Hammer Time

Harem pants, sometimes called Hammer (which came first, the harem or MC Hammer?) pants are easy to dress up and are essentially a chic lounge (re:sweat) pant.

Super comfy, this pair was given to me for promotional purposes- would I have bought them otherwise? No. Well, not from Nordy's; I would have waited for them to go to The Rack. Duh. 100 bones is too much to pay for a trend.

They're surprisingly versatile as well; I wore them through summer with sandals and heels, but they also look good with ankle boots.

I like pairing them with boxy tees to exaggerate the baggy look.

Unfortunately, they're not especially flattering; if you wear them low around your hips, your legs look short and you look like you have a saggy crotch; if you wear them higher up, cinched in around your waist, you get "diaper butt."

My way of dealing with this is to point out my diaper butt to anyone I talk to before they can get a word in.

Probably not the best strategy.



T-shirt: $55 (185), Nordstrom, James Perse
Pants: $110, Nordstrom, Patterson J. Kincaid
Headband: $10 (30), Free People
Heels: ($80 (150), Nordstrom Rack, Sam Edelman

"Fresh new kicks and pants, you got it like that now you know you wanna dance." My sentiments exactly, Mr. Hammer:

i feel like crap...

But that's no reason to look like crap. The only reason I was able to get out of bed today was because I had an outfit of blankets (& a pillow in my bag) planned for my first day back to school and work after a 2+ week hiatus. While you and I know that a long, thermal cardigan paired with a t-shirt and leggings is the sneaky equivalent of a pair of sweats, others may not. And why would they? It looks perfectly put together. (Well, except for the flash-induced see-thru-ness of my shirt).

I'm sick of living in my knee-length bulky winter coat, so I opted for a wool cape coat, which, when layered, is pretty toasty. It's one size fits all, and I think all that extra material adds a little bit of luxury.

Because of the coat's sleeves, over-the-shoulder flat bags don't work very well. Bulky bags with shorter or rolled handles work best since you can drape them over your forearm, or just hold the handles. If that's too big, you can wear a mini cross-body purse over the cardigan but under the coat, or carry a clutch.

As far as this outfit goes, lots of shoes would work- even street sneakers (ie Asics or Sauconies). I wore boots with it today, but also included a photo with smartwool socks and ballet flats (I think they're unexpected and charming but my roomate gave this pair a thumbs-down; agree to disagree),which would make this an excellent outfit for flying, what with shoe removal and airplanes always being too cold or too hot.

It's easy to find mediocre boots. They're everywhere. Good boots that you genuinely love are hard to find, so when you do, I suggest you buy them. I've had this pair for 3 years and have all but worn them into the ground.


Headband: $18 (sale), Free People, FP
Scarf: $12 (sale), Free People, London
T-shirt: $39, J. Crew
Cardigan: $27, Splendid, Nordstrom Rack
Cape Coat: $70, Jones New York Signature, Nordstrom Rack
Boots: $170, Aldo
Metallic Flats: $10, Berlin (H&M has some that are very similar)
Bag: $300 (gift :)), Cole Haan, Cole Haan Outlet
Socks: $9, Smart wool boot, Nordstrom Rack