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Palette Challenge: Wide legs and deep pockets

Here’s what I made this past week for the Palette Challenge. Some blue linen wide leg pants with extra deep pockets.

The fabric is a linen blend with a bit of poly, which turns out to be a really nice combination. The fabric remains light and breathable from the linen, but the added poly helps control the crazy wrinkling action that linen is known for. I’m wearing them with a coral pink silk sorbetto.

My only challenge with these pants was the length. I think wide leg pants look best (1) worn with heels of some kind and (2) cut a bit long, so they make your legs look nice and long. I’m not sure if I cut these long enough, what do you think? They’re too long for flats, but perhaps a bit short for these heels? Maybe with a lower heel? I’m undecided.

Sarai Mitnick

Founder

Sarai started Colette back in 2009. She believes the primary role of a business should be to help people. She loves good books, sewing with wool, her charming cats, working in her garden, and eating salsa.

Comments

Noelle

April 26, 2012 #

Wow Sarai, those pants are amazing! The whole outfit is fantastic.

I wholeheartedly agree that wide leg pants should be cut long and worn with heels. I personally prefer the look platforms or wedges with wide leggers. I would probably make them a teensy bit longer, maybe just an inch or so.

kalinchen

April 26, 2012 #

Wow! Exactly the type of pants I love (and am looking for a pattern for :) ). I would indeed make them bit longer if you’re planning to wear them with these shoes. Btw the shoes are amazing too :)

Amanda

April 26, 2012 #

Oh, these are fab! I’m loving the chunky clogs with these and am totes a firm believer in heels with wide leg pants. I’d probably go a little longer with the leg length or try some lower heels? Looking fab!

Emma

April 26, 2012 #

Ooh, love these! From the pics I actually think the length looks okay. It may be a bit different when you’re walking – pants always look shorter in motion.

I would also love a pattern for pants like these, Sarai! (hint, hint) :)

Elise

April 26, 2012 #

I like the wider pant also. I am short 5′ and agree that the wide leg with higher heels elongates your legs. From the pictures the length looks fine in the close up but full view it looks like they may need just a smidge of length. Did you use a pattern and if so which pattern?

Sarai

April 26, 2012 #

I drafted the pattern. I know lots of you want a trouser like this, though!

Kathleen

April 26, 2012 #

Ditto! Need these pants in my life and would LOVE a pattern!

Also, are they lined?

Sarai

April 26, 2012 #

Not lined, since I like the coolness and breathability of the linen for summer. I’d make wool one for fall and line them though.

ladykatza

April 26, 2012 #

I think they are the perfect length, personally.

Emilie LG

April 26, 2012 #

Ooh, such a pretty outfit !!!
Those colors are perfect on you (the scarf <3 )
I'm usually not a huge fan of wide pants but this one fits you very well, I would probably go a little longer but not too much (some people wear this type of pants sooooo long that you can't even see there shoes anymore, looks weird….)

ZoSews

April 26, 2012 #

Gorgeous pants – and outfit! Like everyone else is saying, a pattern for something like these would be very nice *wink wink* And please, where are those wonderful shoes from??

Sarai

April 26, 2012 #

They’re Kork-Ease, everyone is always asking about them (both here and in person!). Super comfy (and well-worn, as you can see).

Amanda

April 26, 2012 #

I dunno . . . I think if you make them any longer (and don’t make them wider), you will get a break in the front (like on men’s trousers), which I don’t think looks so great on this style for women. I don’t care for the look when the shoes are completely covered–plus the back of the pant leg gets all dirty and trashed so fast . . . I remember elephant bells from the 1970s.

If you were to lengthen them, maybe just half an inch?

Sarai

April 26, 2012 #

I was thinking 1/2 in to 1 in. I’m not sure if the break would look odd or not, and I definitely don’t want them to touch the ground here in muddy Portland.

Samantha

April 26, 2012 #

These are the pants I need a pattern for. No hinting, just an out and out plea. Please make a Colette pattern for wide legged pants?! Please!?!?!

Sarai

April 26, 2012 #

Haha… I will need to perfect this one first, but maybe in Fall. :)

Simona

April 26, 2012 #

Waw! The co lour is great and they look lovely on you!

charlottepb

April 26, 2012 #

love them, you have my shoes too!

Sarai

April 26, 2012 #

Aren’t they the best?

Bek

April 26, 2012 #

Gorgeous! I’ve ben looking for a pattern just like this!!
CAn we expect a colette wide keg pant pattern sometime?? Please!!!

I would go a little longe btw, but it is a shame to hide those beautiful shoes!

Amanda

April 26, 2012 #

This is just too much cuteness for one post!

Claire Leach

April 26, 2012 #

I love them. I only ever wear wide leg trousers, as it helps balance out my large hips/thighs, at least a little. I have a Vogue pattern, but would love to have a pattern like this. (Another hint :-)
Yes, they are lovely with heels but I wear mine with flat shoes. Simply down to the fact I get sore feet/ can’t walk any distance, in heels. I do like them almost hitting the floor but not quite so they don’t get muddy. They may not look as chic, but then I shall never quite make that….

Sarai

April 26, 2012 #

I walk a lot too, so I wear flats a fair bit of the time, but I really love a versatile pair of platforms. They go with everything and can be really comfy (like these).

I have basically the opposite body type, heavier on top than bottom. Wide leg pants can be a little tricky for me, but these seem to work.

Amanda

April 26, 2012 #

This is just too much cuteness for one post! Maybe you could let out the hem a bit?

Sallie

April 26, 2012 #

These are beautiful! The color combination is just stunning!
I think any longer and you’ll get a break at the foot – which could look nice, but it would also break up the lovely long straight column you’ve got going now. But it does look like you’ve got a nice hem allowance there so maybe play around a bit!

Heather Lou

April 26, 2012 #

LOVE this colour! I think they could be a 1/2″ longer but I don’t think they look bad as is. That’s such a finicky detail I wouldn’t sweat it.

jessica

April 26, 2012 #

Hi Sarai, Did you use a pattern or did you draft these pants yourself? They are gorgeous!

I always like to wear both capris and wide legs with heels! About the only type of pants I wear regular shoes with are standard jeans!

Sarai

April 26, 2012 #

This is my own pattern.

I like heels with capris and cigarette pants too, but I have a conundrum with socks/tights. It’s often too cold here to have bare ankles, but a lot of legwear just looks weird with a short pants/heels combo. I guess maybe trouser socks are the answer?

Justine

April 28, 2012 #

I just got back from Japan and everyone is wearing this cute little crocet trim socks with EVERYTHING and it’sadorable!

Michelle B

April 26, 2012 #

A general rule for pant hems is 1/2″ to 3/4″ off the ground and to measure the hem with the shoe/heel height that you’re planning to wear them with. The exception is of course cropped pants or super skinny legs… those are much shorter.

I love the pants and the wide leg – they look so classic and spring/summer like!

Sarai

April 26, 2012 #

I meant to do that, but I’d actually just ordered a new pair of shoes that I planned to wear these with (not the ones shown), and they hadn’t arrived yet. I guess I got impatient. :)

As some other suggested though, I can always let them out a bit since I left a fairly wide hem.

Briggett

April 26, 2012 #

I love the pattern, but the length could be a tad bit longer with that shoe….but I think it is a great look!

mary

April 26, 2012 #

Having worn this style throughout my youth…I know that the hem will catch on your shoe if too long. Hem for ease in walking and don’t make them too long. I love the whole outfit-it is super fresh.

Nadia Lewis

April 26, 2012 #

Tim Gunn says pantlegs should come no higher than halfway down a pant leg, FYI.

Alice

April 26, 2012 #

Sorry, what did you mean here?

Sarai

April 26, 2012 #

I’m guessing she meant halfway down the heel? Not sure, though.

Tabatha Tweedie

April 26, 2012 #

Oh Sarai! I love those trousers so much! Please please design a pattern like that! x

bird

April 26, 2012 #

I’d like to add my voice to the chorus: please sell a pattern for these pants! Also, I love your well-worn corkies! I have a pair in seafoam and I love them.

Sarai

April 26, 2012 #

Thanks! I wore them constantly last summer so they are pretty battered, but still my favorites. The seafoam ones sound lovely too.

Amanda

April 26, 2012 #

Love the colour, and the style – I agree though that they need to be a bit longer for heels (I got those same shoes inspired by you, BTW! :)) Then again, I generally wear my pants so long that the hem gets frayed from dragging LOL… but I’d wear these with maybe a thicker soled flat; like a pseudo-platform if you know what i mean LOL.

Gwen

April 26, 2012 #

I also think these pants are absolutely lovely and the kind of pant I love to wear. I like my wide pants about an inch off the ground at the back and then just a teensy bit shorter at the front so that the hem curves a bit. This is a couterier’s trick. But you shouldn’t be able to see your toes at the front :)

Kathye

April 26, 2012 #

I love them and think the length is perfect. I also love the shoes!

Beth

April 26, 2012 #

I wish I made the five foot mark! I’m built like a little teapot, and have found that wide leg pants are most flattering on me- along with some “tall shoes.”. I’ve found them difficult to find in stores and when I do, I have to make alterations anyway. So, I’ll join the chorus: I would love a good pattern for wide leg pants. If I have to alter pants, I might as well completely customize them.

Tracey Wirth

April 26, 2012 #

Darn you are cute! You look so happy in your new trousers! They look fabulous on you and I wouldn’t change a thing! I am very envious, these are a style of pant that my body cannot don!!! Enjoy!

Sarai

April 26, 2012 #

Maybe try them out! I usually stay away from wide legs too because they accentuate my high waist and top heaviness, but I really really like these.

Melissa

April 26, 2012 #

Those turned out soo cute – and the scarf matches perfect!
I love wide leg pants but I am only 5’4″, so I don’t know if I could pull them off.
I need to get going on my projects!

Sarai

April 26, 2012 #

I’m only 5’5″! Heels help. :)

Angela

April 26, 2012 #

Love your linen pants! The whole outfit looks great, I think the length
is fine with the heels you chose, beautiful colors!

Helena

April 26, 2012 #

they look really good on you, love the color:)

ebony

April 26, 2012 #

These are adorable & you wear them so well! Perfect for the season and just the right blend of wearability and drama. Oh, and just last week I was just discussing with a male friend how difficult it can be to find women’s pants with deep, functional pockets; makes good sense to make your own!

I do think these could be a bit longer. It seems the greatest leg-lengthening benefits are achieved with wide-leg pants worn with heels/platform and hemmed to hover just off the ground to create a long, smooth silhouette.

If the foot is getting lost that probably has more to do with the leg opening being too wide in relation to the size of the wearer’s foot, not the length. (I have pretty long feet & never have this problem!) I wonder if drafting just a bit more of the width to the back leg might help with this? I have no idea if that would look weird… Perhaps a slightly angled hem, like Gwen mentions, might be the solution?

P.S: Pretty sure those shoes are Kork-Ease. You can find em on Zappos!

Sarai

April 26, 2012 #

I like the idea of the angled hem that you and Gwen both mention. I’ll have to think about that and maybe try it out.

And yes, they are Kork-Ease… here they are in lots of colors on amazon as well.

Seraphinalina

April 26, 2012 #

How cute! I think they are fine the way they are, sure you could go another 1/2″, but at that length you can wear them with those shoes and slightly shorter shoes. I do agree wide leg pants need to be worn with heels.

Alice

April 26, 2012 #

I kind of like wide pants with flat sandals, too. They just have to be long enough to cover the heel, but short enough not to get caught under the heel when I walk. Very finiky!

anne jewell

April 26, 2012 #

i love these! don’t dare change a thing!

Michelle

April 26, 2012 #

I really like the pants and the color is great. I would take the hem down 1 to 1 1/2 inches more for that shoe. It would even be ok if they just barely skimmed the floor. When it comes to wide leg pants I think you want to go as long as possible to elongate the leg.

Rochelle New

April 26, 2012 #

LOVE the pants! And I especially love that you’re smiling in these photos :)

Kelly

April 26, 2012 #

The outfit is fabulous and you look great. I would love to travel your way if you ever decide to host any weekend sewing workshops. Hint, hint!!

Gwen

April 26, 2012 #

I am your figure type too,5.5 and heavier on top than bottem. I like to wear a close fitting top with the wide leg pants like you have so it sort of balances out ! I have made a pant like this in a wool/silk blend and lined them for winter – they are very swishy ! Would love to see a pattern too

Lizzie

April 26, 2012 #

Oh these remind me of the wool mix pants I bought in Broken Hill (country Australia) in the early noughties for $3.
I wore them so much, they were the same happy blue and I could only wear them with heels, my legs went on for days.

I got married and the happy fat arrived and I almost split them going down stairs.

Wear them happily and rock those shoes!

CeCe

April 26, 2012 #

Another vote for a pattern please. :) I’d cut the hem just a teensy bit longer but in the back only so the hem is at a very slight angle.

Jenelle

April 26, 2012 #

This is a great color palette for you! I love your lipstick color too. :) I am a wide-leg pants type of girl and I also like to wear them longer with a heeled shoe, about an inch above the floor. I also like wide-leg pants that are fitted in the hip and shape every-so-slightly down the thigh. A little bit of a “drop” in the back of the pant hem, so that the back is lower to the ground than the front, also seems to work for me.

beth

April 26, 2012 #

I also wear a lot of wide-length pants and agree that a little longer (perhaps an inch?) is better. I like to have a slight “break” across the instep, which creates a slight flow/movement with the pants which I think is also key with wider legs. But the pants are gorgeous and I love the fabric!

Ginger

April 26, 2012 #

From the pictures I think the length looks ok. But if you feel self conscience in them than try a shorter heel and see what you think. I agree that wide leg pants need to be long and worn with heels.

And now since I see above you drafted the pattern, please make it into a sale-able pattern. I love it and would buy it in an instant. I like how the pockets are not inseam.

Kimberly

April 26, 2012 #

I would make them a hair longer in the front and then add length to the back so they angle down. I like them better like this, aesthetically pleasing to the eye. I love the britches, great color and a nice pattern. Still need to make your chantilly pattern that I bought from mod cloth. I just bought curtains from the thrift store to make the bodice (off white with a graduating green flower vine type pattern) and skirt then getting a solid color for the center front. Can’t wait to show you 1- that means i will be done! 2- you seem oober excited to see others recreating your artwork and wearing it which makes absolute sense. I love reading your posts, thank you for sharing!. :-D

Sew Little Time

April 27, 2012 #

oh, i love these – great colour and just what i need for my palette challenge! i would make them a tad longer, but a also like wide legs and flats and that would mean you couldn’t wear them with flat.

Bold Sewist

April 27, 2012 #

Great trousers but what I really can’t take my eyes from is those fabulous shoes! Sadly I think the trousers should cover them a touch more so maybe a lower heel is needed and these shoes need something to show them in all their glory!

KC

April 27, 2012 #

I say leave them as is. It should be a fine-worthy crime to cover such swell shoes! You look bright and so young in this post; very beautiful.

Margie

April 27, 2012 #

Love the colour and the length … I’d leave them. Too long and you trip over them and what happens when you take your shoes off? You trip. Besides, what’s the point in wearing heels (and fabulous ones at that) to just cover them up?!

Sharon Pickles

April 27, 2012 #

Stunning colour – my honest feeling is that they need to be a tad longer for heels – they are beautiful none the less

Paola

April 27, 2012 #

Perhaps your trousers could be a smidge longer,but not much. I think I have the same shoes in red, but it’s a bit hard to tell.

Justine

April 28, 2012 #

These are so adorable Sarai! But I think the general rule with the wide leg is it should graze your toes and be about 3/4 to one inch from the ground at the back of the heel so maybe wear with a heel about one inch shorter? I have a seventies pattern like this on my to do list.

Ruth

April 29, 2012 #

Reminds me of the pants from the 60’s, s0 yes, I would go just a smidge longer. Love the color! In fact, your whole outfit reminds me of something I wore in the late 60’s early 70’s!

Inna

April 30, 2012 #

Thumbs up for your outfit! I love the styling and your cute matching scarf! I am learning how to draft pants patterns at my sewing school now! It seems difficult, but in reality it’s not.
P.S. Would love to see pants in your Autumn/Winter pattern release!

Herve Leger

May 18, 2012 #

Perhaps your trousers could be a smidge longer,but not much. I think I have the same shoes in red, but it’s a bit hard to tell.

burberry sale

May 18, 2012 #

I say leave them as is. It should be a fine-worthy crime to cover such swell shoes! You look bright and so young in this post; very beautiful.

Emma Charlton

June 3, 2012 #

Oh yes a pattern for these would be amazing. I’m just looking for one and came back to this blog post just to check you didn’t mention a particular pattern for them. Please make one :)