You know that piece of advice about how, if you find a piece you love that that fits you exactly right, you should buy it in more than one color? Yeah, that advice has never worked for me. Not once. My theory as to why: just because an item looks fantastic on you in, say, navy doesn’t necessarily mean it’s going to work the same magic in red.
And yet: today I had a breakfast meeting not far from the lower Fifth Avenue shopping drag, rendering a drop-in at J. Crew pretty much inevitable. And after discovering that the fit was right on these capris, I tried them on in almost every color.
The black I rejected because they seemed like they’d be perfect for the office, and I don’t go to an office. The dark khaki was nice, but it reminded me of the color of my brother’s private school uniform when we were kids, and—for reasons I can only speculate on— that bothered me. The aqua—on me, at least—seemed neither here nor there. And it’s far too late in the game for me to figure out how to work a pair of yellow pants into my wardrobe.
I did, however, boldly and without reservation go straight for the fuchsia pair you see here. As well as the color they call soft fuchsia—which is very subdued, a light, light pinkish cream. And I do think I’ll make both work, precisely because they are so drastically different, and the roles they’ll play in my wardrobe are so divergent. If that makes sense.
Buying pieces in multiple colors has been my weakness for a while. I just bought the J.Crew Minnie pants in both navy and purple, but think both are very wearable for the office.
When I find pants that fit I will buy them in multiple colors, just because it’s so hard for me to find pants that fit. I like these pants but I would have chosen the aqua.
I did this once, with pants and I don’t regret it. Buying pants online and get the right fit is often challenging.
Nora
http://notenora.blogspot.com
As someone who is later in the game than KF, I have figured out how to work a pair of yellow pants (Theory,cropped, p) into a wardrobe….move to Miami.
Personally, I will buy multiple items in the SAME color….but there’s another way to shop.
For pants, the hips are the true foundation measurements of the garment.
Being a Women’s Retailer, I often suggest slight alterations for items that people LOVE but have slight fit issues. My department is in an upscale Mens Store and I see how easy it is for guys to look great because of this. Women’s clothing often is more often than not badly made. A well constructed pant or trouser will have a split waistbands and an inch or 2 of fabric let out (OR take in) on side & back seams. This allows one to tweak both waist & hip & achieve a great fit!
For Jackets or tops, the shoulders are base; they should ALWAYS fit. DON’T BUY a jacket if the shoulders aren’t right! That is an expensive & usually futile alteration. IMHO, not usually worth the trouble!
Men EXPECT to alter for a good fit…..women expect fit to be MAGIC! They should be more open to: 1.) Better made clothing 2.) Slight alterations.
Fifi: Couldn’t agree with you more—tailoring is really foreign to most women, but I don’t know anyone who has the exact measurements of a fit model.
i find that’s it’s prudent in general to buy anything in multiples that you love and works on your body. why cry later when you can’t get it again?
That’s crazy pants! I did the exact same thing! NEVER buy the same thing in more than one color, but a few weeks back I was in JCrew looking for a pair of bone-colored slim capris that I could wear all summer as my ‘uniform’. Nothing was working and then I noticed there were a pair of bone Chinos laying over the top of the dressing room door from a previous customer. I took them down, liked them, saw they were in my size and tried them on. I thought I had found the Holy Grail! I immediately asked one of the staff ‘what other colors do you have these in?’ I ended up buying the bone, a dark green khaki which I love! And a orange poppy color, which is way bold for me, and I love them!
Kitty, I was going to say that *no one* needs to know how to work in a pair of yellow pants, but you sound fun, so I have changed my mind!
One of the best-dressed women I ever met in person was from Miami, actually. She wore business clothes with a feminine flair, which I hadn’t known was possible, having rejected certain career paths in the 90s that seemed to require the wearing of those horrid floppy-tie shirts, which to me seemed like tranny wear, and not in a *good* way … and strangely, now there are some blouses with ties I actually like, perhaps because they are not white and not trying to look like men).
Also, Fifi, you should be cloned. Or made Emperor, or something. I don’t know what a split waistband is but I’m going to look it up. What store is it, or are you not supposed to say? (I am a bit nosy.) I live in LA and it is always nice to try to get a hot tip on where the good tailors are.
Thanks Viajera…and in fact they are a pale lemon which may not be the kind of egg yolk yellow that KF is thinking of. But as a born and bred NYC’er now living in miami it has been a major wardrobe re-vamping!
Oh yes, and Kim you might want to buy two pairs of that nice bright pink? I think it’s lovely. And bright pink goes with everything…
I do this all the time.
I finally found a black jean that I like, so I bought multiple pairs — because things are never in stock when you go back for them. I learned this shopping strategy from Suzy Gershman’s “Born to Shop” books years ago. She called it the “Moscow Rule” of shopping. Of course, one can buy everything in Moscow today, but at the time the deal was if you saw it and you wanted it, you bought it. Because you probably weren’t going to go back the next day and even if you did, they probably weren’t going to have it.
Anyway.
I recently bought a pair of tangerine jeans and loved them so much that I went back for a hot pink pair. And the pink ones look — terrible! Same manufacturer, same cut, same style number, everything. But the fit is not the same. Go figure.
I love yellow. If I find a decent looking pair of yellow jeans, I’m buying them!
Love this bright pink pants.. Sometimes it makes sense to buy more than one color…
x
Nina
http://trendsurvivor.com/
Hi i know the problem and my mom taught me the same rule but it does work sometimes. Uniqlo does amazing t-shirts, i buy 4 white,3 black and a handful of colors every year and at the end of the season when the white is no longer white and colors fade they are cheap enough about 10 – 15$ that you can just throw them away and start over for the next season.
love the blog
thanks diane
I often buy the same color in multiples. And I own that shirt in the J Crew image and now I think I need some fuchsia pants to go with it!
When I’ve bought the same item in different colors at the same time, it usually doesn’t work out. When I don’t, then I regret it later! I can recommend Armani Exchange short sleeve tee shirts – I did buy them in white, black, gray. The best fitting and well-priced tee ever – for me. (It’s the one with a little chain above the imprinted (yay for that) label.
Oh I’m that kind of person….if it fits well, I buy in multi colors…hahaha
Rebecca
http://www.redtagchiclosangeles.com
I see the logic – I used the same theory for buying coloured maxi skirts. Ended up with an emerald green as it’s the right mix of ‘stand out’ piece and mouldable one with my current wardrobe. xx
South Molton St Style
I like the fact that you went for the brave color, not the safe one. go girl O-A-C-A
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