Pants and Trousers and Slacks, Oh My…
WHAT’S IN A NAME?
A million years ago, I had a bit of a quarter life crisis that ended my dreams to be a human rights lawyer. I did survive my first year of law school though. I even liked it.
The studying was overwhelming and the competition was annoying, but I could make sense of everything I was learning. It was logical.
Something I’ve never forgotten, something deceptively simple, is how important it is to establish a base for any communication, whether it’s a debate or a quick text message. We have to agree on the meaning of the words we’re using.
For us to talk any further about pants, we have to outline what we are, and are not, talking about.
Also…who is Faith Joy?
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PANTS AND TROUSERS*
Let’s start with the simplest definition. A piece of clothing that sits at the waist, extends down past the knee and covers each leg separately. This is what English speakers refer to as pants.
The exception is England where you’d use trousers* for this definition, and where the word pants indicates men’s underpants or slang for rubbish.
Dress Pants / Slacks
Dress pants and slacks are synonymous for suit pants without the rest of the suit.
They are formal or semi-formal pants that you typically wear in professional settings or at special occasions.
The pants are made with woven material (often wool or polyester blends) and the fabric should be substantial, long-lasting, and provide the comfort you need for temperatures year round. They should have a solid structure, a tailored look, and are often creased.
With this kind of fitted style of pants, the size and length are really important to getting the look you want.
Not Dress Pants
Khakis or chinos or corduroys. There may be some exceptions here, but as a rule, these fabrics are too casual.
Yoga pants. Even if they’re disguised as boot cut. Comfort really comes from fit, not just the Spandex. Besides, how is there any feeling of elegance, sophistication, or professionalism when you’re wearing yoga pants out for cocktail hour or to a board meeting? Just look in the mirror and ask yourself, do I look respectable and do I feel confident.
Leggings. These go under tunics (or dresses) and if worn otherwise, if your top reveals your butt or crotch, these very tight garments do not belong in a formal or semi-formal (hardly even casual) setting.
Ponte. Take away the double-knit fabric and they’re really just leggings.
Jeans. Whether they’re classic denim, black, gray, burgundy, olive, and especially if they’re holey…you get the idea, jeans are not dress pants.
Athletic wear. If it makes a swish sound when you walk the answer is no.
Cargo or bush pants. Culottes (shorts that extend to the knee…). Jogger pants. Tulip or harem pants. Overalls. Jodhpurs. Sweatpants. Pajama pants.
There are, of course, always personal style preferences to consider.
For instance, a very sleek pair of black jogger pants with just the right top (perhaps blazer) could meet semi-formal standards and could therefore potentially land in our dress pants or slacks category. Culottes, could potentially be refined with a little structure, the right fabric, tights, and, to really pull off the look, high heels.
But if you’re not sure, and there’s a dress code, stick to the basics. Do they go past your knee? What’s the fabric made of? Are they well structured?
I would say you’ll never find any of these fits and styles at Clarinda Lauren - but never say never. Especially in fashion.
SPEAK CLARINDA LAUREN
As muddled as the size variances are, every brand also has their own definitions for their different designs, fits, and styles.
We really do like to play with language, which is fine, but it does beg for a dictionary of all the names out there. It’s as important as having measurements on a size chart.
Fit and Style
All these fits and styles fall under the Clarinda Lauren dress pants umbrella.
Descriptions will come later, but you can expect all of these to be available at some point. Maybe even in a permanent collection!
Ankle
Trousers*
Palazzo
Sailor
Wide-leg
Straight-leg
Boot-cut
Flare
Slim-fit (or skinny or stovepipe or drainpipe or cigarette or pencil leg pants…)
Cropped (or capris or three-quarter pants or clam-diggers or flood pants or high waters or toreador pants)
So now you know if you love slim-fit pants, I’ll be making them in the future and you’ll be wearing them, hopefully sooner than later.
Naming a Design
Every Clarinda Lauren design will have a unique name so you can easily find your favorites.
Of course, behind every name there is a story.
And, of course, the very first design is named after my sweet and beautiful mom.
Faith Joy
When I first started drawing designs I heard my mom’s voice from years ago talking about her pants, what she liked and didn’t like, how to make them last, what was hard about finding pants that had everything she was looking for, and the lilt in her voice when she was especially happy with an outfit.
You know that hope of mine to help women and make them feel good in their clothes?
That comes from my mom wanting to make other people happy, from everything she’s done to help me, and from how I wish I could have been there for her once I saw her not only as my mom, but as a strong woman who persevered in a challenging life.
All of this has gone into my ideas, and all of this has gone in to the Faith Joy dress pants.
Obviously, there’d be no Clarinda Lauren without Faith Joy.