Monday, March 5, 2012

Alteration: The Red Pants Experiment

Argh, I had this post all ready to go for Sunday evening and then, inexplicably, all the content was deleted when I hit "publish."

Let me reconstruct this darn thing and try again...

Armed with a coupon for $10 pants (from this post), it was unlikely I would be walking out of the store empty-handed.  I found these red pants and loved the color but the fit left something to be desired.  Size 4 fit my tummy well but then the legs were a bit baggy.  The unfortunate effect of baggy pants plus tapered legs was a pear-shaped nightmare.  I decided to take them home for some DIY slimming to "fix" the silhouette.  Aside from hemming, I've never really worked with pants so I was a little nervous about it.  Thankfully, simply slimming it along the inseam gave it the straighter, more-slender shape I wanted.

New York & Company 7th Avenue Sateen Slim Crop, Yelling Red, $10, orig. $43 (buy here)

I wasn't quite sure what to wear with them so I first tried my trusty stripes.

Top 1: Old Navy Tee (old)
Necklace 1: H&M Turquoise Necklace (old)

Top 2: Ann Taylor Starlight Stripe Sweater, XS (buy here)
Necklace 2: J. Crew Resin & Chain (old)

Belt:  Lands' End Canvas Rope Belt (old)
Shoes:  Gucci d'Orsay Pump, Camel (old)
Watch:  Timex face + J. Crew strap (original post here)

Then thought maybe an analogous color combination?  I wanted to try orange with it but the only oranges I had were too close to this shade of red and ultimately made me look like one giant fireball.  I decided to try peach instead. 

And added a deep purple inspired by this J. Crew image I pinned.
Shirt & Cardigan: LOFT (old)

Closer view of accessories
Target Chain / Rhinestone Bracelet, $17 - reminds me a little of the J. Crew pave link bracelet
Amrita Singh Cannes Ring (buy here)

How would you wear red pants?

39 comments:

  1. Cute outfits! All the combos are lovely! :)

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  2. I love your striped combo with the red pants :) That's probably how I would wear it :) Love how you slimmed your pants! Do you want to do mine too? haha

    katattack2000.wordpress.com

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    1. LOL, thanks Katherine! The slimming was much easier than I anticipated. If you try it, do it along the inseam (less visible if you make mistakes).

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  3. SO cute! My fave is the blue stripes with that teal necklace - looks great with the red :)

    Annie
    The Other Side of Gray

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    1. Thank you! I love warm weather because it means I can break out all of my more summery, colorful jewelry :)

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  4. In my closet: Red pants? Check! Striped tee? Check. French-esque ballet flats? Check. Turquoise necklace? Yep yep. I'm stealing the first look when DC reconsiders its March frost. I'm in my wool coat and scarf as we speak!

    I really do love what you did with the pants. They look so professionally done that I bet your alteration costs are nearly non existent (unlike many other petite bloggers who shell out as much money on tailoring as they do on their clothes). I do have one suggestion to make - have you considered pairing a chambray or gingham button down with them? Throw over a boyfriend cardigan and flats and boom - you've got SPG in Paris.

    I can't wait to see how else you'll pair these pants. Red goes with everything so you'll be wearing them more often than you think ;)

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    1. Do it! I'd love to see :) I haven't paid for alterations before but if I did, I would be much more cranky about things lol. I love the SPG in Paris suggestion and will definitely try it - thanks Anna!

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  5. Great work! What a fantastic job you did. Cute outfits for work or even just running errands. I don't have red pants, but I have pink!

    Helen

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    1. Thanks Helen! Ooh, pink is so much more spring - sounds lovely!

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  6. You did a fantastic job on the alternation. The pant looks great and I love everything you paired with the pant.

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  7. These look fabulous on you! Great job altering! Red pants make so many outfit combinations look so stylish, as you proved here. Excited to see more of them in your future posts. =)

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    1. Thanks Kelly! I've been wearing them a lot more than I originally imagined I would. Great buy, especially for the $10 price tag.

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  8. You did an amazing job altering those jeans! I cannot believe it, it looks totally different and the fit is perfection! Love the ways you styled them as well :)

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    1. Thanks Bessie! I was nervous about it at first but am so glad it turned out ok.

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  9. Great job re-working these red pants to suit your style! They look great on you! xo style, she wrote

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    1. Thank you for posting this deal! Such an amazing find :)

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  10. They look awesome. Great job. I think the orange stripe combo works, too. It probably seems like a bit much, not enough contrast but I like it. Cute outfits. :)

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    1. Thanks Gigi! I liked the matchy-matchy but the photo was definitely on the uber-bright side.

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  11. Great job on the pants. I actually had to try and try to find a pair of red pants that fit... and even then, I had to get them hemmed.

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    1. Thanks Laura! I debated on hemming these but decided to go for a cropped / cuffed look instead - much less work :)

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  12. good job on your pants! I like first&last outfits. Looks good on you!

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  13. love your red-pants inspirations. colored pants are really the trend right now... i especially love 'em with navys you have there. the navy striped top and the cardigan.... i have the same jcrew necklace in pink! :) btw, thanks for entering my giveaway. :) have a great day!
    xoxo
    jasmine

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    1. Thanks Jasmine! The bubble necklace is such a fun statement piece! I'm glad I was able to buy this H&M version :)

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  14. Oo My fav is the red pants with the white black stripes shirt, it complement each other so well since the pants is so bold already.

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  15. So many outfits to like in this post! I feel that red with blue and white is a classic combo that never fails, so I have to say my favorite is the one with the red/cream stripes :)

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    1. Aw, thanks so much, Cee! The red pants proved more versatile than I initially gave them credit for :)

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  16. Making, tailoring, and modifying pants can be a bit tricky. So you've done a pretty good job here! I love the red colour. :)

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    1. Thanks so much! I was worried about it but happy it turned out how I wanted :)

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  17. That last outfit is absolutely gorgeous!!! love it!!!

    Kisses, Lucy:)

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  18. Love the red pants paired with the stripes and peach blouse!

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    1. Thanks Karen! I had fun playing around with the different combos :)

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  19. I'm so pleased I came across your blog. I've been hunting for a red pair of jeans - just the right shade of red like yours. The different outfits you've paired the pants with are absolutely perfect. I'll definitely keep the combos in mind when I managed to find mine.

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  20. Love the tailoring! I just got a pair of red pants and have the same baggy tapered problem. Any tis on how to tailor it likenyou did?

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    1. Thanks Caitlin! I wanted to turn my pants into a slim, straight-legged silhouette so I tried them on to identify the problem areas. The pants fit fine in the waist and hips but needed slimming in the thigh to shin area. From there, I turned the pants inside out and slimmed the inseam by 1/4" from thigh to shin graduating from the original seam for a smooth transition in the start and end areas. For me, that was enough to give me the fit I wanted. Best of luck with your alteration and let me know if anything sounds unclear!

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    2. Thank you! I had the same problem, waist and hips fit, legs were baggie and tapered. Mine came out perfect, now just getting the courage to wear them and deciding what to pair them with!

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    3. That's wonderful! So glad they turned out well!

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