Dress Pants: Do They Have a Place in My Wardrobe?
I was browsing Anthropologie’s clothing a few weeks ago and came across this pair of gray dress pants. I’m a neutrals girl and I love gray. Well, not just gray, but the right gray. I prefer heather or melange gray. But gray is hard to come by in plus size, especially on the larger end of the spectrum so I was immediately drawn to them. Additionally, they are wide-leg which is right up my alley.
I got them in a couple of weeks ago.
So obviously these pants are too small. The pleats are puckering. I don’t like dress pants to be fitted and these fit very snug in the stomach. These are the Avery pants and I have these in navy pinstripe from a couple of years back. The first thing I noticed when I saw them on the website was that they changed the cut. They are slimmer in the leg and include elastic in the back waist. But I often have to size down for a wide leg pant, but that is not the case with this revised style. I’d need my true size. There’s also something off about the legs of these pants. I’m not sure if it’s the cut, but the bottoms flare out. I don’t like that. Maybe pressing would fix it.
Right now I’m trying to ensure that what I buy actually reflects my personal style. I think dress pants are definitely easy and practical which is important for my lifestyle. The wide-leg and neutral color are true to who I am. I think the classic pinstripe takes it up a notch. The pants are versatile and I could wear them in a variety of scenarios. But as I’m looking at them on, I’m concerned about if they fit my lifestyle. Am I going to reach for these at 7am on Sunday when I’m getting ready to go to the Farmer’s Market? Am I going to throw them on to run errands or grab lunch? I could, but I don’t think I will. I associate dress pants with work wear and that’s likely how I would use them. At this stage in my career, I don’t need traditional business attire. I want a well-done, classic look that speaks to who I am, not society’s version of professionalism. And I want a cohesive, fluid wardrobe where I can and will pull anything and wear it anywhere. Considering that, I think these pants are going back to the store.
They pants fit my aesthetic, but not my reality. I feel kind of sad about that, but its really how I need to approach my wardrobe going forward.