Should You Wear Cropped Pants?

“I watched a fashion show last night,” a reader wrote me
recently. “They said you should never wear Capris. I am 5′ 7″,
long legs, slim size 8. I understand that they might not be
flattering to everyone, but what about for me? I just ordered a
pair online. Tell me, what do you think?”

I think it’s an interesting question. For while low-rise pants
tend to flatter very few women, cropped pants can work well on a
variety of figures, provided they follow a few simple
guidelines.

Before we get to them, however, let me define exactly the style
I’m referring to, so that we’re all on the same page.

Cropped pants, also known as pedal pushers, clam diggers, and
Capris, are a style of pants that ends somewhere between the
knee and the ankle, usually at mid-calf. They’ve gone in and out
of fashion several times since the 1950’s, and are currently
enjoying renewed popularity.

They are not for everyone, however.

Because of where they hit on the leg, they can emphasize several
things. For example:

*If you’re petite, they can make you look shorter.

*If you’re bottom heavy, they can make you look heavier.

*If you have short legs, they can make them look shorter.

*If you have thick ankles, they can make them look thicker.

Notice that I said, “can” in every situation. This isn’t a
given. Much of it can depend on the color, cut, style of hem,
and shoes that you choose.

Let’s look at these one by one:

COLOR

Dark or muted colors will make you look smaller, light or bright
colors will make you look bigger. Small prints work better on
small bodies, large prints work better on large or tall bodies.

CUT

The most flattering cut for trim bodies of all heights tends to
be flat front with tapered legs. This style elongates the body
and offers a chic, uncluttered line - which is why it was
favored by the likes of Jacqueline Kennedy and Audrey Hepburn
during their summer vacations, and promptly copied the world
over.

The least flattering cut tends to be the drawstring look with
straight or flared hem. While many women choose this style for
comfort, it creates a rectangular block of fabric from waist to
hem, visually adding pounds and subtracting height. If you are
petite, heavy, or have thick ankles, this style will magnify all
of these things.

STYLE OF HEM

The most flattering hem for most women is plain and tapered. The
least flattering is flared with a cuff. The former will
elongate, the latter will shorten and widen.

If you’re a bit heavy and feel that a tapered hem makes your
hips or upper thighs look bigger, try a straight leg style
instead. Do NOT opt for a flared hem to try to offset your hips
- unless you want to look the same size from hips to hem.

SHOES

For years, the ballerina flat was the shoe of choice to wear
with cropped pants. In recent years, high heels, sandals,
slides, and flip-flops have found their way on to the team as
well.

Your best shoe choices create an unbroken line from hem to toe
with minimal material that compliments — rather than competes
with - your pants. Shoes that are the same color as pants,
white, or flesh-colored are all good choices.

Avoid chunky, heavy shoes, or shoes that compete with your hem.
All of these will call attention to your feet, chop you up
visually, and make you look shorter.

Cropped pants are a great warm weather alternative to shorts for
those chilly nights, dressy casual occasions, or for women who
just hate to bare their legs in shorts. They look great on women
of many heights, sizes, and ages, provided they’re chosen with
care.

If you look for styles that flatter your figure and elongate
your body, you’ll look great AND stylish. So don’t necessarily
cross these off your list. Just take a little time to find the
looks that work best for you.

Why I love Lorenzo S. Lim Jr.?

1. he got a big nose just like me…hehehe! 2. he’s my female
version 3. he’s funny, very kalog! 4. he makes me happy 5. he
makes me feel sexy and beautiful 6. he doesn’t even care about
my weaknesses 7. he accepts my family 8. he accepts me for who I
am 9. he’s always there to catch me when I fall 10. he truly
cares for me 11. he is simply irresistible 12. he’s nice 13. he
is a very good cook 14. he only drinks alcohol occasionally 15.
he doesn’t smoke 16. he manage our business 17. he is sweet 18.
he is masungit sometimes lalo na pag galit 19. he loves my
family 20. he loves his family 21. he loves our baby 22. he is
kuripot coz he knows how to handle money 23. he is good in
business 24. he is not a reckless driver but a good kisser 25.
he always find time to see me 26. he always pick me up at work
in his free time 27. he is a petlover 28. he is good cleaner, he
managed to clean our cr alone! he is not maselan 29. he is model
30. he is undeniably hunk 31. he can dance but not so good 32.
he can sing but not so good too… 33. he loves to play
computers but i still manage to beat him in generals…hahaha!
34. he knows how to play basketball 35. he knows how to take
care his things and of course me and baby! 36. he plays
basketball with my brothers and cousins 37. he knows how to
massage me in a special way 38. he has a nice under arm and legs
39. he smells good anytime 40. he is authenticated hearthrob but
still afford to snob the girls running for him 41. he is
organized 42. he sleeps well with matching disturbing sneeze 43.
he has dandruff which I love to take off 44. he doesn’t make me
wait anytime coz he’s always on time! 45. he loves me more than
i love myself! 46. he eats a lot 47. he always says kain ka
marami ha 48. he always give me vitamin every time we eat 49. he
finds time for our date 50. he knows how to adjust his time and
efforts for me 51. he values our relationship 52. he loves me to
go with her friends and family 53. he is proud of me 54. he
wears Americana suit and barong tagalog when he escorted me
during coronation night and grand parade (kahit na he hates it)
55. he is very jealous kahit na ang gwapo2 nya 56. he loves me
kahit loka loka ako, kahit na mahihilg akong mag inarts and
kahit na matampuhin and sensitive ako 57. he drinks when we have
a big fight 58. he went to our house to fix our break-up at
around 4am. 59. he promised me that he will set a date for our
swimming (yehey!) 60. he is ambitious 61. he has great plan for
us 62. he got a nice motorbike 63. he has a deep voice 64. he is
down to earth 65. he is zebra…hehehe! 66. he knows how to make
my family happy 67. he has nice legs (wala kasing hair hehehe!)
68. he loves pizza (just like me!) 69. he knows how to ease away
my worries when I’m feeling down 70. he’s very responsible 71.
he is ideal father 72. he is makulit and malakas tumawa na
nakakahawa 73. he is a quick thinker 74. he gave me a bouquet of
roses on my debut 75. he gave me lots of accesories and other
stuffs 76. he gives me letter with a simple note of iloveyou and
kain ka lagi…namen! 77. he is simple 78. he is certified
adorable 79. i love him when he cooks pansit, French toast
bread, baked macaroni, fried rice, fish fillet and so forth….
80. he is adorably responsible in all his action 81. he knows
how to make lambing when his guilty 82. he takes me to the
places I really like 83. he always advices me to save money 84.
he is my knight in the shining armor 85. he brings me to the
paradise 86. I’m feeling heaven when I’m with him 87. he is my
ideal man…cute, maputi, matangkad, mabait, galing pumorma,
mabango, simpleng mamamayan kahit mayaman, walang bisyo, di
mahilig sa chicks, (sana), kuripot pero galante sa kin, ideal
boyfriend, and higit sa lahat mahal nya ako more than I love
myself!

88. above all this, he’s the man of dreams, he’s all i ever
want, he’s the best i’ve ever had and he is the man i want to
spend my life with…(no kidding!)

i love you honey…sorry po sa lahat ng nagawa ko…i know i
have hurt you so many times that’s why i want you to know that
i’ll do my best just to make you happy gaya ng ginagawa mo sa
kin…mahal na mahal po kita… mwah!

Get the bling without the sting - affordable engagement rings

Just because you don’t have a lot of money doesn’t mean you
can’t find an affordable engagement ring that looks like it cost
a fortune.

Tips on getting more diamond for your dollar when choosing an
affordable engagement ring

First, the diamond shape you choose can help make your ring look
like it’s worth a lot more than you really paid. A
marquise-shaped diamond, for example, looks larger than a round
diamond. Pear-shaped and oval-shaped diamonds are also good
choices for diamond engagement rings because they look larger
than their round counterpart.

The setting you choose can also make your engagement ring look
very glitzy and expensive. In particular, an Illusion setting.
The diamond is mounted on a metal plate similar to a mirror,
which makes the diamond appear bigger and more brilliant.

The quality of the diamond you choose is also important if you
want an affordable engagement ring. Your personal preference
will prevail, but it’s possible to sacrifice quality for size.
Colored diamonds are a popular choice, so one possibility is to
opt for a lower grade color to get more diamond for your dollar.

Where to look for an affordable engagement ring

Why go past the World Wide Web? Crank up the computer and browse
online, it’s the easiest, most pain-free way to find a great
affordable engagement ring that’s not going to break the bank.

Of course, who can go past e-Bay for a bargain-priced affordable
engagement ring? Another good value online jewelry auction site
is Bidz.com. But a word of advice - make sure you do your
homework before placing a bid. Get a handle on the various
grades of diamonds available and the type of metal you fancy -
be it yellow gold, white gold or platinum.

Check out your local pawnshops too, they usually have terrific
bargains on affordable engagement rings. And if it makes you
feel a bit, well, icky, owning a pawnshop engagement ring, just
remember that antique and vintage engagement rings are all the
rage - and they have a history too.

Finding a bargain-price affordable engagement ring makes sense.
It leaves you plenty of money to spend on other things you may
need for your new life together. Like a ride-on mower, perhaps?