One-Dollar Wonders

Manspiration Month: Day 21 (featuring cropped pants!)

June 21, 2012

An outfit is the collection of beautiful things. To reveal the person and conceal the clothes is the outfit's aim. The fashion critic is he who can translate into another manner or a new material his impression of beautiful things.

There is no such thing as a good or an bad outfit. Outfits are well executed, or badly executed. That is all.

This century's dislike of cropped pants is the rage of Caliban seeing his own short legs in a glass.

All outfits are at once surface and symbol.

All outfits are quite useless.

Posted in the What I Wore category
This post is also published in the youlookfab forum. You can read and reply to it in either place. All replies will appear in both places.

20 Comments

  • Jonesy replied 11 years ago

    Oh my goodness--love the clues! I'm going with KL (nicknamed The Kaiser) as your manspiration :)?

  • Transcona Shannon replied 11 years ago

    I literally gasped out loud when I saw your outfit Rae! Where have you been hiding those cropped trousers? LOVE LOVE LOVE them - the blue piping (is that you call it?) is fantastic. And the white, partial tuck, flowy blouse is the perfect partner for them.

    I actually think I kow this one and agree with Jonesy on KL. You realize how much fun we're having with your manspiration month right???

  • Diana replied 11 years ago

    Argh, I feel like I should know who this is but I don't!

    I really like your cropped pants! Even though in principle this length and width seems like it would be difficult, these manage to be super flattering and not stumpifying at all. The curved hem at the bottom is a really cool detail.

  • Angie replied 11 years ago

    I want to taper the cropped trousers, but the nude shoe helps out that leg line!

    Love the blouse and the checks on those pants :)

  • Kirti replied 11 years ago

    I think I agree with Angie about rhe tapering,but you carry these pants off SO well rae!

  • Inge replied 11 years ago

    I LOVE those maxi checks on your pants, Rae. Love this entire outfit, and like Jonesy I'm thinking KL.

  • rae replied 11 years ago

    Oh, very interesting guesses! It took me a while to figure out who KL was but, now that I think I know it, I think it is a great guess!

    Angie and Kirti, I have thought about tapering these - the thing is I can't do it myself because there is some piping at the edge, the curve, and full length side zippers (??) to deal with. Out of my depth. I just barely managed to fit into them again, too. The reaction is good enough so far that I may ask around for a tailor rec.

  • Meredith1953 replied 11 years ago

    Rae,
    Those are lovely pants! I love the pattern with that white blouse! The nude shoes look great with it. I agree that tapering the pant would be ideal. Couldn't guess the manspiration though. :(

  • rae replied 11 years ago

    Hey, for tapering... would a dart in the front center of the shin, from about knee to bottom hem, look okay?

  • cciele replied 11 years ago

    You make quite a beautiful picture there, with your Gray cropped pants!

    Honestly though, your outfit made me gasp too. Sublime!

  • rae replied 11 years ago

    Yeah! Cathy, you got it! *high five*

    I know this was not the best clue ever, but I could not resist using one of my favorite passages from one of my favorite novels. :)

  • Aida replied 11 years ago

    Oooh I like this a lot! Though I'm on Team Taper (sounds like it'll be tough though?). I am SO enjoying seeing your pretty pumps make appearances again! Are you in the mood for them more lately or do you think it's that the manspiration outfits may need femming up more than your usual looks?

  • rae replied 11 years ago

    Thanks, Aida! I'm going to pin a dart in and see how it looks.

    The masculine looks definitely needed some femme shoes, which is why I kind of went against my judgement and wore the pumps. This is the first pair I have not regretted wearing because of various blisters - my ombre pumps left huge toe blisters, and my pretty glitter ones left huge heel blisters. Fancy occasions only from here on out. :(

  • Aida replied 11 years ago

    Oh that's no fun! Especially the gold sparkly pair, those are my favorite. Blisters are such a pain (zing!). I am slowly culling my collection of pumps to remove blister-causing pairs as well *sniffle*

  • rae replied 11 years ago

    Those were my favorite, too. They were fine for sitting all day!

  • Aida replied 11 years ago

    Most of mine are sitting to 3 hour shoes. I have been thinking about taking some of the tallest ones in to shorten down to 3" if possible. I'm wondering if maybe taking a 4" shoe and shortening may give us high arch ladies more support than just starting with a 3" shoe to begin with because the shoe shape is still quite arched? We'll see if I ever get around to it ;)

  • Jaime replied 11 years ago

    I love this outfit. I wonder how it would look tapered but only because the idea was planted in my mind by someone wiser.

  • Angie replied 11 years ago

    Not quite understanding the tapering question, but would like to.

  • CocoLion replied 11 years ago

    Love the existential-sounding clues, however I am still clueless as to who this might be.

    I like all of the colors and proportions but am struggling with cropped pants in general, after a year of trying to get used to them (and even wearing them at first), I can't do it.

  • Chrizzle replied 11 years ago

    You look prettier than a picture in that outfit, Rae. The pants go against some of the rules for how to wear cropped pants and yet I'm wilde about how they look on you.

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I'm just your average working stiff who loves nice things and hates to pay for them. This blog outlines my efforts to navigate that treacherous shopping/saving divide through swappin', thriftin', and even a little resellin'. Many of the pieces in my wardrobe cost me just $1! We've heard a lot about people "living above their means" in recent years; I'm championing the concept of living large *below* your means - whatever that means for you. :)