Adjusting to wide legs: WIW

I jumped on the wide-leg crop trend, accidentally ending up with three pairs all at once. A few months in, I'm still wearing them often, though I think my next purchases will be slim, straight legs. One thing I've struggled with is tops. Aside from a few tees, I was at a loss for what looked good with them. So I was excited to find this cropped top at Madewell last weekend. The fitting room sales person - who recognizes me by now - said, oh, I have just the thing for you! and handed me this top that had been an online return.

I've always avoided tops like this because I didn't like how they tent out from my chest. I assumed they'd only work on a smaller chest/torso. But this one is surprisingly flattering and so I'm giving it a try. It's a nice heavy cotton knit.

I've found a few other tops that work well, including the Everlane square silk shirt and a cropped BR shirt from a few seasons ago. Long tunics work well for me, too. I'll try to take photos of a few other combinations - I took today's photos to convince myself that the top was a winner before cutting the tags.

The pants are the Everlane wide leg crops, pinned up until I have time to hem them. (Is this length good? Hard to see with my Dr Martens I suppose.)

Fall clothes are hitting stores and that means more black (yay!) and more structure (yay!). I'm suddenly spending a lot more time browsing new arrivals...

Edit: I can't seem to make a Find from the Madewell page right now but here's the top:

https://www.madewell.com/p/wom.....-tee/G5518

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18 Comments

  • The Cat replied 7 years ago

    A great combo for you! You look fab.

  • replied 7 years ago

    I think it works because neither top nor bottom is overly voluminous. You look great!

  • rachylou replied 7 years ago

    What a great top. I agree about the top problem for wide leg crops.

  • replied 7 years ago

    I think this is very cool!
    You are way ahead of me as far as tops go. It's tough to find these cropped tops--I am having a hard time getting on board with f for some reason.

    I too like to have a few wide crops actually I only have 1 pair) and that's enough.

    Slim straights are the way to go for me most days. Easy to wear!

  • Meredith replied 7 years ago

    This looks great, Greyscale! You're making me want to do a hack job on my wide leg trousers.

  • Jenni NZ replied 7 years ago

    Perfect top on you! Awesome shape and length. That SA has a good eye x

  • Greyscale replied 7 years ago

    Jenni, she does, and I'm glad she thought of this! Even if I'd found it myself, I might have had a (flawed) poison eye for it, but luckily her feedback convinced me to buy it.

  • kkards replied 7 years ago

    This works perfectly! I think the magic is not so much in the volume, but in the length. The shorter length is perfectly balanced with the waist line of the pants.

  • Paula replied 7 years ago

    Greyscale, thanks for sharing the Madewell link.  I've also been trying to find tops that work with the 2 pr. of wide leg pants/jeans that I have, and it's tricky!  

    You look great in this set!

  • UmmLila (Lisa) replied 7 years ago

    I thought I posted a comment on this earlier but it seems to have disappeared. This look is very good -- and very you. The cropped or short boxy tops seem to be the key to this pants silhouette. I'm in my not-wearing-jeans season, but I know I'm going to resume the hunt for the just right tops like yours when the weather gets cooler.

  • Greyscale replied 7 years ago

    I'm considering getting the top in white as well - it's a nice thick knit that's probably opaque.

  • skylurker replied 7 years ago

    Love the top : structured and good neckline on you.
    I have issues with wide cropped pants (I like old school jupe-culottes, ie around the knee, or wide leg trousers, but things in between baffle me) - can't help with length.

  • Sal replied 7 years ago

    I think this shape top is great with the wide legs.  It is balanced and simple.

    In the 2000s I wore lots of wide leg pants, culottes etc and my best shape was a welted top, slightly blouson, hitting just below the waistband.  I had at least three tops this shape that worked brilliantly with three or four pairs of wide legged pants.  

    I am hopeless with lengths - to me these look fine, but I think with a column of black you have more flexibility.

  • Greyscale replied 7 years ago

    Argh, minor frustration -- I do love these Everlane pants. But I stopped by their showroom to return something today, and they restocked them, but in pure black, not this faded washed black. If I'd known they would offer that color, I would have waited. Though, the almost-grey of these is more versatile than I feared it would be. 

    I guess if my black Uniqlo wide-legs really are too big, I could replace them with an Everlane pair, but that seems a little excessive.

    It's the second time this has happened. I have an Everlane silk shirt in washed black, and it was just subtly off with anything but really pure black jeans (the faded-ness clashed with faded jeans). It was orphaned in my closet until they came out with a solid black version and I splurged to 'upgrade' (I'll sell the first one).

    I guess the moral is, I should never buy anything described as washed black.

  • shoppingisfun replied 7 years ago

    The top looks good. I really don't like those pants at all. I think it's the length. To me they should either be longer (ie bit cropped) or shorter. JMO!

  • karen13 replied 7 years ago

    I love your column of black! I have the same issue with chest tenting but will resist the Madewell link as I am really trying to "walk away from" the blacks and greys. 

  • Elle replied 7 years ago

    That top is just the right length with those pants.  Great outfit.  I had no idea they were washed black but they are very flattering.  I like all shades of black (washed, pure etc).

  • JuniperGreen replied 7 years ago

    I am a sucker for anything Madewell.  Great pieces!  It's a lot of fun to play with this new silhouette - I really was stuck in a skinny bottom + tunic top formula for a while and breaking out of it is liberating.  

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