You know when an item of clothing inadvertently becomes your signature? Like you buy it, and all of a sudden you’re wearing it 3-5 times a week and you’re not actually sure how you ever got dressed without it and you live in fear of the day you’ve flogged it so hard that it’s threadbare and you have to reluctantly throw it out and that makes you consider buying another one just to have a backup?
No?
Just me?
Well. Lucky you, to be so untethered to material objects.
Not me, though. No, I’m in a deeply committed relationship with a pair of pants. Well, make that two - I did buy a second pair so that when the other ones were in the wash I’d never be without.
These cream lounge pants from Nude Lucy are now so tied to my personality it’s almost funny, and if you know me or follow me you’ve definitely seen them.
They’re a soft waffle-textured cotton with an elasticised waist and a slight flare through the hem that falls at the perfect height. They’re unbelievably comfortable and they magically go with everything (and no, this isn’t #sponsored, but if Nude Lucy wants to reach out to thank me for all the free publicity they are most welcome, because I wear their brand like a sandwich board.)
They’ve had a sort of contagion effect in my wardrobe where I now have 4-6 copycat pairs of varying shades, textures and lengths that all essentially serve the same purpose, like a pants insurance policy. Once I realised the gap they filled in my wardrobe, they became my very first and last resort. Park playdate? On go the pants. Dinner with my spouse? Deploy the pants. Coffee with the girls? Pants.
I’ve written in a previous newsletter about my reluctance to get back into jeans because of all these soft bottoms tempting me from their ivory tower that sits above my denim drawer. I have since rediscovered The Joy of Jeans (stay tunes for an update on my new favourite pair and how I’m styling them) but my love for the pants stays true.
It’s funny, because a few years ago I thought I’d never be seen in them. I was too consumed with thoughts of what my ass would look like in a shade I’d long been told was “unflattering” on the business end of a pear-shaped body, so I just avoided anything white south of my waist.
But around the middle of my pregnancy I stopped caring so much about what the back of my body looked like to other people (maybe because they, and I, were so fixated on how it looked from the front) and since then it’s been freeing to let go of those self-imposed constraints. Does my bum look big in the pants? Unsure! And also, who gives a fuck!
Anyway. I guess the point I’m making is that everyone has their one item of clothing that just feels like them, and how good is it to find it? Maybe it’s an oversized blazer, or your workout tights or your Stan Smiths. Your boujie Anine Bing sweatshirt. One of my very first bosses back in my magazine days was Steve Jobs-level dedicated to her uniform of grey cashmere sweaters, dark blue jeans and Chloe scalloped flats. (Clare, I get it now.)
Because the pants are one of those items I’m often asked about, I thought I’d share a few others with similar form that you can shop below.
But this isn’t really about pants. It’s more to say: if you’ve found something that feels - deep in your soul - like it really suits you, then just wear the shit out of it. Commit deeply. Go ahead and buy two.
Don’t go chasing waterfalls.
Please stick to the rivers and the pants that you’re used to.
Here’s a few I like (but definitely don’t need).
Nude Lucy Lounge Ribbed Pant.
Dissh Emery Pant (on sale!)
Nude Lucy Rhye Trackpant.
Aere Rib Knit Long Pants (on sale!)
Lots of love,
Tam x