What I Wore: Paperbag Waist Pants

It's hot out, what to wear when you're not feeling shorts or dresses? Lightweight wide-leg pants are my jam for easy summer dressing. No chub rub, coverage, but still able to catch a breeze. In a print, wide-leg pants hide creases, sweat, and are an optical illusion cor curves. I found these paperbag waist pants at Nordstrom for a very sweet price (on sale for less than $40) and they've been great for hot and humid days.

Pants: BP. (L; these go up to XL, plus-size alternative) | Top: Ponte Bralette c/o cabi (L; plus-size alternative) Shoes: Aerosoles | Earrings: Etsy | Sunglasses: Ray-Ban | Bracelets: a real mix from over the years, some from Nordstrom sales, some from cabi, one from Rebecca Minkoff, one from Metal Marvels… | Lipstick: L'Oreal Matte-Traction Red with Fenty Beauty Gloss Bomb over it

When I visited cabi for cabi Blogger Day, I saw several of their staff wearing this ponte bralette. They wore it over button-front shirts, tees, dresses, under jackets, and more. I hadn't looked twice at the piece before seeing it on them. Cabi offered to send me an outfit since a lot of what they've sent me in the past no longer fits and I asked for this bralette. Since it's double-layered ponte knit, it's more structured than a regular tank. It has adjustable straps and hits right at my belly button. The straps are wide enough that I can wear it with my black bra with thinner straps and not have it show.

With such full pants especially with a paperbag waist, I needed a top that was fitted in the bodice. I wore these pants earlier in the week with this cropped wrap top from ELOQUII which has voluminous sleeves but also a fitted bodice. Since the pants have a higher rise and a full waistband, it's the kind of pant that works well with a tight tank or even a bodysuit.  With a smoother waistband, full-leg pants look great with a shirt knotted at the waist; the goal when styling wide-leg pants is to have balance.  A slim top or at least something that pulls in at the middle and creates the effect of a waist is the way to go.

If you follow me on Instagram Stories you may have seen that Urban Decay sent me three of their Vice Lipsticks from their Born to Run collection. I am obsessed with 66, a mauvy neutral that is a great everyday color. Ready? looked as though it would be a fun dark berry red with plenty of shimmer but on… it was very '80s pink and not in a good way. I was planning to wear it with this look and was disappointed. So I went to my go-to, this warm red from L'Oreal that has been a favorite for over a year (it used to be called Eva's Red but my friend Sarah notified me that they changed the name). With a bit of Gloss Bomb over it, the color achieved my goal of a bold light-catching lip to finish the outfit!