Who Can and Can't Wear Skinny Jeans For Summer?
Tina, here.
We can still wear skinny jeans in the summer, right? Some of us don't wear shorts or dresses at all during the summer months. Maybe we don't like our legs or it's too cool for our clime to wear them. So we like pants. Skinny jeans or ankle pants are a summer staple. Never to be confused with EVIL CAPRIS.
In case you missed the memo the last 673,625 times, capris are evil. Image Lisa Clarke.
I'm confused. What's the difference between capris, cropped pants, ankle pants and skinny jeans? And is one more flattering?
When I say skinny jeans or ankle pants I pretty much mean the same thing. It's a pant that is somewhat fitted through your hips and narrows from your thighs all the way down to your ankle bones. These are good. An ankle pant or skinny jean is not a tapered pant, which is fuller through the hips and legs (almost always unattractive) or a clam-digger, which hits about mid-shin (always unattractive). It could be a peddle-pusher if it's the kind Audrey Hepburn wore. It is never an evil capri that hits anywhere from below the kneecap to above the ankle bone (as in the photo above). And it is never a legging, which is skintight, no matter how thick the fabric is, and generally not a 5-pocket style.
Cecil Beaton's famous shot of Audrey Hepburn on set with her doggie Assam, wearing, appropriately enough, peddle-pushers on a bike. Image Papyrus.
Can anyone wear skinny jeans or ankle pants?
Short answer is yes, because you can wear whatever you want to if you don't care how bad it is. Long answer is no.
Here's the skinny. If you are going to wear skinny jeans or ankle pants, there are rules. Skinny jeans turn you into an inverted triangle, so if you don't like your hips, you won't like yourself in skinny jeans. If you are on the petite side, you may not like them either because they subtract some of your height.
The skinny jean (aka evil capri) on the right draws all the emphasis to the hips and creates a shorter leg. A longer bootcut jean, like on the left, may be a better choice if you want to minimize your hips and maximize your height. Image source.
Whose legs look longer? Same woman, same legs, but her legs appear miles longer in the longer skinny jean on the left. Image source.
Skinny jeans and ankle pants must hit at or about your ankle bones, not any higher or they are evil capris, and not any lower because then you have elephant ankles. When the hem creeps up above your ankle bones into your lower leg, you get that tree trunk thing (look above, right). You also get shorter legs and bigger ankles.
Your legs will appear as if they stop wherever the hem is and your ankles will appear to start wherever that hem finishes. Short legs. Big ankles. You may have perfectly great legs and ankles, but if you want the optimum in long legs, skinny ankles and shapely calves, your friend is the ankle pant, not the cropped or capri.
How do I wear an ankle pant or skinny jean?
This is one of those staples that has to be perfect or it’s all wrong and frumpy. You need high quality fabric, cut, fit. A little stretch, no more than 2%, or you’ll have saggy bottom syndrome. Must. be. perfect. (Which does not equate to expensive when you shop my picks in the Style Vault.)
Too wide.
Waaaaay too short.
Still too short.
The length is pretty good, but cargos are a no-go.
Printed skinny jeans seem to be everywhere. I wish I had my floral ones from the early 90's that were just the coolest things ever. But no. No I don't. You know why? Because floral and graphic jeans look cool and trendy on hipsters and very 1990's on the 40+ crowd.
If you want to hide your bum in a skinny pant, choose a longer but lightweight wrap or sweater or flowy blouse. Even a tunic is a great choice. You don't want to get too top-heavy. There are plenty good tops and tunics for skinny jeans and ankle pants you can shop inside the Style Vault.
I'm showing off my new Lucchese boots I snagged at Nashville's Flip. You can see I paired a looser chambray shirt, untucked, with my skinny white jeans.
When I bought these white jeans, they hit right at my ankle bone. They now graze the top of my ankle bone, which is fine. They have shrunk up from repeated washings. But if they got even a tiny bit shorter, they'd be donated.
I decided to join your style vault cause I basically couldn't wear most[of] my clothes anymore...You are helping me embrace my new figure and softer aging features...I need you so please keep the great articles and tidbits coming like how to wear a jean jacket or how to wear your t-shirt or how to buy the classic handbag or what make-up to buy at target:) I love going shopping with you! ~ from a happy Vault Insider
