A couple of years ago I gave up on slacks. As my body shape changed, I found myself hating the fit of pretty much all slacks. I didn't stop wearing pants. Oh, no. I love to wear pants--but these pants are not "slacks." There is a huge difference, my friends, between pants and slacks. Pants come in a variety of shapes, styles, fits, materials, etc. There are cargo pants, cotton pants, sweatpants, jeans...the list goes on. Then there are slacks. "Khakis" are slacks. Polyester or nylon tends to be the go-to fabric for slacks. You can wear pants anywhere for any reason. You only wear slacks to work.
Slacks most often, for women at least, have a tight fit on the top and a looser fit on the bottom. Sometimes the legs come in a flared or "wide leg" fit. I'm not sure that I appreciate the name of that last fit. I guess there are also "skinny" slacks. Once upon a time I think that I had some slacks that might fit that description. Whatever.
Throughout the years, I have found myself perusing the racks of a TJ Maxx and finding the "perfect" pair of slacks--you know, the pair that won't make me feel like I am failing at life. Why do slacks somehow correlate with self-esteem? I will buy those slacks. They will hang in my closet for a long time--years--with the price tag intact. Every teaching day I will open the closet door and bypass those slacks. Ew. Slacks. Move on. Heck, I probably bought those slacks for an academic conference or something like minded.
On Wednesday I decided to finally wear a pair of slacks I bought I-don't-know-when. They are black and white striped. They have some stretch to them. The leg length is not too long or too short--goldilocks territory here. The fit is not exactly what I want in a pair of pants. The top/waistband is a bit tighter than I like, but the legs fit well.
See what you think:
Slacks and bronze booties go well together, BTW. At least these slacks have stripes and pockets. Stripes makes slacks less boring--and slacks are some of the most boring articles of clothing ever invented. Pockets are a must.
To help spice up the boring slacks, I also added this lovely mustard cable-knit sweater and my go-to pearl tie!
I probably won't wear these slacks a lot during the semester, but I am glad that I got them out of the closet. :)
If you are like me and feel like you should wear slacks but don't really want to wear them, I recommend going kind of quirky with the look. Instead of doing a straight-up professional look, try wearing your professional slacks with some flashy shoes--I chose the bronze booties. Try adding a fun color on top. Don't wear black and white slacks with a black or white shirt. Try adding an accessory that says I like to have fun while working. :D
Enjoy your semester!
