Sewingplums

There’s a good variety of pant shapes in style this season, for those of you who have the body shape to wear them. Each of my favourite fashion magazines picks out a different style to emphasise. . .

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Flares

Flared pants are among the UK ‘In Style’ must-haves for the season. Tapered to the knee then flaring to wider than boot cut.
There are many pattern possibilities. There are designer ones from Alice + Olivia at Vogue, perhaps Vogue 1051.

UK Elle says flares are only for people with long legs, the rest of us should continue with bootcuts.

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Tailored trousers

UK Vogue’s Runway Report says tailored trousers are an ‘instant update’ for the season. They mean straight legged pants that are loose fitting over the hips, a somewhat ‘40s’ style.

A pattern for ‘easy’ fitting pants could be Butterick 5250.

Or Claire Shaeffer Vogue 8498.

A good style perhaps for those of us who ‘spread’ when we sit down (my hip measurement increases by 4 inches. . .) We have to wear pants with extra hip ease anyway, and it’s difficult to find a way to make that look good.

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‘Cigarette’/ skinny pants

The UK Elle Runway Edit gives ‘tapered trousers’ as one of their Key Pieces for the season. Along with ‘evening trousers’ made from party fabrics.

UK Vogue calls these ‘cigarette’ pants, and YouLook Fab calls them ‘skinny’.

There are so many patterns for these, I’m just listing ones by designers.

The most recent is Issy Miyake Vogue 1204, paired with a tunic with modern proportions.

This one by Donna Karan, Vogue 1039, is combined with an interesting sleeveless top with gathers and ruched panels.

There are three patterns by Chado Ralph Rucci.
Vogue 1144 is part of a suit, paired with an elegant safari/ military style jacket.

Vogue 1054 is combined with a crisp big shirt.

And Vogue 1115 with a sculptural top.

For knits, there’s a new pattern by Sandra Betzina, Vogue 1197, with a knit top and tunic.

YouLookFab suggests ‘skinny cargoes‘. So for a more casual look, add cargo pockets to your favourite skinny pants pattern.

For the even tighter ‘jeggings’ – leggings in a very stretchy jeans-like fabric – see McCall’s 6173.

Skinny pants aren’t a viable option for me. In typical ‘pear shape’ fashion, my thighs are thicker than average for my frame. Even if I wore skin tight pants, my legs would not look thin. And to my eye, the top / jacket styles in these patterns would only look good with slim legs. But if you’ve got good pins, celebrate them !

Each of these skinny pant patterns is a different style. So, even if you can’t wear them, it’s interesting to think which you would pick if you had to choose one of them. I surprised myself by picking the ChadoRR suit, a style I aspired to when working, but I thought I was well past that phase of my life.

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Slouch pants

YouLookFab also suggests some other pant shapes.

She describes the new slouch pant shape as ‘usually high-waisted, pleated, voluminous in the hip area and skinny at the hems’.

UK In Style October issue calls this a ‘peg leg’ shape.

Donna Karan Vogue 1201 is a designer pattern.

(See also new Burda patterns 7438, 7439, 7463 – sorry I can’t get links to work.)

Soft safari pants

These are like slouch pants in shape, but made of more rugged fabrics and with added cargo pockets.
So use the same pattern.

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Harem pants

If you fancy this idea – good for party wear perhaps – there’s oop McCall’s 5858.

The pattern shape is simple, usually front and back the same, and with a dropped crotch. A good pant style to choose if you have difficulty getting the pants crotch curve to fit well ? 😀

long oop Simplicity 7223

Male Pattern Boldness had fun a few months ago making the men’s equivalent, zouave pants. This post shows the shape of the pattern piece very clearly. A quick easy comfortable casual lounging style ? 😀

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Personally, I don’t think any of these shapes would flatter me. I’ll be continuing with my simple classic style. I wear pants as background to more interesting tops. So I’m not worried that my pants are boring. If you do want to liven up simple pants, look at YouLookFab’s post on making classic pants more interesting.

There’s a wide range of options for pants shapes this season. So pick the style that looks good on you 😀

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Patterns and links available August 2010

If the 6 seasonal must-have items from UK ‘In Style’ magazine aren’t for you, not to worry. Other magazines have different ideas about the key styles of the season.

After looking at over 20 RTW shows, I think perhaps we should feel sorry for the editors, trying to simplify things for us. There’s so much creativity in the collections, it’s not surprising magazine editors can only find little things like strong colours as the common themes.

UK Elle had 20 looks in their August issue. Some commentators talk about one show at a time. Celebrity fashion bloggers and twitterers talk about one outfit at a time.

The August UK In Style must-have individual items were :
Flared pants
Mini kilt
Sheath dress
Aviator jacket
Camelhair cape
High heeled hiking boots.

The September UK In Style suggests 7 looks for the coming season :
– Simplicity – minimalism, simplest lines in non-colours – camel, greys, nudes.
– Country – furs, plaids, big sweaters, hiking boots.
– Glam Goth – aggressive hard edged black, chains, leopard skin.
– Colour – bold colour blocking.
– Uniform – military styles, sharp tailoring.
– Fifties – little waists and big bosoms.
– Embellished – ‘jewellery on clothes’, studs, rivets, sequins, brocade.

Still not something for everyone, but a much wider range than the August issue. Not much softness, even the curves are assertive. Happily there are drapey, frilly, and sporty styles around, they’re not just not mentioned here.

Style.com (US Vogue) picks out a different set of important themes :
Fifties
Menswear
Long coats and skirts
Wrapped Layers
Colour
Gold
Fur

Well, they agree with UK in Style on strong colour blocking, and 50s vintage. But I wouldn’t wear either. . .

UK Vogue’s Catwalk report widens the range of possible looks, and includes styles people round here might wear :
Minimalism – simple luxury.
Retro woman – little waists and big skirts.
Colour.
Camel coats, or parkas.
Grunge glamour – shapeless big knits with luxurious long skirts.
Outside – countryside looks.
Pretty Poetess – maxi-dresses in faded florals over long-sleeved knits.
Romantic lace.
White fur.
Dressing up box.
Their 3 ‘instant update’ items for the season are :
‘Easy’ fit trousers (or cigarettes).
Maxi skirts.
Cape.

All three editors choose colour, fur, and the retro dress shape as key themes.
Two of them agree on country looks, minimalism, and long skirts. Many other tastes are included somewhere.

It’s fun, and also very telling, to look at a few designer collections yourself. You see quickly that much of what the designers show doesn’t fit easily into the fashion magazine categories.

Here are some for Autumn/ Winter 2010 :

Stella McCartney. . Elie Saab. . . . . . . Isabel Marant.

Anna Sui. . . . . . . Louis Vuitton. . . . . . . Céline

Lanvin. . . . . . . . . Christian Dior. . . . Dolce & Gabbana

Well, I didn’t have any intention of picking out all nude tones and black, so perhaps there are a few common threads 😀 And look at the general silhouette. The majority of styles I’ve picked show the body shape, with no exaggeration of the shoulders. But Style.com emphasises strong colours, menswear, or the wrapped layered look. . .

And what if none of those are for you ? Well, different designers have different styles. Straight or fitted, angled or curved, crisp or draped, slim or wide, long or short, minimal or ornate. tailored or sporty, muffled up or exposed, high-tech or heirloom, subtle or bold colours – this season you can find them all. I might have said there’s no crinoline, but I’m not so sure.

Christian Dior Couture

Much pleasure for those of us who enjoy looking at clothes.

But throughly confusing if you’re looking for advice and certainties. There is some agreement that the key looks to choose between are : minimalism, country-layered style, the retro dress shape, long skirts, strong colours, and fur. Perhaps these are this season’s versions of basic styles :
Classic – minimalism, uniform, menswear.
Casual – country/ layered.
Dramatic – 50s dress shapes, Glam Goth, Grunge glamour, colour blocking, dressing up.
Romantic – maxi skirts, Pretty Poetess, 50s dresses.

So, what if those particular simplifications are not right for us ? How do we find our own stable point in the middle of all this variety, for what we wear ourselves ? If the editors don’t simplify things in a way that works for us, then we have to make our own choices. It’s very much a time for finding our own style. I had so much to say on this I’ve written a separate post.

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Links available July 2010
Photos from Style.com