I have a confession to make. I pulled together this outfit, but khaki pants still leave me utterly confused. Well, not all khaki pants. That one pair of dark khaki skinnies blends into my closet, and they've earned their keep. But, these khaki pants? What is it about them? Maybe it's the years I spent waiting tables while donning a dark green polo and light khaki pants (possibly these...I think I blocked the memories after that one early morning I ripped my front bumper off on the bumper of my neighbor's stupid illegally parked truck. Still went to work that day. With a grill that looked twenty shades of pissed off.) I feel like I'm one shirt change away from serving customers at Target. I love Target, but do I want everyone to think of it when they see me?
Is my perception of these pants absolutely skewed? Do I need to set the sewing machine on them and make the bottoms more tapered/cropped? Is it the fabric? Is the khaki too light? AM I TOO CRAZY FOR WORDS? (That last one is rhetorical.)
* See, this pin shows more cropped khaki pants. I think they work.
* These pants have polka dots on them, but the khaki is the same color, and they're skinnified (not a word, which is totally fine). I like the look of them.
* I love this combination, but the bottom of the pants look different. (I'm completely amused by the commenter who said she wasn't sure about the pants.)
I don't want to get rid of these pants because I like that I can wear wide belts with them, I love the pockets (not those stupid, you-can-fit-half-of-your-thumb-in-me pockets), and I do like the color. However, I think it's the bottom of them that perplexes me. I feel weird in flats (sort of bunches). I'm not entirely sold on the booties here. Regular boots won't go over the pant legs without causing serious leg wrinkles. I tried the khaki exact stretch pants from The Limited (have them in maroon, brown, and navy), but I didn't like the shade or the look of the khaki ones, which is odd since I have them in three other colors.
What would you do if you were me? (Aside from the obvious, which is to scold yourself for writing so many sentences about one pair of pants.)
Help. me.
(This is my "what am I doing outside in the cold without a coat on and, Mom, why aren't you stopping me from this madness" look. I tell you only to explain why I felt compelled to grab my scarf. My hands inherently search for warmth.)
The Look:
Cardigan (reversed item 1): Target (gift!)
Shirt: Target
Belt: Ummm...so old I couldn't tell you with complete honesty
Scarf: Calvin Klein via DSW
Booties: hand-me-downs from Momma
(I'm laughing right now because I said these are not I-can-fit-half-a-thumb-in-them pockets, and I'm totally sticking only half of my thumb in the pockets. However, the previous picture is a full-hand-in-pocket pose. This post just keeps getting more and more awkward.)
Feel free to rebuke me for my trivialities.
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I think they would be great in the spring/summer with a tapered leg and ankle length! Great with flats or heels. I find ankle length trousers much easier to style than flared but I think it's just because when I was younger I wasn't allowed to wear flared jeans...something about them being a "disco slut staple" if I remember my dad's words correctly! You might also like these better with a nude colored heel or camel colored boots? I think they fit you well though!
ReplyDeleteMake them skinny! That is all.
ReplyDeleteI think they look nice on you as you've styled them and teachers everywhere wear them just like this. I'm not sure about a khaki skinny, it could be cute. I seriously love how great your pictures have been this week too!
ReplyDeleteWell, I'm 100% anti-pants (other than jeans- I like jeans), so I can't really help you out too much. I used to wear khaki pants pretty regularly, and I had a few pairs that I liked. I can't remember what shoes I wore with them. I did work at Target one summer of my college years, maybe that ruined khaki pants for me? I don't know. I've had a couple pairs of dress pants in the past few years, and every time I wore them, I just felt awkward, so I finally got rid of them. And I will remain a skirt/dress/jeans girl for now.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I think you look cute in this outfit, and I wouldn't have thought those pants were weird on you! But after reading your thoughts, I think it might be worth trying to skinnify the legs.
Definitely skinnify them. You've done that before right? If the problem really is just the bottoms, that addresses the problem. Also, I wear my skinny khaki pants all the time.
ReplyDeleteThe third pin is my favorite. Can you tailor them to look like those? If so, you should. I don't have any khakis. I have one pair of oatmeal dress pants from The Limited, but they are the typical dress pant material. I've never had luck with khakis, but that might be because I swore them off in middle school when my mom let me buy a pair with a black and white tuxedo racing stripe down the side. Whaaat?!
ReplyDeleteIf you don't like the flared bottom, make them skinnier. Also, wearing black or other dark or brightly colored shoes with khakis can be tricky. Maybe try these with nude shoes or something that doesn't contrast as much as black. It won't draw as much attention to the bottom of the pants. Or try them with flats or lower heels.
ReplyDeleteYep, I think you'll like them better if you make them skinny. I used to have a pair of khaki bootcut pants that I literally never wore for like 2 years. I tried wearing them once and hated them, so I got rid of them. Instead, I replaced them with a pair of skinny khaki ankle pants, and while I haven't worn them yet (too cold!), I am DYING to because I keep coming up with outfits for them!! I'll be pinning this one to remember how great these colors look together, too :)
ReplyDelete