The Return of the Pant

Thank you, Fashion Gods, for shining down on us so brightly this season. After seasons and seasons, years and years of jeans being the wardrobe staple, pants have come back as a wardrobe must-have. Slim fit, wide leg, men’s style, cropped, long, even Bermuda shorts are all over the runways, in the magazines and on the racks at the local mall. I couldn’t be happier, and you should be too. But why, you ask. Jeans are great – they are comfortable, they are easy and with the way fashion has been of late, they can go from Wal-Mart to work to an upscale night club all with the change of shoes and bag. Well, that is true if you have a model’s body and a celebrity’s budget. But for the rest of America, the jeans look has not been pretty. Jeans are NOT comfortable. How can a stiff, stitched double layer of heavy cotton punched with metal buttons and closures feel good on your belly while you sit? How many gyrations, squats and shakes do you do every morning to get your jeans over your thighs, hips and rear? Those who do not partake in The Denim Dance – do you have a full-length mirror and a hand mirror? Take a look at your rear view – how saggy is the denim below the pockets? Are the pockets even located on your bum any more? Jeans that look hip and fashionable are rarely comfortable, and those that are comfortable are far from flattering. Denim does have it’s perks – it hides stains, it’s heavy so it hides cellulite and other body sins, it doesn’t wrinkle and goes with most colors. However, walk through your local mall or sports arena – you will see that most women just do not look good in their jeans. They are the wrong color, wrong length, wrong cut, wrong fit, wrong brand. Unlike a pair of black trousers, you cannot get away with cheap jeans looking expensive. We are fully aware that those jeans are not designer, even with the gaudy Bedazzling on your rear. Like a designer purse, the money is in the details. You cannot find those details in a pair of LEI’s, Mudds or Arizona jeans, try as you might. SO keep your jeans for weekends and return to the trouser for other aspects of your life – your body will thank you. Pants are elegant. This season they are shown in a multitude of styles, so there truly is a cut for every body type. The lighter weight fabric and lining glides over the body like an expensive silk slip. Rolls and bumps become feminine curves in trousers. Legs are lengthened, bellies are minimized, and your old twinset is revitalized. The most universally flattering style is a flat front, straight leg. The pants should skim, not hug your curves. A tab waist is very comfortable and minimizes a belly. I recommend staying away from slash front pockets – they bow out on most feminine shapes and ruin the line of the pants. For back pockets, coin or flap ones are good at hiding the rear, lack of pockets makes a rear look more shapely. Stay away from patch pockets – they cheapen the look of the pants. Think Katherine Hepburn, Rita Hayworth. Would you ever see these women schlepping around in jeans? Pants made them elegant, feminine yet strong. Pants defined their look and people covet that look decades later. A well fitting pair of pants will make everything in your wardrobe look upscale. A pair of white pants with a fitted tee in a jewel tone and some strappy heels looks appropriate for lunch. Take that same tee with jeans, and you look dressed to wash your car. A white shirt with jeans can often look hokey, but a white shirt with black trousers and a necklace looks elegant, crisp and classic. Your cozy black turtleneck with jeans is homey and basic; your cozy black turtleneck with cream cuffed trousers is chic and perfect for work. Switching from jeans to pants will suddenly make you look five pounds slimmer. Denim may hide a multitude of sins, but it also adds a thick layer to what you already carry on your frame. Rears look larger under patch pockets, wasitlines look thicker, hipps look wider. In a pair of men’s style trousers with a lining, suddenly dumpy looks zaftig, bumpy looks feminine, and curves are apprecieated for their feminine beauty. Like jeans, you are still able to cover up all that you wish to hide from the light of day, but unlike jeans, you are able to celebrate the rest of you. The Pants to Buy for This Season (and for the rest of your life): White Trousers - Just below the belly button, flat front, minimal back pocket, preferably no front pockets. A clean line, straight, possibly wider at the bottom. Preferably no cuff – it will make the trousers more classic. These pants should be lined and of a heavy fabric – cotton, twill, sateen. Look for a fabric with a hint of lycra – this will prevent wrinkles. You want a crisp look – a crease down the front of the leg will elongate. Put your hand in the pants and hold them up to the light – if you can see your hand, put the pants back on the rack. You should not be able to see your underwear, the seams of the lining, anything but crisp, clean white. The length should be long – they should all but cover the heel of your average height of shoe. Once you find these perfect pants, buy a second pair if possible. Somehow the days you wear white pants your kids will do finger-painting in daycare. Also, follow the washing instructions to the letter – sometimes bleach yellows fabrics and dry cleaning can make it gray. What to wear them with: Blazer and shells or twinsets for work, fitted tees for weekends, optic-print or jewel toned halters and tanks for play. Peep-toes, heeled sandals, wedges, thongs and even retro sneakers look great with white trousers. White lets you be creative with your footwear – pair a black button-down shirt with white pants and coral snakeskin pumps or gold strappy wedges. Chinos – Not your everyday Dockers, these chinos are hip, flattering and can go from work to picnic. Same as the white trousers, you want a slightly lower rise, a straight or fuller leg, minimal pockets. The best colors are traditional khaki or stone. Anything darker or lighter will not transfer from year to year as easily. Again, the length should be long – almost skimming the ground in flat shoes, and covering most of the heel in higher footwear. What to wear them with: Chinos are the Skipper if white trousers are Barbie. They look great with a shell and blazer too, but the blazer would be of a more casual fabric like twill or denim. Instead of silk halters, pair chinos with a tube or tank top in jersey or cotton. Chinos are the more spunky and casual relative to your white lined trousers. They will take up many of the roles that your jeans had, but will look far more flattering and chic. Neutral Cropped Pants - These are not the skin-tight pedal pushers of a few seasons ago, nor are these the pleated baggy capris in the J. Jill catalog. The cropped pant this season is straight, crisp, not tight but not baggy. There are many styles in the store, but unless you have a perfect figure, I recommend investing in a pair with tab front or jeans-style closure, only coin pockets in the front, any pockets in the back, hit at calf-length, skim the hips and then fall straight down. A sturdy fabric like chino or stretch twill will get you the most mileage. Black is a great color that will dress up or down, but olive green is a popular neutral this season that really makes bright colors pop (and gives you more versatility in what color shoes to wear). What to wear them with: Again, they can be dressed up for work with a blazer, twinset or a button-down shirt. They can be made casual with a tank or tee in a bright color. For play, pair the pants with a baby-doll style strapless top or a classic halter in jersey, or get bold with a beaded chiffon camisole. Cropped pants look great with anything from ballet flats to leather thongs to the stacked wood sandals this season to gladiator sandals. Keep it clean, crisp and classic to make the cropped pants look less Soccer mom and more Fashion Plate. Black Pants – This should be a year-round staple. You want a seasonless fabric like gabardine, crepe or triacetate. The pants should be lined so they fall gracefully from your curves. No pleats, slash pockets or adornments – these pants need to be basic, elegant and timeless. Like the white pants, you want these to be long – they should all but cover the heel of your average height of shoe. What to wear them with: Gosh darned everything in your wardrobe! A crisp white oxford, a candy colored blazer with a shell, a twinset, a silk knit tee in your favorite color, a black and white optic-print tank, a matching blazer for a classic suit, any sweater or knit. As for shoes, you can go from classic black pumps to snakeskin mules to strappy gold heels. Like white pants, these trousers will showcase your footwear, but unlike white trousers, you can let your outfit shine with a pair of classic black shoes to blend in with the bottom half. Some Trouser Don’ts Even though you love your white pants, that does not mean you should go out and buy a pair of white shoes. White shoes are to be left to nurses and the very skilled and trained fashionistas. If you are like most of America, step away from the white leather sandals and head toward an unexpected neutral like silver or bronze. Don’t treat your trousers the way you treated your jeans. If the label says to dry clean, I recommend that you do. They may go through a spin in the washer with Woolite just fine the first time, but too many cleanings like this will disintegrate the seams and lining, remove the crisp creases and make the entire pant misshapen. I have also washed a pair of pants and ended up with the pant shorter than the lining – not a stylish look. With quick and cheap dry cleaners on almost every street corner, leave the cleaning to the pros (though you can spot clean with Shout Wipes and Dryel). As with any garment, make sure the top compliments the bottom. Don’t wear a baggy top with full pants unless it’s Halloween and you are dressing up as the Michelin man. On the other side of the coin, do not pair slim pants with a fitted top – it is not stylish to look like a tramp. Make sure you have the right length. One should not see your ankle bone unless the pants are purposely cropped. You should not be stepping on your pants either. That may have worked for jeans, but pants are made to look clean and crisp. If they are too long, take them to the cleaners or a tailor – they can hem them for a very reasonable price. Also look at the websites I have posted on the side – there are companies that specialize in petite, long AND fashionable clothing. Don’t wear pleats, don’t wear faded clothing, don’t wear hems held up with safety pins or staples, don’t wear winter fabric in the spring (wool, tweed, velvet). Don’t have VPL (visible panty line – invest in some seamless, skin- colored undergarments). Don’t be afraid to go up a size for a good fit – unlike jeans, pants do not always “grow” throughout the day, and the seams are more delicate. If you are squeexing yourself into a 10 for vanity’s sake, try the 12 and just cut out the tag when you get home. As tailors can easily hem a pair of pants that are too long, they can take in a waistband that is too wide. Buy pants to fit your largest part and the rest can be let in. If you invest in good fabric, good cut and if necessary, good tailoring you will have trousers that you can wear year after year and always look smart and chic.

How to Update Your Look and Not Spend a Fortune

There are a few things you can do that will totally transform and update your daily look and style without breaking the bank. Makeovers are not just for celebrities and reality show stars, and you don’t need a $5,000 budget and society stylists to get the look. Get Rid of Your Pantyhose Unless you have a very conservative job, stockings/pantyhose are optional in the workplace and at formal events. I know this may seem blasphemous and totally against what your Mother told you, but pantyhose is dated./ And really, a sheer layer of synthetic fabric is not going to keep you that much warmer or a winter day. Watch celebrities, anyone from Mischa Barton to Barbara Walters. Are they wearing stockings? The only pantyhose I have seen on Barbara Walters when she has been on The View are fishnets and patterned hose. But nude stockings? Those date you and your outfit. Get a Haircut You don’t need to fly to New York to have Sally Hershberger give you the new version of the Meg Ryan shag – a great haircut can be found in your nearby strip mall (or cosmetology school!) for less than $20. This is a great way to get a fresh new look with little cost. Unlike a new sweater, a haircut updates every outfit every day! If you don’t have bangs, consider getting some angled ones that sweep to the side and easily blend into the rest of your hair. If you have had the same one-layered look for ages, consider some long layers. It doesn’t have to be a total new look, just some modification will make you and your style look new and fresh. Bring photographs with you to the salon – cuts you like (though be realistic and look for models with similar hair texture) and looks that you don’t. have the stylist talk to you before you go under the sink so s/he can see your hair texture, the way it falls and see if your vision is realistic. Wax Your Eyebrows Eyebrows – we try to save money by plucking them ourselves. Then life happens – the kids need us, we’re late to work or we just forget and suddenly we have two (or God forbid – one!) caterpillars above our eyes. For this first waxing, go somewhere reputable. It can be a local Merle Norman or a day spa. After that, you can maintain with the local nail salon or with your tweezers at home. But every six to eight months, invest in a professional to keep you on track. Well groomed brows will open up your face and remove five years from your appearance. Wash Your Face at Night Every time you go to bed without washing your face, you age your skin ten days. You are leaving the makeup, impurities and pollution of the day on your skin to sit, fester and be absorbed. When you wash your face and apply a moisturizer with antioxidants (Vitamin E and Vitamin C are two or many examples) you create a shield to defend against aging and dirt. In the five minutes it takes to wash and moisturize, you can save your skin from years of damage. Not only that, clean skin is radiant skin – people will think you have taken a lover with your new rosy complexion! Get a New pair of Dress Shoes We all have that trusty pair of black shoes – be it pumps, strappy heels, slingbacks that are worn to every wedding, funeral and religious occasion. They are comfortable, they are basic, they work. So they may be a bit scuffed, the heel a bit worn down, a strap starting to fray. Maybe the heel is the chunky style popular in the mid-nineties. Maybe the toe is that squared-round look that is comfortable but a bit matronly. No one notices, right? Wrong. Have you ever worn a new pair of shoes to work or to a party? You could be wearing the same jeans, the same Little Black Dress but everyone will notice the shoes and comment to you on your shoes. I understand comfort is key – it is possible to find a new pair of shoes that is still comfortable. Take a day to just look for shoes, prepare yourself for a day of it and it won’t be so bad. Also look at stores geared toward comfort – shops like Aerosoles and Easy Spirit have some great styles and hip looks without sacrificing comfort. As for the basic black – they are great but consider a color. I have a pair of black and silver printed heels that I wear with my black dresses and it’s a fun way to spice up a wardrobe staple. My friend is known for her purple silk slingbacks – she has worn them with black, navy, gray, taupe and prints all with success. Buy New Foundation Most women wear the wrong foundation – be it too heavy, too oily, or the wrong shade. These days, the look is not to be a flawless mannequin but to be real. Tinted moisturizers and sheer foundation with concealer on the bad spots is the best look. Surprisingly, sheer foundations will make you look younger, not older. The makeup won’t sink into lines and wrinkles, and you will look less Dynasty and more Sex in the City. It’s hard to find the right color in the drugstore. For something worn as much as your foundation, it is worth it to invest in a good color and good ingredients. Stop by a drugstore makeup counter, or a store like Ulta or Sephora. There you can try to colors on your skin, walk out into the mall and see how it looks in different lights. Also, you will have salespeople who can suggest products to match your skin type and lifestyle. Lighter foundation may be hard to get used to, but once you get your first compliment saying how young or awake you look, you will agree it is a worthwhile switch. Buy a New Purse Like shoes, a new purse can transform your whole outfit. Often times we stick with a purse for too long for the same reason we hold on to the scuffed black dress shoes – comfort and ease. The purse holds everything you need, it’s convenient, it is basic. Probably in black or some other neutral color, it blends into your outfit and you forget it even exists except when you can’t find it. A purse is worn more than any other item in your wardrobe. For most women, the same purse is carried every day, no matter what color or style you are wearing. It is proven that accessories make the look and people are judged by their accessories. What does your purse say about you? If your purse isn’t saying things you like to hear, it may be time for a change. This time, go for a color. Sometimes a red or green is more basic than black. It will never clash with your shoes because it is guaranteed to not match your shoes. It is an accent, like a scarf or a flash of colorful lipstick. This past spring and summer I sported a lime green tumbled-leather shopper and received tons of compliments. I do not own a single lime green thing in my wardrobe, yet this purse always looked right. My mom carries a cherry-red microfiber hobo bag and it looks great with her wardrobe of blacks, blues, purples and grays. She looks younger, hipper and more fun with a splash of color. She also never has to worry that it is clashing with her brown loafers! Toss the Lipstick Along with heavy foundation, heavily colored lipstick is dated. It accentuates fine lines and small lips and looks very severe. If you notice the makeup counters and displays in drug stores, the trend is going from lipsticks and liners to sheer lipcolor and glosses. Glosses can be difficult to get used to and aren’t always the best look for all ages and faces. However a sheer lipcolor is a great option for the lipstick-addicted. It is packaged similar to lipstick, is applied the same way, but instead of a heavy opaque product, you will find the product is more translucent and often more moisturizing. A sheer color will make your lips look plumper and healthier. Buy one close to your favorite lipstick and try it out – after a few days you will see the look is more flattering and more fresh. With just a few changes to your daily look, it is easy to update your look, be current and be fabulous!

Dressing for the Holidays

I have never understood the desire to look like a total fool on a holiday. Tunic sweaters with appliqué bunnies for Easter, American flag shorts, socks and scrunchies for Independence Day, light-up pumpkin earrings for Halloween, tacky theme ties for Christmas, green everything under the sun for St. Patrick’s Day. Why America, why? Do you see other countries sporting Quacker Factory sweaters, battery operated jewelry or unnatural hair and lipstick shades for their holidays? Do they decorate their person as much as their tree? I think not. It is possible to look festive, have fun and not portray yourself as missing a few chromosomes. For Work: Do Wear: Holiday colors. Nothing wrong with a green sweater on St. Patty’s Day or a red dress to your holiday party. Today on St. Patrick’s Day I am wearing a bright green refined tee under a denim blazer with chinos, with a green beaded bracelet. I look festive, but I still look appropriate for work. For men, a subtle holiday tie is appropriate if you have children – if you are young or single, these ties look pitiful and corny. Do NOT Wear: Theme clothing – sweaters with crocheted Easter eggs, “Kiss me, I’m Irish” tee shirts (or any other message or logo-ed tee shirt), overly casual clothing just because it fits the holiday, holiday themed makeup (emerald green eyeliner, sparkles, holiday colored lipstick) or visible theme socks (if your socks can be seen while standing or walking, your pants are too short. If your socks are neon orange or red or candy pink – wear them with boots or at home, not the workplace). I understand that when one goes out to celebrate a holiday, the outfit may get to be more… festive. Festive is great, as long as it does not ruin your reputation or image. For Play: Do Wear: Again, holiday colors. Orange top in place of a Halloween costume (for those of you who don’t like to dress up), a cute green chino skirt with a top for St. Patty’s Day, a sparkly red shell at Christmas. This is where theme and logo-ed tee shirts fit into the wardrobe – they look great with chinos or jeans as long as they fit well and are clean. This is where costumes can be appropriate – leprechauns, elves, Mrs. or Santa Claus, Halloween costumes that are flattering, well constructed and tasteful. Do NOT Wear: Holiday color from head to toe – just because it’s St. Patrick’s Day does not mean you should wear olive cargo pants, an apple green tee shirt and a forest green vest with green sneakers. If you wouldn’t be caught dead in it on a non-holiday day, then don’t wear it on the holiday. Don’t wear ill-fitting or old/stained/dated clothing just because it is holiday-appropriate. Again, if you would not wear it on a non-holiday day… Do not wear costumes that are not age-appropriate. Yes you may have great gams for a 50 year old women, that does not give you license to dress as a French maid (and Madonna, I saw your Purim costume, I am including you in this!). Think about the crowd you will be in when planning your costume – a crowded bar is not the best place for wings, balloon “grapes” or other large pieces on a costume. If it’s cold, plan to have an appropriate cover or tights so you don’t freeze or hide your costume under a coat. On the other hand, do not wear heavy wigs, longs capes and tons of makeup if you will be in a hot or humid location – your hard work will be ruined in just a few sweaty minutes. Do not wear a garment or outfit that makes you look foolish – why wear green lipstick or a giant foam hat or a belly shirt or antenna when you normally wouldn’t – remember when there’s holidays, there are cameras. Your outfit will be forever immortalized, and often you don’t have the time to strike that small tummy/small hips pose before the flash goes off. So after all these don’ts, how does one know what to buy? What are safe bets? For Work: Sweater, blouse, twinset or shoes in a holiday color Sheer red lipstick for Valentine’s Day or Christmas If you are of the appropriate elegant age, a brooch (not plastic chicken pin ) can be lovely on the label of your suit Costumes only come out when you know it's a popular act of your coworkers - then make sure they are tasteful. For Play: A dress or one piece of clothing in a holiday color A costume that is well fitting, tasteful and age appropriate – if unsure, leave your costumes to Halloween. Mardi Gras beads are a safe way to make your outfit more festive – they are always being passed out, and now at every holiday Festive makeup – red lipstick, green eyeliner, smoky eyes. Just don’t do all of them at once. Fun tee shirts – bring out the “kiss me I’m Irish” and silly references to mistletoe – these are appropriate at bars, casual parties and festivals.