J.Crew Cafe Capri in Port Wine & Minnie Pant in Warm Redwood
One of my favorite trends this year, along with smoking slippers, are all the pretty colored pants all over the place! I haven’t found any more mustard pants that have piqued my interest, so I’ve moved on to maroon/deep red colored ones. Bright red is one of my favorite colors, but as times goes on, I’ve been collecting more and more deeper shades in wine and maroon. These deeper shades of red are so rich and warm looking, not to mention much easier on most skintones than blaring bright red can be.
I figured I’d give J.Crew a try, afterall, they have the best colors, and I’ve been curious to try their “flattering on everyone” (according to J.Crew) Cafe Capri and Minnie Pants.
J.Crew Cafe Capri – Size 00P – Port Wine
J.Crew Cafe Capri :: Old Navy sweater :: Christian Louboutin heels
I had hopes for this pant. Not only is the color rich and modern, but I liked the fact it has side pockets and a traditional zip-fly…things the Minnie pant do not have. When I showed the boyfriend the product photo of these on the J.Crew website, his reaction was, “so…you bought old lady retirement pants?” Bah! What does he know!
But then they arrived, and I have to admit, they are a little “retired in Palm Beach” -ish. The fit is more tapered than “slim and sleek”, and the rise is too high for my body type…both of these put together create a silhouette similar to the dreaded “mom pant”. The waist is also cinched with a belt in these photos.
The good:
- The color!
- Pockets.
The ugly:
- The silhouette is more “tapered” rather than “skinny”.
- Rise is too high for my body type & proportions.
- Unlined. The pocket linings protect your skin a little from the itchy wool, but I still felt a little uncomfortable in the exposed regions.
J.Crew Minnie Pant – Size 00P – Warm Redwood
J.Crew Minnie Pant :: Old Navy Sweater :: Christian Louboutin heels
I figured these would have a better chance at fitting, since they look obscenely tight on the J.Crew model. The color was a little less exciting than the Cafe Capri, but still a nice, rich fall hue. They fit better and much more flattering on my figure than the Cafe Capri, but still aren’t perfect.
The leg and thigh needs to be slimmer, to skim my leg line in a more flattering way. The waist is also cinched by a belt in these photos, so that would have to be fixed as well. But, my main issue with these is the side zipper!
Firstly, I almost tumbled to the ground the first time I put these on…side-zipper pants are not something I’m used to navigating my way around. Then, I think the lack of a front-zip just looks a bit weird. This is probably all in my head, but I think the zipper-less crotch looks cheap compared to a pant with a zipper. I feel the same way about pants without some sort of back pockets…I just don’t like the look of it. Does anyone else have this hang-up?
The good:
- Better silhouette for my figure than the Cafe Capri.
- The color!
The ugly:
- Unlined. The lack of front pocket linings make these even itchier to wear than the Cafe Capris.
- Still doesn’t skim my leg line in a flattering way.
- No side pockets.
- Just can’t get over the weird side-zip styling.
Each pant has at least one deal breaker, so I’ll be returning both. Even if I were to alter the Cafe Capri, the rise is too high and unflattering. If I were to alter the Minnie Pants, I’d still be bothered by that size-zipper.
But that’s okay, because I had one more maroon pant option arrive in the mail, and this one is a winner Photos soon. :)
