Footwear for Skinny Pants

CLOSET ANALYSIS: the best shoe to wear with skinny pants

NO THANKS     NICE     NOTE-WORTHY

When someone asks, "Can I wear chunky shoes with skinny pants?" My first thought is, "Don't, it defies a proportioned look." however, I might also respond by saying, "Of course you can wear chunky shoes with skinny pants. But it depends. Follow your heart and your sense of proportion." 

First, according to the stylists who write, the skinny pant should be cropped at the ankle. Taking that into consideration, my "analysis" makes sense for the "look" relative to my sense of proportion, which will be quite different than someone who is taller or heavier than me.

Leeloo Jeans. Photo Source: My Wardrobe

NO THANKS . . . to any shoe or boot that is thicker and heavier looking than your ankle. Essentially you end up looking like an exclamation mark if you have bulbous looking footwear. I am not fond of heavy chunky boots that end at the ankle for this very reason. Skinny pants need a slim ankle, and therefore, more delicate looking shoes. That's why runners are also a NO THANKS. Even though the look in the photo from "My Wardrobe" is not really chunky, I'm not that fond of it. Take a look at this YouTube video for a summary of what heels to wear with skinny pants.

Photo by JoyD. Skinny pants & boots
on a Paris street, October, 2012

WINTER NOTE-WORTHY: As soon as I wrote the bit about short boots, I remembered a photo I took while in Paris at the end of October, 2012. My NO THANKS just became WINTER NOTE-WORTHY. Even though I prefer knee high boots generally; these short boots look great on this woman somewhere in Paris.

  Victoria Beckham in heels with skinny pants. Photo Source PR Photos. Com
Retrieved from Fashion Police.com on April 14, 2013

NICE: There are two styles of footwear that I consider the NICEST with skinny pants. A more delicate high-heeled shoe, strappy sandals, a pump or stiletto are all better than a chunky high heel. 

For flats the NICE here is a ballet flat. In winter, I like flat or heeled knee-high boots. I prefer the Hudson Leeloo skinny jeans with the side stripe, or any other skinny pants, with the pump rather than the ankle boot. Being short, my Leeloo's do not end so high. Mine come right down to the ankle. Therefore if I want to follow the trend, I have to fold them up to sit just at the ankle. I have these pants and my absolute favourite way to wear them is with flat boots.

Ballet flats in same tone as skinny pants. Photo by JoyD.

NOTE-WORTHY: If you're short like me, 5' 3", then a shoe that is the same colour or tone as the skinny pants is the way to go. The photo illustrates an unintentional match. I bought the ballet flats in Romans, France in the summer of 2012, the Lancel bag in Paris in the fall of 2011 and the skinny Theory pants in Edmonton, Canada in February, 2013 with no thought of one or the other in my mind when I was buying. If you are tall, you have the luxury to wear a contrasting or complementary colour. The same tone helps us short ones to create the illusion of length in our legs.

Photo Source: Glamchek.com

SUMMER NOTE-WORTHY: For me, I try to avoid straps at the ankle; it's that height thing again and my attempt at achieving a longer look through the leg but this Glamcheck photo of "ankle straps" appealed to me.

Impulse or Overload Buying

Avoid the Fashion Financial Hangover

I think I'm slightly impulsive, sometimes organized and always in search of a bargain!

- Lisa Snowdon

On the topic of buying, online or otherwise, a friend in Manitoba who volunteers for the Church of Christ clothing depot, tells me that many items come with price tags attached and appear never to have been worn. At least they are now donated and given to those who need them . . . for free - and that is a redeeming quality, at least for the receiver.

NO THANKS . . . to impulse buying or at the very least impulse buying without the cash to cover the total. With the world at our fingertips and easy credit, it is easier than ever to buy. To buy responsibly is a virtue. To have the cash to buy something is important so put it on your credit card for the points, but put the cash for it into your credit card account immediately or at the very least, make sure you can pay it off before your payment date so that you do not accrue any interest. Consumer debt because of impulse buying is the worst.

Too many people spend money they haven't earned to buy things they don't want, to impress people they don't like. 

- Will Smith

NICE: Consider cost per wear. If you buy an inexpensive item but it sits in the closet or it loses its shape after the first wash, you have wasted your money, irrespective of how much it was. Spend more and buy quality especially on the closet basics. If you can't afford to buy designer at retail; consider consignment, particularly if you live in large cities. There, a greater percentage of the "well-to-do" population is buying designer and because of their positions in "city society" tend to send their two or three times worn items to a consignment store. If the clothes are older they may end up in the "donation" stores or charity bins but if they are close to "new", even the rich want to get a few dollars back on what they have worn. Or they might be the "not so rich" who buy designer and can't afford it so they have to get something back on it. Or they just are not wasteful, no matter how much money they have. 

NOTE-WORTHY: Some of the most trendy shops with good prices and discount online vendors are the worse for impulse buying. When the clothing is cheap enough so that you can rationalize the purchase or it looks good on the size 0 model on the screen, it's easy to buy. If you check how the item is made, very often the quality is not there or the way it sits on a rounder body may be disappointing.

Two American Presidents have been recorded as saying it, many others have as well, but still "we" do not listen to their advice. So with more profound words than I can muster at the moment and for your own sanity: 

Never spend your money before you have earned it. 

- Thomas Jefferson

If you know how to spend less than you get, you have the philosopher's stone.

- Benjamin Franklin

Online vrs Face to Face Shopping

Closet Content Analysis: Buying Choices

Online - NO THANKS; Face to Face - NICE 

Consider NEED 

I'm not a fan of online shopping. Call me old-fashioned, call me a luddite but I would rather shop face to face for my clothing. 

NEED: My shopping has evolved over the years and there are many "office" or "work" clothing pieces I don't NEED anymore. I still occasionally "work" outside the home but for the most part my NEEDS are different. "The suit" is one of my major no longer NEED items; although I still like the look but can achieve it with a blazer as easily. I always have a NEEDS list and shop based on those identified items and am aware of sale times more so now than ever before. At least I try - to be honest, I guess I didn't NEED two pairs of skinny pants. Sigh.

NICE: Shopping as a "tourist" activity: When I'm in another city or in another country, shopping takes me to places and neighbourhoods that can be as interesting or even more so than the required tourist attractions. I also have a point of reference so that when someone asks me, "where did you get that", I can say at Printemps in Paris, 2009 or Rome where I lived temporarily while on a study tour or Vancouver in March when I went to get my French visa or here at home at the Bay or . . . What can I say? Some people collect souvenir spoons.

NOTE-WORTHY: I do use online references for my "shopping" research especially when it comes to prices and trends. But to actually order anything is still in my future? Perhaps? My experiences with sizes is particularly disconcerting so that unless I already have the brand and know the size ranges and the fit, I am hesitant to buy without actually trying on the item. Of course, many online shopping venues have good return policies but the annoyance of having to pack it and send it back overrides the convenience of it coming to my door. I have not returned much in my lifetime in clothing shopping. 

NICE: In analysis of my shopping history, my mother has been the greatest influence. Two influences for my mother were that she worked in a clothing factory sewing first and then checking product quality. Later when she moved from the city to a smaller community, she often waited to do her clothing shopping in "the city". When I was little, I remember that she disliked "catalogue" shopping thereby setting me up for the same dislike of online shopping. Checking out the seams, the zipper, the button holes, the fabric, the flaws or lack of flaws, just checking out the item before I buy was something my mother taught me and is now a hard habit to break. You might be able to empathize with me if you ordered a pair of the recalled Lululemon "see-through" yoga pants online or bought them without trying them on.

For me, "buyer beware" red flags need to be acknowledged no matter where you are buying, I just feel I have more control when I go to the vendor. It will take some convincing to get me to become an online shopper.

Tone on Tone Floral

Photo Source: My Wardrobe

Floral Print Compromise

Closet Analysis: Tone on Tone  

If you are adamant that floral prints are not your thing, you may be swayed slightly by tone on tone florals, almost jacquard in style. May I suggest that this floral alternative might turn you to the dark "tone on tone" side.

Here the greys and plums from a JoyD creation mix to maintain the tone on tone, plum and gray theme,.

The choice of top and shoes as presented in the "My Wardrobe" photo is not to my liking. Although these pants look grey, they are apparently "plum" hence the choice for the "pale mauve" top. Irrespective of the colour, there are two ways to go here: adding a pop of colour or the monotone look.

The Monotone or Analogous Look: Analogous colours are those that are side by side on the colour wheel. Keeping the tone on tone skinny pants from My Wardrobe as the example, perhaps the tone is more "plum" than "gray" in real life. No matter, the point here is not so much analogous colours as shades of a colour and so the range moves from the deep plum/gray to lighter shades . . . .as in a particular number of shades of gray. That being said, I am classifying the pale silver pump as a NO THANKS. The darker gray/plum tone pants need a strappy steel gray sandal or ballet flat. If you choose my preference for a monotone look, you must remember, even a monotone choice needs "something".

The Pop of Colour with Complementary Colours: It is difficult for me to go to the other side of the colour wheel when adding colour; yet that's what complementary colours are all about. So with blues, purple or plum, think yellows on the blue side and greens on the plum. Considering green is the colour for 2013, complementing it with purple would be "trendy" but is definitely a stretch in my mind; but then again I have never been known for a colourful closet.

JoyD turquoise three strand necklace; perfect for a colour pop.

However, if green/yellow is the colour wheel complent, and since tone on tone begs for texture differences or a pop of colour, turquoise  could be a conservative choice to the outright bright of green or yellow to complement the purple/plums.

Button-Down Shirts for 2013

Closet Content Analysis: Shirts with Buttons

NICE                   NOTE-WORTHY            NEW          

Anne Fontaine storefront in Paris, Photo taken by JoyD in October, 2012

Every year I feel I should buy two new shirts, not just pull-over tops but true button-down shirts. I like the look of shirts generally and as noted in a previous post, I do love Anne Fontaine cuts. Last October I was at an Anne Fontaine store in Paris and did indulge. The woman who was serving me, contrary to what most people believe about service personnel in Paris, was down to earth, and helpful, in addition to being elegant and beautiful. I arrived at the store with the intent to buy a white button down shirt. Although I have at least four Anne Fontaine shirts in my closet, they are from a time when I was a couple of sizes bigger. I wanted a plain white shirt and the ones in my closet have various forms of detailing. After showing me several white shirts, I made references to the ones I own by saying, "this one is similar to one I have" or "I have two with the black edging" or . . . and so the sales associate asked if I had a black shirt.  I think she sensed that I did not NEED another white shirt. I left with a black one that fit impeccably and makes me feel tailored even with blue jeans. I especially like it with a recently purchased pair of skinny Hudson jeans with a black side stripe.

Anne Fontaine black shirt purchased in Paris,
October, 2012

NICE: This Anne Fontaine black shirt, purchased in October, 2012 is now my NICEST since I wear it independently or under blazers or my Armor-Luxe v-neck cardigan.

Anne Fontaine black shirt with Hudson Leeloo skinny jeans.

The front panels, collar and cuffs are 100% cotton and the back and sleeves are a stretch fabric. This combination provides a phenomenal fit and allows for a few pounds up or down. After a winter of too many good meals, I am at the "few pounds up" and I do feel it across the back but it doesn't feel restricting in the same way a stiffer, less flexible fabric would.

Burberry long-sleeved shirt with silver studded collar.

NEW: I'm not in the habit of paying $525.00 for a shirt. And I did not; however I did buy one where the original retail prices was labelled as such. I was in Vancouver, British Columbia and checking out the sales racks at Holt Renfrew. I found a Burberry white shirt (remember I said I needed a white button down shirt) priced at $209.00. This price was still a tad high although I have paid that approximate price for my Anne Fontaine shirts. I looked at the size and I thought it was too big, although it did not look too big. The sales associate informed me that Burberry does "fit smaller" and so I tried it on. She also added that all the sales priced items were another 40% off. How convenient! I rationalized and now I own it.

I like wearing this one with my Theory dark taupe skinny pants.

NOTE-WORTHY: This tapered white shirt is a good 2 to 3 inches longer than any of my other shirts and it feels good to wear it with my skinny pants. It covers the front and backside perfectly without looking sloppy. 

NEED: Since I have maintained my weight now for two years, and I have no present intention to gain a significant amount back, it's time to have my Anne Fontaine shirts altered to fit properly in the shoulders. I do wear them under blazers and the fit is passable but independently, you can tell they're a tad too big.

Adding Jewellery when Mixing Patterns

Closet Content Analysis: Solid Colour Choices to Accent the Patterns

NICE           NEED    

The April 1, 2013 post began an analysis of mixing patterns and so the discussion continues with the addition of jewellery. When mixing patterns, repeat one of the mutual colours (if you have two items in two patterns) in a solid block with a necklace, earrings or bracelet but do not try to wear all three and definitely do not match all three. The interest you have created by mixing patterns needs to be enhanced by your jewellery not put in competition with it. So remember when wearing jewellery with patterned clothing, the jewellery and other accessories should be restricted to one area, the neck, the wrist or the ears in a solid block that is bold. 

My advice isn't being followed in the photo below. With due respect to Talbot's, I wouldn't do the pink necklace or the pink purse. The top is great and the JoyD green necklace, which appears to be the same colour - hence the colour block, would be a better choice. As far as the bag and shoes, I'd go neutral but not matchy-matchy. But then again, I'm not a stylist for Talbot's.

Green stone necklace created by JoyD, Spring, 2013.

Photo Source: http://www.talbotspr.com/spring-2013-look-book/

Finding the perfect green or complementary colour can be an issue. The next question then would be, is there enough of that bright soft green in the pattern to pop with the necklace? The top helps. This is where backward planning comes into play - you NEED to find a floral that can be complemented by the solids you already own in your closet.

Shopping Advice: Take a favourite solid colour top from your closet with you when you go shopping for a floral skirt or floral skinny pants. Keep that as your base complementary colour. Just go shopping for the print. If you start buying more accessories, you'll be duped into buying more than you need. You probably already own a pair of neutral coloured sandals in nude, sand, beige or tan that would work nicely as a backdrop. Even a pale tone of a colour that is in the skirt as a shoe match would work.

Mixing Patterns for Spring 2013

Unconventional Choices

Closet Content Analysis: Mixing Prints & Patterns

NO THANKS?         NEED?          

One of the trends for Spring 2013 calls for floral prints. For the most part, florals have been a NO THANKS in my closet. At this moment, short of a few scarves, some of which were gifts, I do not have a single floral print item. And so, in order to complete this post, I appealed to friends and family who responded with similar laments, "I have no prints or florals in my closet!" Scarves tend to be the exception. Perhaps 2013 will see a change. 

The fact is that florals and prints in general do date a wardrobe. Solid is safe. 

Adding floral prints to my closet will be difficult. As I write this, I hear my brain saying, "It's not going to happen". Yet here I am, about to encourage you to do what I have no intention of doing.

If I don't even have floral prints in my closet, it's no surprise that I would have difficulty writing about mixing patterns, such as floral prints with stripes, stripes with geometric lines, or geometric lines with floral prints. However, perhaps this a NEED.

NEED?: Prints in my closet.

NEED?: To mix those prints in my closet.

In my email appeal for prints, artist Jan Corcoran sent me a photo of her favourite scarf. She bought it in the Minneapolis airport on her way to Saskatoon, Saskatchewan from the Miami Art Faire, December, 2012. She claims to "find some of my best buys, scarves, hats and gloves in airport kosks". The one you see here is  12"X72" long and is composed of 50% silk and 50% viscose weave. Similar to my closet choices, she chooses to wear it with t-shirts and jeans but claims it goes with everything. 

For spring 2013, what about floral jeans? 

NICE or NO THANKS?

Photo source for Alice & Olivia floral skinny jeans:
http://www.shopbop.com/clothing-denim-printed-jeans/br/v=1/2534374302204239.htm?all

When I emailed Jan to tell her what I was going to write, she responded with, "Coloured jeans, yes; floral, no. I love the florals and if I had my daughter's figure, absolutely!" There, it has been written . . . those floral pants require a more youthful slim figure. Even though I am a size 6, I am more "hour glass" and so I do wear skinny pants, but would never consider a floral print . . . maybe a geometric print? Hmmm . . . maybe not.

But, back to my original intent for this post, that of mixing patterns. Here are some guidelines to apply to your closet contents.

If you have never mixed patterns before, choose two pieces with matching colour combinations. For example: Look back at the skinny pants and Jan's scarf - one piece in a yellow, blue, green and red combination on a white background and a second piece with predominantly the same colours. 

A third piece should be a base solid colour that is dominant in both pieces. Therefore, using Jan's scarf and the floral skinny pants, I immediately see blue as the colour for the top. For some of us who are a bit more self-conscious, make that a top that covers the butt.

Experiment by changing the base colour as your third piece or for your accessories. Essentially what you are doing is combining pattern mixing and colour blocking. I personally wouldn't have a blue top, red shoes and a yellow purse . . . that begins looking clown-like in my estimation. Without ever having done this, I propose that my purse and shoes would be neutral in beige tones, browns or black.

This is definitely a post that needs your input!

No Easter Bonnets in Sight

Closet Content Analysis: No New Clothes for Easter

It's Easter Sunday but it looks more like Christmas Day on the Canadian prairies. 

Easter meant a NEW Sunday best outfit for me when I was little including something for my hair whether a hat or some other such accessory. As I grew into adulthood, I still used Easter as my excuse to buy a NEW spring outfit. The headgear was a frivolity and not something to which I adhered.  Now, the NEW doesn't even enter my mind for a variety of reasons. However, I do "dress-up" if I go to church and always seem a little surprised that perhaps only 20% of the church-goers are in their "Sunday best". I figure I have the clothes so why not? In the same way, others may say, I don't have the clothes, what for?

But it's Easter today and somehow I expected to see more colours rather than the drab winter wear and blue jeans. A couple of years ago while having Easter Sunday lunch on the island of Burano in Italy, every diner, including the little ones, was wearing something in a shade of purple. "Have you noticed . . . " I said to my husband, who in turn responded that he thought it was the light in the restaurant. What a joyful light it was!

I remember the same light-hearted feeling and joyfulness in the air and on the people's backs when we visited Greece at Easter. It's not that the outfits were necessarily new, but they were representative of the season, no matter the weather.

So irrespective of the temperature, put on something from your closet in colours to feel the joy of spring. 

Happy Spring . . . Happy Easter . . . Happy Happy!

Shopping with a Planning Guide

JoyD's Fashion Trends 2013 Closet Planner Chart

If you used this chart in Spring 2012 then you have a list of the items you purchased and can see what you can salvage from last year's trends. Or start anew this weekend when you go shopping.

Colour	Basics	Specific 2013 Trends
	Classic Pieces (with trendy suggestions): Blouses Shirts T-shirts Pants (wide leg) Jeans Capris Shorts Skirts (pencil, mini, airy maxi - in 2013 structured) Dresses (floral prints, lace - same advice as 2012) Blazers/jackets (fitted; tuxedo-style) Suits	Clothing Trend Design: The following have been retrieved from Elle and Harper's: Cut outs (arms, midriff, back) Lace Leather (boxy jackets but not blazers, tops but not pants see the Harper's slides) Florals, especially pants Prints mixed with graphics  Checkerboard, graphic designs and stripes v-necks tailored shorts Structured skirting and continuation of the peplum  Monochromatic head to toe colour "Cage" graphics "Eastern" print "Statement" ruffle or frill Black for formal wear	Jewellery: Stacked bracelets, bangles and cuffs with colourful gems for Spring 2013  Add a large watch to the stack Drop earrings (long) Gypsy-style (folksy with tassels) chandelier earrings Statement necklaces (oversized pearls a la Chanel) Large metal chain links Rose Gold Statement sunglasses "Fringe" necklaces & bracelets	Shoes & Bags: Contrasting black & white elements/sections Tote/shopping style bags Transparent inlays for shoes and see-through bags Gladiator style sandals, shoes & boots Stacked chunkier heels
The colour names indicated in this chart were retrieved from the Panetone website on March 30, 2013. The linked page displays the colours for women's and men's apparel for Spring, 2013.
Black
White
Emerald (Panetone 17-5641) - named colour of the year
Grayed Jade (Panetone 14-6011)
Dusk Blue (Panetone 16-4120)
Tender Shoot (Panetone 14-0446)
Lemon Zest (Panetone 13-0756)
African Violet (Panetone 16-3520)
Linen (Panetone 12-1008)
Monaco Blue (Panetone 19-3964)
Poppy Red (Panetone 17-1664)
Nectarine (Panetone 16-1350)

Make a copy for your personal use but remember copyright applies to  JoyD's Fashion Trends 2013 Closet Planner Chart created for the Closet Fashion Content Analysis blog by JoyD, April, 2012 and it is illegal to reprint it for use commercially in any way except with the permission of the author. Contact JoyDCreations@gmail.com