Would you call these pants jeans? The fabric is rather denimy, but I haven’t owned a pair of jeans since 2008 and it feels strange to start up again! I decided to make these pants in anticipation of the arrival of new boots. In one week my wardrobe grew about 10%. Unfortunately I haven’t been able to wear my new boots since the day I got them, but on the bright side it’s been 75º and sunny in LA!
This fabric is so cool! Of course it was from Fabric Planet, but we’re sold out now so don’t try to copy me. The back side of the fabric is a weave of black and gray threads that looks awesome and is soft. The front side of the fabric is jet black and has a waxy coating with a sheen. I’m reminded of painted pants I saw in Europe of couple years ago, complete with tags warning against sitting on white sofas. In fact these pants do turn my legs black (I had to buy a loofa!) and have just about ruined my bike seat.
A few days before starting on these pants I saw a guy in Venice (CA) wearing a mean-looking coat with a green clown on the back of it. When I saw him again on the strand later that week it was his jacket I recognized, and that made me realize that with all the effort and skill I put into my clothes I want strangers to remember them! In a roundabout way, that’s why I did all the stitching on the back pockets. I generally prefer to do my decorative stitching by hand and only use the basic stitches on my machine, but this design was a whim and I’m glad I went for it.
It seems rather ridiculous to me that these pockets took over an hour to make, but then again I was allowing myself to be distracted. I thought the asymmetrical shield shape would be interesting and (hopefully) flattering. The curved stitching line was also in the goal of some booty contouring. I’ll be the first to tell you that I’ve got a nice tush, and sometimes I get preoccupied with making it look even better. Success?
Between the color, the fit, and the shine, these pants have a hard edge, but I think the contrast fabric and the decorative stitching all over softens the look and makes them more my own style. I’ve had black pants in my wardrobe a few times but they’ve never managed to stick around for more than a few wearings. I think this time I will actually keep these not-so-basic black pants!
And how about these new boots? They’re local and vegan and comfortable–after I did a bit of tailoring in the leg!
Also posted on BurdaStyle and Craftster.
