Reviews: Nella Trousers, Seamed Cargo Crops, AG Polka Dot Ankle Stevie, J Brand Mini Floral Skinnies, Level 99 Lily Straight, In a Day Jumpsuit

This is the post in which I try on a jumpsuit…and kinda like it. Endtimes must be near!

Although I love wearing pants in real life, I don’t often review Anthropologie’s pants. It’s mostly because my bottom half is shaped really weird. My curvy hips, thighs and bottom are pretty normal feminine figure but my thick legs are anything but the usual. Then Anthro had to go and make a bunch of cute pants that I couldn’t resist trying on! I figured since I’m trying them on anyway may as well give them the full review treatment. So here goes! I also recently reviewed AG’s latest incarnation of the Stevie Straight in this post if you’re interested in further musings on denim.

Nella Trousers ($118) by Corey Lynn Calter, size up
style #25146804; red (060) or dark grey (005)
★★★★☆

Corey Lynn Calter must have read my mind. Lately I’ve been pining for a pair of red pants — not denim, just pants. I was considering these Habitual waxed Amalias from Lucky‘s August issue, but the Nella Trousers ($118) are nearly $150 less expensive. Options are a good thing! The Nellas are a softly textured crop made from an unholy combination of nylon, viscose and spandex. They have bias pockets in front, two rear pockets, and they zip up in the back. The rear zip isn’t exposed which is nice but I wonder how sitting on a zipper is going to feel after a day at work. 

{The top here is the Skirted Scoopneck ($68) which I’l review soon. It runs large — size down.}

I tried on both a 10 and a 12. The 10s barely zipped so like most CLC items I sized up. That meant a 12 here, which was loose around my knees and waist but a much better fit than the 10s. Though you can’t tell in these photos there’s a seam down the middle of both the front and the back of the pants. But it’s subtle enough that even on curvy legs like mine the eye trails inward. These crops have some stretch to them but not to the degree where I think they’d stretch out by the end of the day. The pants adequately smooth lumps and bumps.
I like the styling idea on Anthro’s website of wearing these with a shirt tucked in. That won’t work for me, I’ll wear a shirt that hits mid-thigh and a pair of nude heels to lengthen the line. These are one of the most flattering pair of red pants I’ve ever tried and they landed square on my wishlist.

Seamed Cargo Pants ($118) by Daughters of the Liberation, TTS
style #24947350; dark grey (005), moss (31) or beige (024)
★★★★☆

Nothing quite stirs the fear in me like cargo pants. I lived through the mid-90s when cargos were ubiquitous and unflattering and in my mind not a lot has changed. Now it’s even tougher because the cargos we see in stores are a combination of skinny, tapered and cargo-pocketed on the thighs. Daughters of the Liberation has worked some kind of magic with the Seamed Cargo Pants ($118). Though there is spandex in these pants they’re mostly cotton and very sturdy.  They have all the elements you’d expect in modern cargos — thigh pockets, a back zipper at the bottom of each leg, and rear flap pockets in a skinny tapered style.

I went for my usual size 31 which worked great in the dark grey version. These pants get 4 stars instead of 5 because they are very low rise. They sat a good two inches below my waist — a tricky spot for someone with plentiful hips like me. When you sit in these the danger of crack attack is major. You have been warned! Otherwise though the pants are fantastic. Surprisingly slimming, comfortable and not too thick. I couldn’t resist picking these up at the EA Shopping Day. I’ve already worn them out on a date with my Adorned Whimsy Tank ($88, review here) and finished off the look with the BC Winner’s Circle Pump that Emily helped identify. OOTD of this look upcoming!

The top I’m wearing is the Slanted Layers Tee ($48) in the new striped variant. I reviewed the solid version of the top in this post.

AG Polka Dot Ankle Stevie ($178) by AG Jeans, TTS
style #B24550972; grey pin dot (006)
★★☆☆☆

I stick mainly to dark-colored pants. But when I saw the grey pin-dot version of the Polka Dot Ankle Stevie ($178) it was too tempting! As I’ve mentioned before the Stevie is my least favorite AG cut. I love their Premieres, their Stilts are fine, the Angels are good and the Farrahs are superb but the Stevies are just not flattering on my curves. They sit too low and they’re a little short which is a crime because AG is known for long inseams! So I knew these pants were unlikely to work on me. I guess I was just hoping against hope that they would somehow magically work.
The pants are cotton with tencel and a polyurethane coating to protect the pin dots. I like these smaller dots better than the larger ones on the navy version. The back pockets are itsy bitsy on these — not my favorite look. At not even 28″ long they didn’t make it to my ankles. They were about an inch above.

My usual size 31 was slightly loose in the waist but stretching to fit over my thighs. So I would not size down. The pants are slippery on the outside and (oddly) the inside too, so they kept bunching at my knees. The light grey color isn’t very forgiving to lumps and bumps. No love lost for me with these pants. I have a better outfit shot here. The top is the Onyx Scalloped Bloue ($118) which I’ll have in an upcoming reviews set.

J Brand Mini Floral Skinny ($202) by J Brand, size up
Also available on sale here and here
style #24317372; sugar cane mini floral (008)
★★★★☆

I love J Brand but their pants generally do not love me. Cut for women with minimal curves in the hips and butt, we are not speaking the same language at all. I’m not complaining — I love my curves and I’m perfectly OK with a brand not working for me. If only they’d stop making such cute pants! Every once in awhile through some combination of luck and sizing up I manage to find a pair that fits. That’s how it was with the J Brand Mini Floral Skinny ($202). These floral pants are part of a trend I do not understand but I have to admit they’re cute. Even if they do look like bathroom wallpaper to me.

A cotton lycra mix makes these pants nice and stretchy. They want to sit at your waist but the rise is very low so for me they were a couple of inches below that. They’re meant to sit above your ankle but again since they didn’t make it up to my waist they ended up terminating right about ankle length on me. 

I didn’t bother starting with my usual 31s, instead reaching for 32s. For me the toughest part of these pants is that the 32s fit around my legs but were really loose in the waist. Hence them sliding down onto my hips. But the 31s would not hike past my thighs so they weren’t an option. As the 32s slid down to my hips the crotch looked longer and longer on my legs to comical proportions. It was a funny sight and exactly the scenario belts were created for! But while the 32s were OK on me I don’t think I’ll be buying these pants. They’re cute and were surprisingly flattering on even my thicker stems but I don’t think I’m cut out for this patterned pants trend. Give me a nice pair of dark, solid, uniform jeans.
Resisting these for now…may cave on sale.

Level 99 Lilly Skinny ($98) by Level 99, size down
style #24202483; dark grey (005)
★★★★☆

I’ve been on the hunt for the perfect pair of dark grey jeans for, oh, I dunno, two years. Enter the Level 99 Lilly Skinny ($98), jeans which now come in the perfect dark grey. These pants are so soft! Almost velvety, with a lot of stretch and a rise that isn’t quite mid-rise but isn’t as bad on me as low rise. The pockets on the back are the perfect size and while the website proclaims these jeans to be 32.5″ long I am dubious. Or I’m shrinking, which is unlikely. I would put them at 34.5″ long.

These jeans run large. I was able to size down to a 30 with no problems. They are body-skimming to be sure but they also hold everything in nicely, with no visible lumps or bumps and a sleek leg line to boot. They’re very comfortable and easy to slip on, and can be dressed up for work. I hadn’t planned on buying two pairs of dark grey pants in one day but these joined my Seamless Cargo Pants as part of my EA Shopping Day haul. Expect to see them in plenty of OOTDs this fall!

The top shown with the skinnies is the Tangled Layer Top ($58) which will get its own review shortly!

In A Day Jumpsuit ($158) by Corey Lynn Calter, size up
style #24589350; blue motif (049)
★★☆☆☆

I tried on a jumpsuit and I survived. This is the In A Day Jumpsuit ($158) from Corey Lynn Calter and isn’t it beautiful in the model shot at the top of this post? The pose looks so natural and lovely and why is she kinda hunched over with the pockets out? Oh I know. Because the fit is off.

I want to give this jumpsuit a higher score than 3 stars but I really can’t. Let’s talk about the fit first. The torso portion of this suit is incredibly short. So while a medium fit me perfectly it was causing camel toe painful enough to induce rug burn. It was RIDICULOUS. No wonder the model is looking away from the camera. It drove me to a large which still had a crotch issue and was too big overall but at least I didn’t fear for my important parts. I was incredibly bummed because I actually would have purchased this at full price. But the fit is way off. The stars are for the beautiful design…but this is a mess, fitwise.

The jumpsuit is linen that doesn’t seem to wrinkle too much. In the back a large window is interrupted only by back ties, which is how you get in and out of the piece. Large side pockets are invisible and the print is typically mismatched at the seams. A defined waist is a great touch. But my torso is short and this was still a bad fit. Once again I have to wonder if this product got a true session with a fit model. I’m sad to say this is a pass.

More reviews on the way later today! What do you think of the pants from this set? Were these reviews helpful, or not so much since I’m an odd duck on the bottom half?


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