arm. The second time in the hallway, where my casebook I was holding promptly flew out of my hand and hit someone in the back of the legs. Never again!
i'm nobody who are you
yep, there’s a reason “pants cuffs” are on Stephen Colbert’s “You’re on Notice” list.
Cat
Has anyone had luck with stitching the cuff shut? I’m picturing just a short distance below the top of the cuff (so it still looks “open” but is no longer a deep enough area to catch a heel), and the stitches wouldn’t show because you’d be sewing the inside layer of the cuff to the fabric of the pant leg. Worth trying to explain to drycleaner?
s in Chicago
I’ve never tried it, but I’ve heard putting weights in the cuff is a good solution.
Honestly, I just wear wider heels with cuffs. Always seems to do the trick. (Sadly, lesson learned after stumbling down a couple of stars in a ballroom trying to sneak in late during someone’s presentation once. TOTALLY mortifying…)
i'm nobody who are you
My father in law (born in Harlem when Harlem was Jewish, so that gives you some idea of the time period I’m talking about) says he used to fill his cuffs with sand so he could use them as ashtrays.
I haven’t tried it, but I wouldn’t scoff at you for bringing it back.
Ru
I have two pairs of pants that look like they’re open-cuffed but they’re actually fully sewed closed (if that makes sense), with the exact stitching you’ve described. I LOVE them. Yes, they’re cheap NY&Company pants but they look nice. They’re the wide-legged kind. In fact, I’m wearing a pair today. No heel snatching whatsoever.
M
Ahhhh seriously?? I’ve never owned cuffed pants before (no particular reason) but I bought no less than THREE pairs of cuffed pants this weekend during Banana Republic’s pant sale. I’m a bit accident-prone to begin with, so I don’t need extra help from my pants! I don’t own a lot of wedge heels, so that isn’t going to be a good option; has anyone had luck getting pants uncuffed or (as Cat suggested) getting them stitched shut? Otherwise I think the pants are going straight back to the store!!
Delta Sierra
You can tack the cuffs in place with a 2 or 3 small stitches at the front, back and either side, where the seam is.
s in Chicago
OK–not a solution for cuffs but sort of ont he topic. I just stumbled across this site with a solution to avoid “wedgies” when wearing slingbacks.
http://www.busybeelifestyle.com/prevent-a-heel-wedgie-with-kix-by-katie/
I had never even heard of heel wedgies before!
What will they think of next?
AnneCatherine
I’ve never heard it referred to as heel-wedgie, but it happens to me when I wear slingbacks with suit pants, so I’ve basically quit doing that. I don’t even know that these little do-dads would help me with my problem, though, because they say they are for heavy-weight fabric with heft like denim or twill (which I actually find does the thing of getting caught between my heel and shoe far less often than thin wool does), but, nevertheless, these are a creative invention.
lawyergrrl
I’ve had a tailor take out the cuffs from suit pants — I’d had a few spastic trips & then a friend took a fairly serious tumble on a NYC sidewalk. That was it for me & pant cuffs. I’ve never tried to have them stitched closed — but I’ve done that with pockets & it’s always been a charm.
kandi
The pants at BR are normally stitched closed, right (?). So you should be relatively safe :-) I’m forced to un-cuff them because I need the extra fabric (38″ inseam).
Erin
I have put a heel into the hem of the same pant leg while getting up from a chair and face planted. Now I only wear wedges with pants.
FinanceMe
I don’t wear cuff any more for just that reason. I did a full belly flop in the hall in front of my boss’s office. Luckily no one saw, but my cheeks were red all day.
AnneCatherine
I fell down (heel caught in opposing leg’s cuff) twice in the same day in front of two co-workers (one was a man, he thought I was crazy for, like, not wearing loafer or sneakers or something). Once was in the parking lot outside the courthouse=asphalt; once was in the courthouse. I was so discombobulated that day. I fall all the time though, like 17 times a year, so it was not the most embarrassing day of my life or anything but, all things being equal, I wish it hadn’t happened. Oddly, I have also gotten tripped up in those same pants with a chunky heel (not a wedge) but, the day of the two falls in succession, I was wearing skinny heels that slipped right into the cuff.
nonA
Love the idea of these pants – obviously, these are taken to extremes but that is kind of what I expect from high-end designer. I will take the inspiration and run with it come fall.
If you look at the one back-view picture, the pants actually look too short when worn with those monster clogs. Wide-legged pants especially need to be long enough to cover the tops of your shoes. Just another example of how bad styling/photography often is on the high-end websites!
Lawgirl
I like these, but I’ve found that high-end, designer wool trousers tend to be tight in the butt/thigh and billowy in the legs. Very annoying. These seem to be more of the same.
Carrie
I am short-waisted with long lets. The only way you will get me into high-waisted pants will be to tug them onto my cold, dead, corpse. I remember trying to find pants to fit me in the late 80s. I was 100 pounds then and they made me look heavy. I can only imagine what I would look like now in these.
anon-ny
same!
J
am i the only one that thinks these look like circus pants? Maybe if i were up on stilts….
3L
Yes! Stilts are exactly what I thought of when I saw them. Well, that and Jessica Simpson’s mom jeans fiasco. Not flattering at all, IMO. But if someone likes them and feels confident enough to wear them, that’s all that matters I suppose.
Shrugs
I’m going to a fancy dinner this weekend and am planning to wear a cute black dress. I would like to wear a shrug (a cropped sweater, I think shrug is the appropriate term) over it in case I get cold or want more coverage. Any specific recommendations? It’s coming up soon so I don’t want to buy anything online, I would prefer to go to a store. Thanks!
i'm nobody who are you
Uniqlo
Ru
I was looking for something similar and I’ve found them at JCPenney and Burlington Coat Factory. You’d find them wherever they sell dresses.
Shrugs
Thanks for the recommendations! There is a JC Penney close to me so I might try that.
75
Today’s pants arre elegant, but not for the office! I would wear them in the evening, or to a big afternoon Event – with a velveteen jacket, and maybe a ruffle-front shirt.
Grump
Only wear if you are 6′ and weigh 30lbs.