In keeping with Monday’s post, I’m forging forward with my wardrobe planning. First up: pants.
So how many pairs does one need? Looking in my closet, you’ll find eight pairs – five pairs of jeans, a lightweight striped pair for summer, a ratty olive green pair, and brown wool slacks. Embarrassingly… I only wear two regularly and they’re both jeans. So what’s wrong with the other six pairs? The other jeans are either thread bare or ill-fitting; both the lightweight pair and olive green pair have seen better days and need to move on; and while the brown slacks fit me well, they’re a bit too dressy and corporate for my everyday wear.
I don’t feel deprived in the pants arena but I’d also love to get out of the jeans rut. I like jeans and I definitely want to keep a pair in my wardrobe but sometimes I just feel frumpy in them. I’d love pants that are casual enough to wear running errands but are able dress up for dinner as well. Something that makes me feel effortlessly pulled together like Cal Patch’s Annie Trousers in Design-It-Yourself Clothes. If you haven’t seen the book check out the Sewing Princess’s version on her blog (here and here). Cute, yes?
Let’s get back to the numbers. Although I wear only two pairs regularly, I do think that two pairs of pants is rather limiting. Keeping in mind what was mentioned on Monday, I’d like to have enough pants to get me through a week without doing laundry. This means three to four pairs of pants. What would my 4 pairs be?
- A pair of jeans (already own)
- Effortlessly pulled together pair in navy
- Effortlessly pulled together pair in grey
- Dress pants in grey (?)
If you’ve read this far, I applaud you. This is some seriously boring stuff. Unfortunately, it’s also necessary for me to get this in ink, so to speak, so that I can refer back to it as I’m working this wardrobe out. It won’t always be this boring (promise) because the next step for me is to design and sew the missing three pairs. Tomorrow I’m pulling out the measuring tape and the butcher paper to begin my first pants draft!
Leave a comment below and tell me how many pairs of pants you think are necessary. I’d love to hear what you think is a must for a good wardrobe, so let’s talk!
A Good Wardrobe 