Five Ways - Black and White Pants

Winter in Vermont doesn't make for a lot of natural light in which to take pictures, which means daily outfit photos haven't been as possible as I thought they would be. This means I've been taking advantage of whatever sunlight I can. A couple Saturdays ago I cleaned my living room, opened all my blinds, and took these photos.

For the first year I owned these pants I hardly wore them. I thought they were too long and I lacked the confidence to wear pants that weren't skinny jeans. I'm not sure when I changed my mind and started wearing them on a regular basis, but they are now my favorite pair of pants. They happen to be great for both warm and cold weather - thin and breezy for summer and loose enough to wear over leggings during the winter. Plus, I've come to love the way wide leg pants let me take up more space. Taking up space is a beautiful thing.

Without further ado, here are five ways I wear my favorite pants.

Pattern Mixing

 

 

This outfit is one of my favorites of the bunch. I thrifted this shirt in the late fall and fell in love with it immediately. Striped shirts are so classic, but I had never been able to find one I truly loved until I stumbled onto this baby. I think the difference for me is that this shirt has black and cream stripes, which is less stark of a contrast than black and white. I've worn this shirt many ways in the last few months, but didn't think to pair it with these pants until I was taking these photos. I'm so glad I gave this outfit a shot because it is so comfy and makes me feel like a million bucks.

Denim Days

 

 

This is my other favorite outfit of the bunch. I've worn different combos of this outfit before and I always feel great. I got this NASA t-shirt while at the Kennedy Space Center in October and it has become one of my favorite t-shirts. On principle, I don't typically wear graphic tees to the office, but I make an exception for this one. It's still too cold to wear this outfit in VT, but as soon as it warms up, versions of this outfit will be on heavy rotation. 

Spring Please

 

 

While it didn't photograph as well as I might have hoped, I like the combination of this silk top with these pants. It's a breezy outfit (again, totally inappropriate for winter) on its own, but also works great with a cardigan or coverup like in the next two outfits. 

Again, this look didn't photograph super well, but works great in real life. This combo is great because it can be left as is for spring or warmed up for winter by adding leggings under the pants and a long sleeve shirt under the top. I am always cold, but was getting a little tired of having to wear a ton of visible layers, so this winter I've been working on less visible layering. This outfit hits the sweet spot of warm without bulk.   

This is probably the most comfortable outfit of the bunch. I thrifted this linen coverup sometime in 2016 and it is great for throwing on during the summer when it's hot outside, but cold inside. Over the last couple of years I've realized that I feel fantastic in loose/baggy/breezy clothes. Somehow they make me feel super sexy in an understated way. I love discovering pieces or clothing styles that might not be traditionally sexy, but make me feel amazing. That's the joy of dressing for yourself. 

There is one outfit missing from the bunch (I absolutely could not get a good picture of it), which is these pants with my bright red sweater. It is my favorite way to wear these pants during the winter. It is a total power outfit for me, so I will hopefully get a good picture to share one day. 

I might turn this Five Ways post into a series, so stay tuned for similar posts. I'm hoping that trying to style different pieces in multiple ways will help me figure out what really works in my wardrobe.

Let me know in the comments what outfit or piece never fails to make you feel like a million bucks!