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| Hateful capris from Old Navy |
- They go with pretty much everything
- They travel well
- I can wear them to work
Two bases covered--work and leisure, which means if I can find a decent pair of khaki capris, those who spend a lot of time with me are bound to get very sick of looking at them. Problem is, I can't find any.
To be fair, I haven't looked super, super hard, but I have sought out all the usual (for me) suspects: Gap, Old Navy, New York & Company, and I looked at H&M and Forever 21. I've had no luck at all. The only store that even had khaki capris was Old Navy, and both styles were so terrible I wrote a strongly-worded letter of complaint. To sum up: they created a muffin top where there had been no muffin top before, and were so low-rise that I could not wear them for fear of booty-flashing. I am not a large woman, there is no reason to spend money on capris that make me look lumpy and horrible, so I returned them and attacked with my words.
Since that unfortunate incident, I haven't even seen khaki capris pants in stores. Apparently this year it's all about the walking short. I already have a pair of those and I can't wear them to work! I may have to give up the dream.
Then, in one of the frugality blogs I read, someone posted that you can get the above Old Navy khaki capris for a mere $8 instead of $29.99! I immediately went to the site to figure out how to get these savings. Then I stopped myself and remembered that these are the worst pants I've ever encountered, and even at $8, they will ruin my life.
Crisis averted, but I certainly feel alarmed.
Is my love of savings so significant that I frequently buy things just for the discount? Is that why I'm bringing four+ bags of clothes to The Salvation Army this summer?
I'm glad I caught myself, but I wonder if my focused approach to shopping could be fine-tuned even further. I hate going to stores, but often fall into the online trap. Anyone have any strategies for how to better deal with these temptations?
The way I see it, learning to sew is the only way out. However, the last thing I need in my life is another activity, and a sedentary one at that. I *despise* fashion trends. Sure, some years it's all a-line skirts and 3/4 length sleeves, but others it's long tunics and bermuda shorts. I suppose it's not profitable for the stores to offer sensible, tailored basics year after year.
ReplyDeleteThe problem with that notion though, is in order to replicate the quality of store bough/professionally made, you need some serious sewing equipment and my grandma's old Kenmore certainly doesn't cut it.
ReplyDeleteThen once you have the equipment, you have to find fabrics you would actually want to wear, which I've never been able to do. Maybe if you live in NYC, you can just pop down to that store they always go to on Project Runway, but around here the only place I've found is Jo-Ann Fabrics, and they cater more to the quilting crowd (read: little patterns of barns and birds, blech).
I do ok with fixing my store-bought clothes to make them actually fit me better, but I'm not too skilled either. It's so hard!!
I haven't seen a lot of capris in stores either. Perhaps they are on their way out?
ReplyDeleteI did some hunting around and found that Talbots, Ann Taylor, LOFT, and The Limited all have some form of khaki capris for various prices. JCrew has some too, but I didn't like the look of them (too skinny). Talbots is pricey, but I have a pair of black capris from there that I adore because they are nice enough to wear to work, but with a casual shirt, I can wear them on a Saturday. Ann Taylor, LOFT, and The Limited are all having sales, so you should be able to get some good deals.
Good luck!
I did see some decent ones at LOFT, but they were out of my price range...perhaps I shall go back.
ReplyDeleteArgh, I miss The Limited! I haven't been to one since I moved to RI, and the one that they're adding to the mall isn't going to open until mid-June. I was happier and better-dressed when there was a Limited around, that's for sure.
I think Elizabeth might be right. Capris haven't always been around, after all. In the late 90s, I was in a total 50s retro phase and was dying for capri pants but *nobody* was making them. Then, suddenly, they were everywhere for about 10 years and I think trends have shifted towards shorts.
ReplyDeleteA good option might be to find khaki pants and have them tailored to be shorter? That wouldn't be too pricey, and should be fairly simple for a tailor to do.
Try Lands' End and Lands' End Canvas. They might be more expensive, but will likely last for a long time.
ReplyDeleteI've gotten some nice ones at Fashion Bug, if they have any near you? Also try JC Penney. I like their clothes, and they carry the Lands End Melissa is talking about if I remember correctly.
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