It's scarcely a secret that I'm not a big trouser wearer. I don't inherently have anything against pants, it's just that - whether we're talking vintage, repro, or modern - I tend to have a really tricky time finding any that fit even remotely well. Add to that the fact that (due to medical) reasons it's almost always hard for me to wear anything tight and/or heavy (as I find the waist bands on many pants to be) around my midsection and there's a reason tumble weeds blow through the area of closet reserved for trousers.
Throughout 2012, when I appeared here in pants, it was always either my beloved Freddies of Pinewood side button jeans (as seen in outfits like this one) or my equally cherished Nine West denim capris (a summer wardrobe staple for days like this one spent yard saling). The only other pair of pants I've ever worn on camera to date here, have been my cute Freddie's overalls (dungarees), which tend to be reserved for especially outdoorsy days.
There are a couple of other pairs of pants in my wardrobe, but they very rarely see the light of day, because (and I do apologize if this is a tad frank) I have to be extremely un-bloated (aka, not bloated) and to have my pain levels at a certain spot for me to even contemplate slipping into them. For the first time in months, I recently had one cold winter evening like that, so I jumped on the chance instantly to wear the third pair of Freddies of Pinewood pants that I own: their Classic Pedal Pushers.
Now, as I mentioned a couple of weeks ago in this post, the lighting - especially during the winter and in the evening - in our darling little house is anything but stellar. We don't get very much natural light at the best of times and there's a shortage of overhead lightning on the main floor, so top-notch results one is not likely to achieve (without the addition of studio lighting) anytime soon, especially when shooting - as in the case of the photos in today's post - when an iPhone. Nevertheless, it's such a rare and wonderful occasion when I get to wear these pedal pusher jeans, that I couldn't let the night slip past without grabbing a few quick shots.
Gingham hair wrap/scarf: eBay
Silver hued star burst earrings: Dollar store in Kelowna
Sterling silver & Swarovski crystal cherry pendant necklace: a beautiful gift from Tony ♥
Red ruched neck tee: Mariposa
Grey dolman sleeve cardigan: Freddies of Pinewood
Cherry print bangle: etsy seller Faux Flowers
Other bangle bracelets: Assorted sources
Denim pedal pushers: Freddies of Pinewood
Vintage Saks Fifth Avenue black patent purse: etsy seller MK Retro
Photography by Antonio Cangiano
Now, generally speaking, pedal pushers are supposed to stop (or be cuffed so that they hit) about mid-way down a person's calf. On someone like me however, who is 5'2" and by no means leggy, most pedal pushers hit me at ankle height. This could be seen as a negative, but I actually see it as a positive, because it means that it's like I get two pairs of pants in one out of my pedal pushers. I can either wear them as is (as I did on the very cold and snowy evening when these pictures were taken) or roll them up a bit in the warmer months so that they look like pedal pushers instead of tapered jeans.
I love Freddies of Pinewood. Aside from the fact that I was once hit with a large courier fee bill (on top of the usual Canadian customs fees) - much as like what happened to me when I ordered from eshakti last December - I have had zero qualms with this company (and to be fair, that's more the courier's fault than Freddies). I know a couple of people in our vintage circle who've had rough experiences with Freddie's customer service team, but thankfully I've not run into such issues myself and found them to be very pleasant to deal with the one time I emailed them back and forth about sizing.
To date I own four pairs of pants (my side button jeans, overalls, front pocket jeans, and these cute, classic denim pedal pushers), as well as a small number of tops (including the grey one in today's post) from them. I really hope that over time further Freddies products, especially their jeans, will make it into my wardrobe, as theirs are the only vintage reproduction pants that fit me well (I've bought other brands over the years and had zero success in terms of finding a good fit) .
For those shopping outside of the UK in particular, Freddes can be a touch pricy (their prices are in UK pounds), but I can attest to the fact that they're very well made and durable. I've probably worn my side button jeans at least 30 times, and they look as crisp and fresh as the day the arrived in the mail. The same goes for all of the other items I own from Freddies, and I consider my jeans to be one of the best wardrobe investments I've made in recent years.
As you can see here, my wig (Pin Up from the brand Jon Renau) is holding up well so far. The curl has dropped a little in spots, but over all, I'm really impressed with the quality and durability of this inexpensive synthetic wig. As you know, I hope to buy a good quality real hair wig one day, but that's just a dream for the time being (especially after the string of super big expenses - from taxes to car repair bills - that we've been hit with already this year). In the interim, I'm very happy to stick with Pinup (and/or other similarly styled and prices synthetic wigs) while I work towards the (very) long-term goal of saving up for a really nice real hair (or alternatively a super high end, heat resistant custom made synthetic) wig.
I adore wearing this wig with bows (the Bettie bangs and flowing curls just look so cute, if I may say so myself, with it), be they wee little ones or great big vintage inspired bowed hair wraps like this fun black and white gingham one (which, interestingly, I believe was last seen here on the blog in another series of grainy evening shots during a night of fishing, however the weather then and the weather now couldn't further apart from each other!).
So, while my collection is pretty darn slim at best, I'm not completely without a pair or two of jeans to slip into on those days when durable trousers are called for or simply desired. A closet full of pants might be nice, but so long as I have a couple of pairs that I can rely on, I'm a happy (Freddies jeans wearing) camper. :)
