05.13.2008 Trend Alert: High Waisted Pants: part II

Continued from last week’s post: Trend Alert: High Waisted Pants: part I

These are the kinds of pants that are actually more designed for a woman’s body, not to fight it. 

They accent the waist, while downplaying the hips as long as the trouser legs fall straight from the hips. If one has a thicker midsection, the high waisted pants will *create* a waist, shorten a long torso, and give the illusion of longer legs when worn with high heels and the hem just skims the ground. A high waisted pant can do wonders to elongate the length of the leg by giving the eye more of a constant visual to follow. 

While a high waist can eliminate the infamous muffin top, they also can accentuate a belly pooch if pleated in the front.  Nobody ever wants to be congratulated on a new pregnancy when they are truly not expecting, but instead just suffering from a pair of bad fitting pants. Some women praise the idea of finally getting all their non wash boarded bellies under the protection of clothing, but if the fit is not correct then bulging pants will still cause the fashion police to wince.

How to wear the new high waisted fashions:

Once you’ve found the perfect fit, make sure you pair it with the right top and accessories.

The newer high waisted pants should be full throughout and finish at a wide leg. While the skinny jean might still have a following, a high waisted, skinny leg cannot be worn by anyone with even slightly larger hips, bottom and/or thighs or those will be accented. While made for the pear shaped, a leg that tapers in any way will cause the hips to look too wide.

The sheer volume of fabric used in these pants makes a fitted top the natural choice. One needs to balance off the top half of their body to match the bottom.  Opt for something fitted and waist-cinching.  A nipped-waist, button-up blouse with short sleeves works well.  Also, wide-leg trousers and a fitted blazer look excellent at work.  Call some attention to the upper body with a bright colored top or commanding jewelry.

Since the length of the torso is elongated as well, either a long torso, or a short one can be adversely affected.  For both cases, showing some extra skin at the neckline will lengthen the neck and create balance.

A thicker waist can be doubly accented when the illusion of a cinched waist is made with a narrow belt and a one- button blazer. In cases where the waste to hip ratio is too close, then added fullness of pleats in the pants and hips can reduce the visual of the middle.

The wide leg styles beg for balance in the form of a thick, high-heeled shoe. The hemline should be just long enough to graze the floor and let your toes peek out. Heels are a must, a pointy toe even better. Without a toe pointing out, one can look footless. Wedges and other chunky heeled boots or pumps will juxtapose all that extra fabric and add length to the legs as well.

The trick to these pants is to get the scale and proportion just right as you don’t want to be wading in too much fabric. They shouldn’t be so wide that you swim in them, especially if you’re petite since it can make you look short and squat rather than long and lean.

Since these are the “new” look pants, keeping them modern with a dark navy wash. Gray also provides a nice neutral to take off from and white can provide a classic “sailor” feel for the summer season.

Although some shoppers may feel intimidated by this aggressively retro trend, with the flattering features and edgy style, the only people who should be afraid to sport this trend are those looking to abbreviate their legs and accent their love handles with passé flair.  You can call it the rebound effect, but the high waisted pants are definitely here and provide a new fashion trend to work from.

Happy shopping!