In all this shopping around for others, I am finding many a tempting treat. One of my great loves is a fantastic pair of wide leg pants, and with the fairly recent re-introduction of the high waisted, wide leg, I have found a few that quietly appeal. Get Go Retro recently has a great post on how to do high waisted, wide leg pants, that highlighted one of my issues with these.
My torso to leg ratio. While I am not tall, all of 5foot 4inchs, (for some reason I can never remember the metric for that even though I live in Australia), I have a short torso and long legs. Which means that high waisted pants could look very wrong on me. I remember with delight when the waist of jeans began to lower and I suddenly appeared taller and slimmer. It was a very good day.
However, I just love the retro look of these wonderful pants. They make me feel like dancing with Gene Kelly to 'New York New York'.Although the illustration of this pair named "Reckless", doesn't quite do them justice, their story just had to be told.
" If you are thin, these wide-legged pants will tend to make you seem noticeably lanky, feminine, elegant.
Even more so, that is.
And clearly descended from converging strains of European aristocracy, one side rich and brainy, the other side very rich, very brainy.
In public, the press will respect your privacy, keeping flashbulbs to a minimum.
If, on the other hand, you are not especially thin or tall, but rather the sort of full-bodied person whom great painters such as Renoir or Rubens would search the capitals of Europe for, these wide-legged pants may not be advisable for you.
They might make you seem too noticeably lanky, too tallish, too feminine, too elegant; only millimeters away from thinness.
In that case, a concerned press may begin to urge on you large goblets of cabernet, peeled French peaches, smoked Black Sea trout, moist Bavarian cakes filled with rich cremes.
There you have it.
We choose to state in advance the risks we feel you should be aware of.
It is now up to you to decide if the reckless, devil-may-care attitude of these wide-legged pants can ever justify the risks."
So while the super high waisted numbers may not be for me, I think I'll keep on channelling my 1939, Plantation-owning, Cigar smoking, lawn tennis - watching self; and probably go for something more like these Havana's.
Even more so, that is.
And clearly descended from converging strains of European aristocracy, one side rich and brainy, the other side very rich, very brainy.
In public, the press will respect your privacy, keeping flashbulbs to a minimum.
If, on the other hand, you are not especially thin or tall, but rather the sort of full-bodied person whom great painters such as Renoir or Rubens would search the capitals of Europe for, these wide-legged pants may not be advisable for you.
They might make you seem too noticeably lanky, too tallish, too feminine, too elegant; only millimeters away from thinness.
In that case, a concerned press may begin to urge on you large goblets of cabernet, peeled French peaches, smoked Black Sea trout, moist Bavarian cakes filled with rich cremes.
There you have it.
We choose to state in advance the risks we feel you should be aware of.
It is now up to you to decide if the reckless, devil-may-care attitude of these wide-legged pants can ever justify the risks."
So while the super high waisted numbers may not be for me, I think I'll keep on channelling my 1939, Plantation-owning, Cigar smoking, lawn tennis - watching self; and probably go for something more like these Havana's.
11 comments:
all these pants look delectable.
and is that your house?
.....
I wanted to know too! Is that your house? because it's gorgeous!
I thought I recognized the J. Peterman catalog description! I've had my eye on those for years. I'm 5'2" myself and have always been wary of wide-leg pants. There are more than a few pics of me as a child in wide-legs and I look like a baby elephant!
also adding...the house looks like a New Orleans/south Louisiana plantation; if it is, I think I recognize it! If not, Australia looks a LOT like the deep South here!
I neeeed to get me some of those, I have short legs!
Yes the house is gorgeous. And no, it isn't mine. In fact the house is older than my country! (That is since colonization). It is Oak Alley Plantation (http://www.oakalleyplantation.com/) somewhere on the Missippissi River. I was just imagining taking drinks on the porch.
Amy G. I think you would look great in wide legs. Just pair them with a very fitted top with a wide scoop neck for instant glamour and extra height. Maybe also some wedge heels to even further elongate the look, but still making it easy to run after the young 'uns.
That house looks like Oak Alley, and those pants look like Petermans!
So beautiful on you.
Whoops, I should have read your comment citing Oak Alley.
Did you know that at least one scene from "Interview with the Vampire" was shot there? I saw Tom Cruise's and Brad Pitt's signatures in the guest book when I was there.
enc: It seems that all my American readers are quite familiar with Peterman. They are new to me and I quite like a lot of their pieces. I do think they really have to be worn in the right way though.
You've been to Oak Alley? It looks amazing. I've always wanted to visit a plantation house. I may get a chance in October as I am heading over to the States then. Oh, and I was somewhat obsessed with 'Interview' in my late teens,so that is an interesting piece of the puzzle too.
I think we all know about Peterman either through the very quaint catalogs, or the huge flogging it got from "Seinfeld."
Oak Alley is but one of the many beautiful plantations in the south I've seen. Nottoway is a nice one, too. It's worth a trip to see half a dozen of them.
enc: Just goes to show how much TV I watch.
Post a Comment