Lander Pants

BOOM-shaka-laka. How have I not arrived here sooner!? I made myself two pairs of Lander Pants and they are all the good things I needed. The fit is amazing, I love the button-up and they are oozing that fabulous 70s vibe that I love right now. You know you are on to something good when your pants make you want to strike a power pose right out of the gate. As an added bonus, they look spectacular with my wedge espadrilles!

It took a long time to stitch these up because the style is so dramatic and eye-catching;  I wasn’t sure I could pull that off. (What does that even mean? I don’t know. Silly brain and its insecurities.) I was soooo drawn to them, though, enough that I bought the pattern and then kind of let it sit there like a temptress on my studio table.  I’m so glad that I was finally seduced. My handmade wardrobe is severely lacking pants and these are going to become a staple, I can already tell.

Details:

+ Sewn in size 8 graded to a size 10 in the hips

+ Pattern is Lander Pants from True Bias (duh.)

This pair is in a plum twill fabric from B and J fabrics in Manhattan (one of my favorite garment district stops) and is definitely my favorite pair. I love the long length. I didn’t realize until later that I had copied the picture on the pattern, even down to the top I wore with them.  Some things just sink into your mind without you noticing, I suppose.

I did struggle with the button up front and it’s not perfectly aligned. As you can see, the buttons pull to the side when I’m wearing them and, as a result, they don’t sit straight along the front button placket. What I learned is that the buttons need to be placed to the very far left (as viewed when looking at the wearer) because the pants pull tight around my hips and this will stretch the buttonholes to the furthest left point.  This was my first time putting in jeans buttons and I had a hard time! I was happy they come in packs of 7 because I ruined two of them when I was hammering them in. Is everyone hammering their jeans buttons? Is there an easier way? Perhaps a method that is less dangerous to my thumbs and fingers? I’d love any tips.

I honestly don’t mind the off-kilterness enough to not wear the pants. I think they still look great but it’s not my favorite thing and when I make another pair I want to nail this (get it! So punny).

My second pair is in a thick but drape-y black chambray that I believe I got from Imagine Gnats.  These pants have more of a summer-y feel given both the fabric and the ankle length. I can’t wait to have them as an option this spring or summer.  

I used heavy duty snaps (the same I used for my funnel neck vest) instead of the buttons because I love how easy the snap pliers make it to put the snaps in (and fear of screwing up the jeans buttons!).  Again, however, I underestimated how far over to place the snap and they pull a bit more than I would like. I have some perfecting to do in this area obviously.

One of the things I love is how well they fit my bum. Shapely, no? 🙂

I want to dig into why I initially resisted making these pants.  In part, I want to remind and document for myself what held me back from making something I love. But, I also hope that it’s helpful for others who have a little timidness about taking on a pattern they feel uncertain about.  I want to say that if it keeps calling to you, listen! Especially listen if listening means ignoring the voice telling you anything along the lines of, “but at your age?” or “you’ve never done that before!” or “sure, you keep loving that look but it’s too much for YOU.”  Screw that voice.

As for the conversations I had with myself about these pants they went like this. First of all, I wasn’t sure about the high waisted look. I LOVE it on other people but I don’t often tuck in my shirts and wasn’t sure about making pants that required a tucked-in top.  My critical mental voice said COVER UP YOUR STOMACH and so I rationalized that it’s a look that is good on “other” people but not me.  Or, even worse, that it’s a look I have to earn by losing weight. Ick. I’m being very honest here. This is what’s happening in my head and it’s stupid.  It sounds even stupider out loud but it’s there.

I also worried about the wide legs. It’s so different from all the skinny jeans in my wardrobe and I wasn’t sure how to wear them. I’d never done the wide leg before.  Would I look foolish?

Here is what I have learned that helped set me straight and embrace the Lander Pants. First of all, a higher waist emphasizes the tiniest part of my waist. It’s the lower waistline that doesn’t do ma’ belly good.  Not that I need to have the perfect body to wear the pants anyway.  The confidence they give me is all I need.  A little muffin top never hurt anybody.

Secondly, the wide leg is so perfect for my body shape. I am smaller on top than on the bottom where I have life-giving wide hips. The wide leg of these pants draw a straight line from the widest part of my hip down to the floor meaning less emphasis on my hips.  Combine that with the high waist and it cuts a long-legged, powerful look.  It’s a good pant for any pear-shaped woman. Or any woman for that matter.

Honestly, I’m not just being sales-pitchy, but the pants only look longer and hotter when worn with wedge espadrilles. It’s just a smart look. That whole handmade from head to toe thing. 🙂