Sunday, February 22, 2009

Pants, Pants, and More Pants!

Okay, you ladies of the 8...10...12 bottoms, CELEBRATE. Mrs. Dina is here to save your day! I have recently purchased FOUR pairs of fantastic J. Crew pants that I swear you all can make work with your...cough, cough...assets. YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN! ;)


#1--MY CURRENT FAVE--The gorgeous chambray colored cocktail pants. I bought them in rose. So pretty, so soft, so good at fitting my lower-half. Thank you, J. Crew for having the right mindset to have pants fit at the waist and hip, and then graze the body, and not make me feel like I am placing my legs into sausage casings! Find here at J. Crew: http://www.jcrew.com/AST/Browse/WomenBrowse/Women_Special_Sizes/size16/pants/PRDOVR~12305/12305.jsp


People, I am NOT going to style the pants like this...so I don't want to even hear it. I put on one shirt and then put the pairs of pants with it. I had like 30 minutes before CW needed to be fed. Sue me if you don't like it! :)

Here is the proof that they fit...and they don't look bad. They look...decent! I do NOT and would never expect to look like the model wearing this. We have way different body shapes, so I can't worry my head off if my hips seem wider in these pants than the model. Golly, I have to have a life, right? I can tell this is a good fit because there is no pulling at the front (those funny horizontal lines that come when the fit is too small).


I think these form well to my lower-half. Not giving the milk away (I am not going to explain this if you don't get it), but not hiding in sweatpants, either. So you know, these are a 10. I have mentioned that I plan on purchasing an 8 in grey for next year when I should (knock on wood) have lost all the baby weight!


#2--ALL WOMEN OF OUR SIZE SHOULD BUY THESE PANTS. The Saturday Pants from J. Crew are beautiful specimens...they fit nicely at the hip and rear, but then gently skim the leg. Awesome. Find them here: http://www.jcrew.com/AST/Browse/WomenBrowse/Women_Special_Sizes/size16/pants/PRDOVR~10697/10697.jsp

Here they are front view. They actually look really nice with the shirt. Perfect look for a...wait for it...Saturday. Heehee. :)

Again, nice and smooth and just the right mix of tight and loose. I bought these in a 10, as well. No plans right now to buy them in an 8. I think even a little loose these could work on me.

#3--For the braver ones, you may want to consider the mahali dot capri. It is made of a super-stretchy material, so it sucks you right in. However, these leave a lot less to the imagination. You can find them here: http://www.jcrew.com/AST/Browse/WomenBrowse/Women_Feature_Assortment/NewArrivals/pants/PRDOVR~11970/11970.jsp

Here they are on me. They fit because there is very little horizontal striping across the hip. Plus, the little there is may be a product of the pants themselves. Supposedly there was even this striping on the model in the pants e-mail that went out on Friday. Big discussion over at J. Crew Aficionada about the way the pants are made and the fact that even the thinnest women are suffering from this pants ailment. (Like some kind of horrible, freak fashion disease...)

I don't mind how much rump is on display. I am proud of my lower-half because I know it is a product of lots of exercise like walking, swimming, yoga, and pilates. However, all that exercise has meant that I will never have a flat posterior. And I will have to continue to try all of my pants on before I purchase them. I also love the way they sort of flare out at the bottom. I think that looks cute with the shoes.

I will not be styling these pants this way, so please no heart attacks over it! I purchased these in a 10 and will not be buying an 8. No need. Even a little loose they should look fine.


#4--This will take confident ladies to pull this off, but bright red (excuse me, cerise) can work with a larger lower half. Trust me! These are the premium stretch bistro pants. They are here at J. Crew (no longer on-line in this color, but your local store should still have some): http://www.jcrew.com/AST/Browse/WomenBrowse/Women_Special_Sizes/size16/pants/PRDOVR~99809/99101640234/99809.jsp

I think they look fantastic from the side. I am wearing heels here (maybe 2 inches) and they hit perfectly across the shoe. I won't style it exactly this way, but it looks okay for a semi-casual day. These are BRIGHT pants. Since I have already told you I am proud of my bottom, I don't worry that they will highlight that area, but if it concerns you, you may want to choose a more muted color!


Here they are from the front. I purchased them in a 10. There is a small possibility I will get them in an 8 in a different color. I am not sure yet.


Here is the top in all four outfits. It is a slub-cotton puff-sleeve tee. I like the fact that the sleeves are silk and the rest is cotton. It is fun and soft. I purchased this in a small (it runs large). You can buy them here: http://www.jcrew.com/AST/Browse/WomenBrowse/Women_Shop_By_Category/knitstees/texturedknits/PRDOVR~12668/12668.jsp
So you worry-warts can stop worrying, I purchased all of these at a discount and on-sale. So run to your nearest store or computer and purchase away! They won't break the bank and may make your lower-half be thankful in return!

12 comments:

Joyce said...

When I put on the mahali dot capri I had to take them home. Never had I put on a pair of pants that made me look so long and lean... I paid full price for them. I wish it would warm up. I also love the Saturday pant and will hopefully be able to find them when it warms up some. We "big" girls (which by the weekly buy & sell post I feel we must be) need to stick together!

HeidiG said...

Thanks for all the great pants choices. I am planning 1 last day of shopping on Mardi Gras before I start my Lent shopping ban, so I will definitely swing by JC and check out some of these pants. Neutrals-lover that I am, you have actually convinced me to try a pair of the cerise pants. We'll see how they look in person.

Drewablank said...

You look great in all those pants, dinagideon! Especially in the (wait for it) red ones! You can totally pull those off.

I am one of those with hips (AND buns!) so I appreciate seeing someone willing to take pictures with no qualms and apologies about it! Yeah! ;)

I'm currently on the hunt for neutrals/pastels...I just acquired the Coralie suede heels in Light Eucaplytus, and they are gorgeous! And comfortable!

Anonymous said...

I appreciate the review of so many pants!! It's something you don't see on these blogs very often, and it's very helpful.

Perhaps in the future, you could post on how those Bistro pants look and wear after a few washes/drys? I want them, but need to know how much shrinkage happens in the length.

Great reviews-Thanks!

Ellen P.

dinagideon said...

Joyce: I am so glad you purchased those capris. I look forward to seeing you in them soon!

I hear you on the whole purchasing before they sell out thing...the gorgeous painted-striped tank is all sold-out on-line at J. Crew. Ah, well...either ebay, the weekly exchange or a regular store is in my future!

Isn't funny we are the "big" girls? J. Crew totally makes clothing for the slimmer set, for sure. I wish they would expand...go into plus sizes, maternity wear, heck even little baby clothes! (A girl can dream, right?) Everywhere else we would just be kinda normal. :)

HeidiG: Try the cerise pants. I bet you will be pleased! They are stretchy, yummy, soft, and yep, bright...perfect for pairing with all your neutrals... :)

Drewablank: I LOVE THOSE HEELS. I want to see them in person...next outing, wear them...you will get a million looks (in a good way)!

Ellen P.: I will definitely let you all know how the pants fare in the whole "wash, dry, repeat" cycle! :)

Anonymous said...

Nice pant reviews-Thank you!

Honestly--please don't take it too personal but you must know that the dot pant does not flatter you at all. I would want someone to tell me. If you put it out there for strangers to judge--I would hope you would be okay hearing the truth. Not sure if you were planning to keep those anyway??

All of the others look much better-enjoy them!

sparrowsandsparkles said...

those really look great!! I really appreciate this pants review! I will definitely give the cocktail pant and Saturday pant a try. The cerise looked so nice too.

dinagideon said...

Honest Opinion: No problem! :) I am going to hold off wearing them for awhile...I think a little less junk in the trunk will help! If you follow me on a regular basis you know that I am on a postpartum quest to lose weight...so there you go...still have around 15-18 pounds to lose. Most of that should be in the hip area which will make the other pants obsolete, but not the dot ones! Have a nice day!

Sparrows and Sparkles: Hey! You are welcome. Definitely give them a shot...pants are such a nice investment because they are so easy to dress up and dress down! ;)

Melissa@AllThingsSimplified said...

Thanks for the reviews and for posting the pics, Dina! You are very brave...there are a lot of brutal people out there in blogland! I think the pants look nice...my favorite on you are the Bistro. I cannot personally wear the Cocktail pants...they are not flattering to my body shape AT ALL, which is unfortunate because I think they are very cute. I LOVE the Saturday pants and hope to pick up a pair or two when the price goes down a bit. :)

Melissa@AllThingsSimplified said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Melissa@AllThingsSimplified said...

I also want to add that you look TERRIFIC for just having had a baby not too long ago! WAY TO GO!!! :)

dinagideon said...

FFM: Maybe they will make the chambray in some other type of pants, like a loose fit long pant? That would be gorgeous! Or maybe even the Bistro pant could come in that fabric.

Re: my bravery...it has taken a lot of soul searching and I thought, well, why the heck not? I really think the majority of the people who would come here would benefit from my posting this sort of stuff...and for the one or two who come to stir up trouble? I have a strong suspicion some of my regulars would step on in and take care of business... :)

One thing I won't tolerate? Anyone saying horrible things about my kids. If that happened, I would be SPITTING mad...I know you understand that...

Thank you for noticing my weight loss...it has been a very long uphill climb...nice to know it is working (however slowly)...