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White Pants. Priced To Get Dirty

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White Pants. Priced To Get Dirty

Wearing white without the stress of wearing white!

Becky Malinsky
Apr 9, 2023
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White Pants. Priced To Get Dirty

5thingsyoushouldbuy.substack.com

Spring has sprung! And with that, my yearning to wear white. You too?

But as we go about life, getting in and out of the car (or up and down subway steps) nicking, smudging or spilling on pristine pants can put some off the color all together. Today, white pants to welcome in a new season, at price points that you won’t mind sitting on the side of the sandbox. Or sliding into the booth at a restaurant.


Everlane Cargo Pants

I was turned onto these pants last winter by friend of 5 Things Louisa B. She was wearing them to dinner and I just assumed they were The Row. When I asked point blank, I was tickled to find out they were in fact, pennies on the dollar. I immediately ordered. I’ve been wearing all winter with boots and wool but excited to finally bare my ankles with them, a styling element I think really helps with this barrel shape. They are slightly wrinkly but I think that’s part of the “workwear” appeal. I did NOT iron these before shooting them and had worn them for a couple days prior. So this is their real look.

Mine are a size 2. I think if I were doing it again I’d buy a 4 so they sat a little slouchier. But it doesn’t stop me from wearing them all the time.

Everlane cargos
APC sweater, Tods driving mocs I like pairing these with a crisper white t-shirt, slight-non-matchiness being an important styling tip to achieve effortlessness.

Zara Wide Leg Jeans

Shoutout to friend of 5 Things Brooke Neidich who sent these jeans to me, insisting I try them. She herself was turned onto them by beauty industry ICON Linda Wells, so credit where credit is due. Their claim: this style is universally flattering. I was hesitant as I’m very wary to endorse fast fashion, but after slipping them on, and easily doing squats in them, I delightedly jumped on the bandwagon. These jeans feel and look great! I love that they are tight (don’t worry, stretchy!) in the waist and only become wide at the bottom, and on my 5’5” frame, they crop just below the ankle. So comfortable to run around with my kid and I’m not afraid of throwing them in the washer/dryer indefinitely.

These are a size 2. I would not size up in these, even though I usually do say size up in white denim. The stretch and the thick waistband make me feel like these will be most flattering in your standard size.

Zara wide leg jeans, Levis LVC tshirt. It has just come to my attention that they are discontinuing the tshirts from teh LVC line which utterly devistates me. If you live near a Levis store check in with them to get them while you can! And our favorite French Sole ballerinas from this newsletter.
A seriously old Lauren RL jean shirt worn in to perfection, but I also love the men’s shirts from the Gap. Oddobody tank top, Worishofer sandals from the granny sandals newsletter (in case you are new here, one of my favorites ever!), Prada re-edition bag that I dreamed of in college (more on that in two weeks.)

Doen Cotton Trousers

I love a pleat front chino (more on that below!) These pants are a very soft cotton, almost papery. They are slightly see-through due to the fabric’s thin-ness, always a white pant concern, but their voluminous-ness makes this less off-putting. Nevertheless, make sure to wear nude underwear just in case the sun hits juuuuust right. I really like their volume, it makes them feel more like a fashion option than a classic preppy white pant and since we are looking for variety here, these get my stamp of approval. I think they work great with something tucked in for more of a statement, or a jean shirt over the op to bring it all closer to the body, kind of like the styling with the Zara jeans above.

These are a size 4 and I feel like it was definitely the right move.

Doen pleat front pants. Our favorite Me+Em breton cardi, and Hereu loafers from this newsletter, in case you missed them!
High Sport polo in long sleeve (the short sleeve is available at ByGeorge but you have to call the store, it’s not online. 512-472-5951) Jamie Haller ballerinas
Chava Studio button down shirt. I like the volume + volume here because the button down hits just below the hips, not at all tunic-y. If your button down gets too long with a baggy pant you’ll just end up swimming in fabric. You can see from these angles that they are wide pants, but still flattering from the side.

Cos Drawstring Pants

These pants are the beach-iest pant in the mix. She truly is for summer. Pretty sheer and baggy. And if you are new to this “baggy” revolution, definitely size down. These are a size small and they are enormous. I would have exchanged for an XS but I wanted to wash test for you all and time was of the essence.

So this is them post washed-on-hot and put in the dryer. There was not much shrinkage so don’t fear tossing them in laundry basket. They are great for a super summery white knock around. I plan to wear them this summer to a cousin’s beach mikva for her wedding (among other places). Almost exclusively with sandals though.

A common theme with white pants in the mass market end of the spectrum is the category’s sheerness. This is because mass brands are not usually splurging during production on a heavy weight fabric. (You’ll see this in my chino alternates below as well.) But nude underwear and a roomy fit can usually take care of that, which is why I don’t mind the bagginess here. More on looking for an opaque fabric below (hint: men’s department.)

I think they will be cute this summer with a plain ribbed tee and Birkenstocks …just probably shouldn’t get wet in the Central Park sprinklers. :)

Cos pants before and after ironing. Definitely prefer ironed!!!! Lafayette 148 blouse.
With a longer (kooky) cardigan and sneakers for this transitional weather. The longer cardigan helps do two things: 1. Tighten up the volume of these pants and 2. Hide some of their sheerness. The one I’m wearing is sold out at this point but look at this one, and this one, both on super sale. J’adore! New Balances, obviously.
With your ultra girly top bc lets get real, we’ve allllll bought at least one over the last three years. This one is Vita Kin sourced second hand, though I fully endorse buying one new to support this fabulous Ukranian designer. Mine is from TRR, a place I check back often for her designs.

Polo Ralph Lauren Chinos

Now, these are my TRIED AND TRUE Polo Ralph Lauren chinos. I have had them three years and wear them more than any other pant in the summer. They are a great heavy weight, I love the pleats. I cut off the bottom to temper their preppy-ness. I bought them in a size 6 to be super baggy, which is what makes them look so effortless. I am now literally begging Ralph Lauren to reissue these in womens. They did however issue a similar pair in men’s recently and styled them online as unisex. But the size chart is in mens. So, for those who would like to try this, a little tutorial in mens pant sizing. Because men have no hips, you need to size up from your usual about two sizes. So for me, as I wear a 26 in womens jeans, I buy a 28 in men’s trousers.

POLO RL dream chinos. I wish I could link the exact pair for you…Polo are you listening? PLEASE! In the meantime see the selects below. Agnes B. snap cardigan, Kule white t-shirt, Vans sneakers
Here they are with the waistband covered. Also great. If you are able to peruse your local mall stores, go and feel and touch the fabrics. The thicker the better! Also, Paris Chanel purchase BIG anticlimactic REVEAL!
Left:Dickies women’s work pants I haven’t tried these yet but think they will be my next white pant purchase, $29.99! They look extra rigid so not for the faint of heart, will require your own “wear in.” (Size up for slouchiness.) Right: The Polo men’s chinos mentioned above, again go up two sizes in men’s to get you women’s size.

That’s it for today! Now go get dirty!!

And on a more serious note, you all helped to raise $2,610 to combat gun violence last week through your subscriptions and upgrades. With my promised match that’s $5,220. THANK YOU ALL! I’m so proud of this community! I made the donation early this morning on behalf of everyone here. Sending all my love and gratitude to you and your families.

Yours TRULY,

Becky

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White Pants. Priced To Get Dirty

5thingsyoushouldbuy.substack.com
21 Comments
Ann
Apr 9Liked by Becky Malinsky

Thank you for the donation to Everytown for gun violence and for talking to all of us about it!

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Annette Sandler
Apr 9Liked by Becky Malinsky

Thank you for the donation. We want all of our kids to ge safe.

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