taking the plunge

sorry about the photo quality; it's raining today and I was having a hard time getting the camera to cooperate in the strange light...

I know that drop crotch pants are one of those items of clothing that engenders strong responses: people either seem to love or loathe. I loathed them at first, but I have to say, eventually they began to have a strange fascination for me, the way many aesthetically challenging things do. Now, do I think these lengthen my legs? Heck no. (But who cares? I'm 5'11" with a 35" inseam. I *never* worry about leg length, to be honest; even if I am "shortening"). Do I think they take 10lbs. off my booty? Haha! But if one stops thinking of fashion for a moment as a way to attract a mate (and believe me, Cass looked extremely dubious when I finished these and put them on; I'm not sure he realized what I'd been sewing that night), they're interesting. And personally, I've always loved the look of the zouave soldiers and the pampas cowboys, billowing pants tucked into knee-high boots. The shape of these gives the same silhouette whether or not I tuck in, and that's fascinating to me. I also LOVE the on-seam pockets on these pants and the waistband. I've never made pants before (I was always so afraid of fit), but I have to say, the waistband on these pants fits PERFECTLY along the curves of my hips and small of my back - something I've rarely found in store-bought pants. So, three cheers for the pattern! (info below) I thought I'd be rocking these with heels, but I tried a pair on with them and winced; perhaps another pair will be better, or perhaps I'll just stay in flats with these.

linen drop-crotch pants, McCalls pattern #5858. I will add that I made these in the size 12, though I am definitely not a 26" waist/36" hip these days (dagnabbit, marriage = I've put on 2 inches!). So, if you're intrigued, I'd say, size down. There's enough cloth here that you will probably want to. I made mine from three yards of 45" wide linen, which I ore-washed and dried on high (and so it probably shrank a bit) and there was still plenty of cloth when I was cutting out the pattern. Nice way to use a spare 3 yards!