A couple posts back, I shared my plan to "bring sexy back" with at-waist pants. I was intrigued by the many wonderful responses on Facebook - some of you are all for the high-waisted look, and some of you hate it! The best thing, though, is that these days you can wear pretty much whatever you want, and still look awesome. For me, I'm going all high-waisted from here on out, especially after doing battle yesterday with what used to be my favorite pair of modern, low-slung skinny jeans. The squeezy-pain around my hips, and the inability to modestly sit on a curb drove me to Etsy this morning, where I snagged a pair of vintage bootcut Jordache jeans, and three 1950s pants/shorts patterns:
Meanwhile, I have my version of Simplicity 5409, from 1972, to show you. I got this pattern for 99 cents at Savers thrift store, and made the pants up in denim.
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| Simplicity 5409 from 1972 |
These are a straight-legged pant, with a big cuff on the bottom. They're very wide of leg, with the waist shaped by darts in back, and pleats in front. I was annoyed to find that despite matching my measurements, the ease added to this pattern was extraordinary. I took a whopping 6 inches out of the waist and hips, through the side seams and darts, to get the pants to fit smoothly and tightly.
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| I forgot my red lipstick today |
What I was happy to discover is that these pants have a great Rockabilly/pinup/30's-40's look, and work as well with a shirt tucked in as worn out. I'm super happy with them, and as evidenced above, have already found a few more pants patterns from the past to try out.
