WIW: In which I am brave and wear my crazypants

Last year I waited in a long long line to get these crazy pants from the H&M Margiela collab. They're a reissue of an old Margiela style. Boosted by all your positive comments on my WIWs, I was brave enough to wear them to work today. Later, we're heading to a fancy dinner with my new department.

They are essentially giant men's trousers, folded over at the waist in front and taken in in two huge pleats in back. I love them and whenever someone compliments me on them, it's hard to resist undoing the hook & eye to show them how they work! (See the photos).

Do you think the v-neck cotton T works with the pants? I like how it tones them down to be more casual, and I like the geometric look of the deep, wide V, but I'm never quite sure what to wear with these pants.

I didn't get a good photo of the full look with my wool jacket, but I just took a quick shot of it in lab. 

I've been putting so much more thought into my outfits since I started reading this blog a few months ago - and my new job is a more grownup job, so I'm marking the transition by bumping up my style and not being afraid to look more dressy. It's making me so happy to be able to wear these things I've collected over the years.

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40 Comments

  • annagybe replied 11 years ago

    They're so Tilda Swinton. Love!

  • Debra replied 11 years ago

    I love them !!!!! And they look perfect on you :) a great combination with the simple t shirt:)
    I am very much looking forward to seeing the rest of your collection in action and I agree, I too am putting in more thought and trying different looks :)

  • Sveta replied 11 years ago

    They are seriously cool! I wish I can see the design you describe better in the pictures.
    I think they totally work with a simple tee here.

  • Transcona Shannon replied 11 years ago

    Those crazy pants are crazy fab!!!

  • Diana replied 11 years ago

    Those are awesome crazypants! I like that they almost look like a skirt at first.

    And, aside: you have a mirror in your lab? Wonder what my lab mates would do if I put one up... Or maybe I just need to come work for you!

  • Greyscale replied 11 years ago

    Ha! The mirror is temporary. My boyfriend just moved his lab from another university to here, and to make the move easier for his grad students, he paid to move their stuff out of his relocation allowance. Everything went in one big truck - our furniture, all his lab equipment, and the students' stuff - which arrived a few days ago and did a big delivery circuit of everyone's new houses and the new lab space. The mirror belongs to a postdoc who was mostly paying for his own move but put a few things in the lab truck - he just hasn't had a chance to take it yet. The whole process was really funny, somehow.

  • Marmee replied 11 years ago

    Super cool super statement pants!

  • pil replied 11 years ago

    Those are wildly awesome on you.

  • rae replied 11 years ago

    Crazy like a FOX.

  • Caro in Oz replied 11 years ago

    I love them, YLF. I have a modified Sarah Pacini version - no pleats in the back

  • KeepTheKey replied 11 years ago

    These pants just seem so "you". Of course, I don't really know you at all, but they just seem to be a perfect fit for your figure, and they're a great statement piece that isn't too distracting :-)

  • catgirl replied 11 years ago

    I would give anything to be able to wear pants like that, but unfortunately they have to be up to my neck.  Rock them often for me!

  • Marley replied 11 years ago

    Love those!  And, they look really good on you.  The only thing that gives me pause is the length.  It's kind of hard to tell in the pics, but my first thought was that they were just a bit too short - or, are they supposed to be a little short?  Anyway, I too thought of Tilda Swinton (my fashion "hero") when I saw them.  Very cool - and I would have stood in line for them too!

  • dustt replied 11 years ago

    so ingenious!! - and oh so cool!! - love the look!!

  • Beth Ann replied 11 years ago

    Uh-mazing, crazy pants!  These are quite fab, and quite the conversations starter, I think.  I like your minimal styling.  I could also see a fitted white shirt, a short, shaped jacket, or a cropped sweater with them.

  • Suz replied 11 years ago

    Gorgeous!! I love those, totally love them. And they look spectacular with the simple tee. Great outfit! 

  • Joy replied 11 years ago

    I'm also loving the pants and the simple top. You could dress them up with a shiny top and tuxedo jacket if you wanted a party outfit. .

  • CocoLion replied 11 years ago

    OMG these are SO COOL!!!! And you have styled them well.  They will work with a slightly crumply, cotton mens style shirt as well.  Or a silk tank.  Do you wear white?  They would look great with white or grey.  But of course black is more you, so I get that!  They look like a timeless avant garde piece.

  • thinkingfish replied 11 years ago

    Love the look. Super cool.

  • replied 11 years ago

    Those are so elegant, and not crazy at all!

  • Gigi replied 11 years ago

    You look great in these! I love seeing people rock stuff that would look silly on me. :^) And the v-neck shirt looks great with them. I think it's because the shirt is cut low and exposes the arms, which contrasts with the voluminous drape and coverage of the pants.

  • ManidipaM replied 11 years ago

    Oooh, brilliant pants. And you rock them. They are amazing in themselves of course, but especially brilliant for showing off your willowy shape with no hint of bodycon! And you wear these in a lab? How cool are you?!

  • Vildy replied 11 years ago

    I generally don't admire unconventional styles but you make these look like this is the way pants should have been all along! 

  • Jacky replied 11 years ago

    It's super awesome seeing you wear those! Makes me wish I'd figured out how to wear mine :)

  • Jeanie replied 11 years ago

    Good for you for being brave!  I love seeing these unusual pants.  You wear them very well.

  • Greyscale replied 11 years ago

    Marley, good call on the length. I wasn't sure how it would look and I think you're right that they are too short for heels. I usually wear them with flat boots, but I didn't want them to drag on the ground today because it looked like rain, so I wore heeled boots. (It poured, in fact, and now they are soaking wet, but that's ok.) I'll go back to flats next time.

  • Greyscale replied 11 years ago

    Una, I am laughing now at the image of you in neck-high crazypants. That would be maybe a bit too avant garde!

  • Greyscale replied 11 years ago

    (Catching up on this thread, obviously)

    Jacky! You kept your crazypants, right, or did you sell them? I can't remember if they fit but were impossible to style, or didn't really fit. Bummer either way.

    Thanks for the ideas for tops, everyone. I did wear them to a party once with a silk tank top and it worked well. I like the idea of a men's style shirt or a white tee, also. I really wish I had a white version of this same tee (from the Gap) but I think they stopped selling them.

  • Jacky replied 11 years ago

    I did keep them! They fit but looked terrible. I'm actually hoping they might work better now that I've lost a bit of my tummy but haven't tried them again recently . I think your outfit is inspiring me to try them again though :D

  • Janet replied 11 years ago

    Oh geez, how did I miss this until now. I love them! I would totally try them on if by some miracle I ever found them. Somehow I feel like I could wear these easier than the crossover skinnies that Anna and Cocolion have, but maybe that's just wishful thinking.

    I also like the pairing of a simple tee with these pants. Well done!

    Looking at the pic of them undone makes me wonder if a DIY with a big pair of men's pants might be possible. Someone handier with sewing than I am needs to try it!

  • unfrumped replied 11 years ago

    You look elegantly cool! I love this type of pant look and similar drapey pants and wish they would be even more in style because I would try to wear something similar.
    I agree that a simple top works best-- the V or a crew T or boatneck, and more fitted as you have done, to balance the pants volume.

  • Ornella replied 11 years ago

    These really are all kinds of fabulous! I haven't seen pants with so much character in quite a while and you don't just wear them, but really owe the look.

  • Scarlet replied 11 years ago

    Just amazed how amazing those look on you. Wow.

  • Angie replied 11 years ago

    More love for the pants from me.  #1 and #2 are killer rocking fabulous. I like them with the V-neck t-shirt best. To my eye, it's important to add skin to the these trousers, which creates structure. 

  • Lyn D. replied 11 years ago

    How clever and Fab!

  • No Fear of Fashion replied 11 years ago

    Beautiful! Looks so good. Both with the jacket and the T-shirt. The latter looks really good on the trousers. The designer likes simplicity. Let the trousers take the stage.
    Greetje

  • Deborah replied 11 years ago

    Not crazy, just seriously cool! I so wish I had the figure for those pants. Love your simple styling here;)

  • Jaime replied 11 years ago

    Love them!

  • Neel replied 11 years ago

    Those pants are seriously crazy!!! And you pull them off beautifully! Thumbs up from me too for the simple tee!

  • Greyscale replied 11 years ago

    Janet, I do think it would be an easy DIY if you found a pair of really huge men's trousers. There's a buttonhole on the tab at the fly that connects to a button inside the waist near my right hip, and then a hook & eye to create the crossover look. Then there's a big inverse box pleat in the center back. I can tell these were re-designed for a woman because the hip seam is a bit curved, but I doubt it makes a big difference. And it's possible the crotch is dropped much lower than huge men's pants, but I don't know - maybe they're just that big to begin with.

    And I think you're right that they're much easier to wear than the R13 jeans (which I am seriously seriously lusting after, right now). The draped wool fabric ends up looking like a skirt, so it's really forgiving.

    Thanks, Angie!

    Deborah, I can picture you in something very similar, even if these aren't the right shape for you (but they might be good!). Your WIWs always really inspire me.

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