what to make of... harem pants

i'll be the first to admit, since the start of this blog a majority of my posts have taken on more of a diary versus what i originally made this blog out to be about (but what does go the way it's supposed to). so in effort to make up for that, i bring you the great debate over a fashion statement that seems to be making quite a statement in the fashion world. 

people seem to see harem pants seem as a resemblance to a fancy cuisine (not literally, obviously). either you love it and can't have enough of it's unique style and fresh look it gives you or you absolute despise them and want back to your ordinary favorite. personally, though... i feel like it is a slice of each, it just depends on how you cut, or in literal terms, wear it. 

choose carefully. this is not your ordinary pair of levi's jeans. if you pick one that's too billowy, you may risk looking more like a disney character than a fashion forward girl. 

and if you are not six feet tall and actually have hips and a butt, be wary of the cut. the pant should be just loose enough in the crotch to resemble a harem pant, but also try to include some tailoring and pleating, so it has some control and gives your body shape, but in all the right places. 

{fletcher by lyell pant, $78 at urbanoutfitters.com}

to make yourself resemble less like mc hammer or aladdin, save this style for when you are up to wear the stilettos or some type of heel to give some height. if you don't, it has an odd way of cutting you two inches instead of adding a few. 

{alice + olivia, $253 at saks fifth avenue}

and if you want to look even more exceptional (as we all should), i suggest having the hem be several inches above the ankle. if you want to alternate between having a shorter and longer hem, get a pair that has a looser fit at the hemline in order to roll up or leave as is. that looser fit also provides for a more gradual, slimming look that makes you less boxy. 

all in all, if you play it right, you could turn out looking like a fashion superstar. but if one thing doesn't look quite as it should, you could end up looking a little bit more like mc hammer than you had originally  hoped. play around with it & have fun. like any tricky style, it may seem like an endless battle trying to find ones that work but once you find the right pair for you, it will be more than worth the hassle. 

all my best <3 

a new year, a ________ me

 whenever the clock strikes midnight on december 31st... a new year has begun and it allows us to click the refresh button in our lives, our bodies, our wardrobe, our attitude... what have you. like many of you, my resolutions for each year tend to be like any other, lose the holiday weight gain, be more sociable, be less sociable and work harder, etcetera, etcetera. 

this year however, i plan to do my resolutions not as a way to improve or better myself, but to simple enjoy myself. and with that in mind, i hope that i can make that time to really just do something enjoyable, by my standards, every day. 

a few examples have come to my mind.

{get back on that elliptical & get those endorphins running}

{start something i have never done before, possibly hot yoga or painting}

{be open minded}

{take more photos of nothing}

{love someone with all my heart}

{wear something i love everyday}

{learn that uggs are the enemy}

{accept my awkwardness & make something of it}

{learn that conquering the world isn't all that important}

{but being with loved ones is}

{take my mind off my phone & computer and into something way more valuable}

{put  60% of my effort into school,  40 % into all else}

{110% into love}

{be someone i can be proud of}  

{talk less, listen more, care equally} 

it's a hard list, but one of which that is in continuation from 2010 and the resolutions i make up for myself everyday. they don't have deadline, they aren't goals and they certainly aren't dreams either. they are just guidelines to keep my life in order when all else seems to be in complete disorder.

much love & peace