Friday, January 13, 2012

Printed Wide Leg Pants and Hope For The Non-Photogenic



Whew! I am happy to say that my recent rhinovirus didn't irritate my asthma. However, i've had to take a lot more rest than usual & i'm thus a little behind. I started a thread over at the You Look Fab forum and thought you might get a little inspiration and a nice chuckle from it.  Quoting myself:

The response to Angie's post on printed wide leg pants today seems to point to this fad dying a short, painful death. I, like a few others on the forum, wore this style in the 1990's. I enjoyed the comfort and the feminine feel - a similar vibe to a skirt. I only had 2 pair, as the cut, print, and drape varied so much and it was hard to find ones i liked.

In the first pic i'm wearing rayon floral pants with a denim shirt tied at hi-hip and a 1940's navy wool crepe jacket. Yes, that is a fuschia alligator clip in my hair - in my defense, i was not going out! The year was around 1995 and i wore dark brown booties with this outfit. Pic two gives you a look at the straw boater with navy grosgrain ribbon that i loved to wear with these pants, as well as the interior of my 1974 Dodge Dart. It was actually a pretty cute outfit, but the pic does not reflect that at all.



In short, what made printed wide leg pants work for me was adding structure (jacket, hat) and a little toughness (denim shirt). I believe this formula would still work today (provided i could find a pair i liked ;)
As to topic two, pic one is about how i look in your average snapshot. I'm over 15 years younger in that pic and even looking at my youthful form i can't say that pic is all that flattering. But i have since learned how to pose, where to place the camera, a couple of makeup tricks and now i can come across as less disheveled and goofy, at least!



To illustrate, Pic 3 is me in the same jacket in a 'going out' outfit (original post here). Pic 4 is without the jacket. I'm older but i have learned to take better pictures. Folks who know me say that generally i don't look as ridiculous in real life as i can come across in snapshots. I think my blog photos look a little *better* than i do in real life, or maybe me on a good day.



Which may not be brutally objective - but what can i say, i come from a long line of very vain women!

Anyways, i know some of you think you are also not very photogenic and i wanted to let you know that you can learn how to take pictures of yourself that you feel better about. I understand not wanting to go hog-wild with 'improving' every little thing. At the same time, you don't want to be so bothered by how you look that you avoid the camera and it's benefits.

I hope this gives you some encouragement if you could use it! Happy Friday!

10 comments:

  1. Love that three tiered skirt!! Come on over to my sight and enter to win the Shabby Apple skirt I am going to give away!!

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  2. Oh, I love the photos of you at a younger age. I can't recall ever wearing a pattern in my wide-legs, but I had a navy pair. It's wonderful that you still have the jacket.

    As for posing, I like the control it gives me over self-presentation. I know that in real life (sitting at my computer?) I'm unkempt, but the blog pictures I can work with until I'm pleased. However, the developing wattle is getting harder to manage!

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  3. Thank you Pam, it's my own design so that is nice to hear! heehee, when i went over to your site i got very excited that you were giving away that nice skirt Gigi is wearing ;) ah well. how fun and thank you for tipping me off!

    Hi Terri! it IS fun having you back! i do enjoy seeing younger pix of bloggers as well - i've dug up a few more i hope to post in coming days. & that's fun you had a pair of wide legs too!

    "As for posing, I like the control it gives me over self-presentation." That is a great way to put it, and reflects my feelings as well. Thank you!!

    Happy Saturday! steph

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  4. More photogenic if you say so but I don't see how anyone could be cuter than your young self in those pix, whether she knew how to pose or not.

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  5. As I have the advantage of knowing you and seeing you 'in the flesh' as it were, I believe I'm qualified to say that you are as gorgeous - if not more so - in person as you are in photos.

    Nice tips on photographing oneself. I definitely could use those!

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  6. :) Vildy, where would i be without you? You are so sweet! you know how it is, grass is always greener .... and at 33-34 i wanted to look like a grownup at least some of the time :) but you are right - nothing wrong with cute!

    P, you make me blush! i don't know about posing, but your great, natural smile comes across like gangbusters on film!

    Happy Sunday! steph

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  7. What is amazing is that your skin still has the same youthful glow NO lines or wrinkles. You had some head of hair when you were younger.. I think I had a floral wide leg jumpsuit that I wore to death in the 1990's. If I had a picture of it I probably would laugh myself silly over it. I do like to receive tips on how to take the best photos of myself as possible. Every little bit helps.

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  8. I actually love the idea of printed, wide leg pants, though I think I'd prefer cropped to full length. I guess the trend is a bit 90s though, isn't it. I don't know, I think I still like it.

    As for taking better photos, I know it's something I should think about more, but I've resigned myself to the fact that I just don't photograph well. I'm just better in person.

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  9. Adrienne and Gracey, you both have spectacular smiles which blast through the camera and light up all of your pics! It's your not so secret weapon :)

    Adrienne, you are very sweet but i do have wrinkles etc. It's just you have to get closer than full-length to see them in a pic!

    Gracey, you are so tall and legs are so looooong that even in your snaps you come off quite resplendent. And it's just a personal thing - i'm very visual and enjoy taking pictures, so learning how to model increases the emotional content i can work with if i want to. I include these tips so if people *want* to learn, they know they can.

    Adrienne, you are giving me motivation to get off the dime with a posing video i want to do - but i need a cameraperson!

    Take care, steph

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  10. I will always be a skinny pant girl. that said I like the idea of variety being out there- all types of bodies and personalities that need to express their style in different ways!

    The 80's was an unkind era style-wise, but there are some good elements that can be harvested from it. Those wide printed pants may be one of those elements.

    I agree with you about learning to pose in front of the camera- anyone can take a good picture and it is a wonderful thing to look back on old pics and remember fondly the memories that come with the outfit.
    the Citizen Rosebud

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