July 13, 2004

• j, it's just another fad. Well, a fad that's been in and out (hehe!) for a while now. It also has a lot to do with the part of the country you're in, I think. In other words: yep, it looks silly. And you're being cranky.
• Will you be offended if I try to take the piss out of you - in a way that is only messing round, mind, and meant with love and friendship?
• Do you mean on men? Because a man in Capri pants should know that every other man that sees him is sniggering.
• Both! No, neither! Death! No, I meant cake!
• male version is cargo shorts/flip-flops. sweetie and i sat outside and snickered at all of the above last weekend. but then again, we were teenagers in the '70s so we looked silliest of all back then.
• Sorry - is this thread black tie?
• I mainly mean on girls, but I've seen boys in flip flops as well. And basically I just felt like posting a silly question since the monkey has been so political lately. Now, if we are talking boys fashions, can we talk about those sleveless t-shirts? Do they come with the bandanna or is that seperate?
• I'm occasionally guilty of the flip-flops, as they are quite handy for walking home post-pedicure with no annoying smudges. I'm too old for capri pants, but my legs are really short so I'd look silly in them anyway. but then again, we were teenagers in the '70s so we looked silliest of all back then. I dunno, SideDish, I was a teenager in the '80s, and we looked pretty silly too. *remembers silly asymmetrical haircut, jarring bright colors and ridiculous earrings* *winces*
• I've been campaigning hard against capri pants for a couple years now (mostly by telling friends, "capris are so out now, everyone will be wearing long pants this season.") So far, no luck. As a tall person who has endured too-short pants my whole life, I think long pants are the coolest. Especially if they're long enough for a nice, gentle break. Too bad manufacturers aren't making them, or I'd hand over all my disposable income. YOU HEAR THAT, CLOTHING DESIGNERS OF THE WORLD?
• and let us not forget that "Flipflops floppen." apparently, they are having the flip-flop invasion in germany also. proof once again that everything is funnier in german: Unter den Durchfallern sind wegen der hohen Schadstoffbelastung auch die teuersten Schlappen, die "Miss Sixty Kitten Shoes". heh.
• The fashion cabal has spoken and they are speaking only in capri this season. I don't mind them nearly as much as I mind all the locals 'round here walking around in jeans 2, 3 and 4 sizes too small with their belly haning out of a short shirt. Or, or - OR the freakin' slippers and pajama pants out in public. Is it really so to put on pants and shoes?
• jccalhoun, I'm with you on this one. I hate flip-flops and capris. I can understand the purpose of flip-flops if you were camping or on a beach. Personally, I'll stick with my jeans and Grinders' steel toe shoes.
• I have worn flip-flops at all times since March, unless working out or just working. (I live in Maine)I wear them because I hate shoes, and as a lazy teenager I can't be bothered to wear much else if I don't have to. I've got about 15 different pairs or sandals at last count. As far as capri pants go, really the only time I wear them is when I wear pants that I have cut off just below the knee for sailing. This thread has made me wonder what I'll think of my generation's fashion sense in a few years. What will be the most ridiculed?
• human, i am constantly tempted to go up to some kid dressed ridiculously and say, "honey, you're gonna laugh at pictures of yourself in 20 years. trust me on this one." what will look silliest? anything faddish: LOWWWW slung pants, piercings, messy hair, stuff like that.
• humandictionary - I bet your mother, or maybe grandmother, could make a real good guess right now.
• but now laura petrie... SHE could wear capris!
• Well, I like the capri pants, or at least certain styles. In NYC where shorts are something that only tourists wear, capris are a nice alternative to skirts for the summer. I'm fairly tall (5'8") and I don't have cankles, and the darn things are comfie. And I can wear them in my business casual work environment. So sue me. I don't do the flip-flop thing. They remind me too much of my impoverished childhood in rural Appalachia.
• "I used to wear those in the shower in the dorms so I didn't get athlete's feet" mmm, thanks for that picture, jccalhoun... now that's what I'm going to think of when I see sexy boys in flip-flops. what's up with this leftist fashion dribble, anyway? every rightie knows good boys and girls should wear starched white shirts with collars and ties and that girls should wear pretty dresses with poodles. you progressive pansies make me sick. c'mon, where's the conservative outrage in this thread?
• I don't mind them nearly as much as I mind all the locals 'round here walking around in jeans 2, 3 and 4 sizes too small with their belly haning out of a short shirt. AMEN!! Plus, it's got to be really, really uncomfortable. Or, or - OR the freakin' slippers and pajama pants out in public. Is it really so to put on pants and shoes Yes, it is so to put on pants & shoes :o) Seriously, though, I see that a lot, too, and I always feel half-amused, half-jealous. I'd never have that kind of nerve. Or is it tastelessness....
• i'm super short and capris have been a godsend for me in the summer. you don't want to wear shoes that require socks anymore once it gets warm, but if you like delicate sandals (like i do) it's tough to wear long pants all the time with your summer shoes. it just looks funny; the pants engulf the shoes all the way around and just. ick. capris are nice because it seems like a given around here that informal shorts are taboo for adults (in pittsburgh especially, people smirk at others wearing jean shorts. i'm not sure when this became such a transgression...), but long pants with summer cropped everything else isn't much fun all the time. granted, it's just everyday informal clothes for me and those i see around me. but yay, capris. or clamdiggers rather. :)
• No word yet from the grandmother, but my mom seems to feel I will regret wearing jeans and a sweatshirt 60% of the time. Im talking the awesome hooded ones with a kangaroo pocket. Dont really go in for the ridiculously low slung pants though, or the pj pants and slippers in public. Thats just silly. Nor do I have multiple piercings. If i want to I can dress pretty and be a good little girl though.
• Okay, and I'll admit it - I wear capri pants in linen, but on me (I'm that short) they look like regular length pants.
• I think it's equally important for kids to wear things that adults shake their heads at, as it is for adults to shake their heads at what kids are wearing. Replace with hipster/square where necessary. In other words, your favorite fashion sucks.
• This is the weirdest thread ever. Flip-flops and capri pants? Weird. All right, I'll weigh in: Capri pants I can take or leave. They don't bother me, but they don't make me want to mount up or anything. Flip-flops? It's hot, you're in a hurry or just don't feel like wearing shoes. You don't care about picking up a little sumpin-sumpin or impressing anybody, so you put 'em on. You're going to Kroger or the laundromat or class, who gives a damn? They're comfortable. I work at a (semi) professional job and am back at school for a second degree. I wear business casual to and from class five days a week, and thank the Gods of Comfort when I'm off work and able to throw on a t-shirt, shorts and sandals. Walking across campus in Arkansas in the middle of July is HOT.
• I'm with kimdog and ifjuly. Summers in the central US are too damn humid to put up with pantyhose and polyester dry-clean-only clothes. Skirts can be dangerous on a windy day. If I'm comfortable I won't be stressing about my clothes, and am better equipped to concentrate on more important things (like actually getting work done). Linen, cotton and nice leather sandals are my best summertime friends. Last night I saw some ridiculous footwear at the big red bullseyed discount chain that shall remain nameless: sandals with fake sheepskin soles. For those frequent occasions when your feet bottoms are too cold but the tops are too warm. Worst outfit I ever saw on a teenage girl: tube top, uber-short denim shorts, long athletic tube socks with the stripes, adidas shower sandals. She was probably on her way to the prom or something. /cranky old fart
• OK, I admit it. I'm 6ft 4 and also always was worried about my pants being too short and I have hairy toes, so I don't wear sandles of any kind in public. That's why I hate them so much! And PigAlien, unfortunately it is mostly the frat boys and sorority girls that wear such fashions around here who are usually not leftist. Of course it is most funny when I see an incoming freshman with her mom and the mom is dressing like her daughter!
• I think a person should wear what makes them comfortable. Capri pants and flip flops don't faze me, but the tight jeans, belly bulge and short top is a look that is bad. There is no way that is comfortable or pretty to look at. I look at my nieces and I see re-runs, bellbottoms, tie dye...they think they are original, until I pull out the family photos from the 60' and 70's. For some reason they don't like that. :)
• Of course it is most funny when I see an incoming freshman with her mom and the mom is dressing like her daughter! Oh geez, that reminds me of my TA'ing experience where some girl's mom actually came to class wearing what all the other chic girls were wearing. Anyways, I too find capri pants and flip-flops annoying, but they're not as annoying as low slung pants/hip-huggers (as other people have mentioned). I just want to cover my eyes whenever I see a young woman who's not all that svelte tugging up her pants at every other step.
• I think I want to start a website and publish pictures of all the girls I see around town with the belly over the pants bulge. Must get a camera phone!
• Yeah, the problem with the hip-huggers is that roughly one woman out of every 3000 actually has a body to make it look good. Either they're skinny enough, but look anorexic, or it's paratroops over the side. Neither one does anything for me. I think I've seen exactly five women who looked attractive wearing those things.
• This is the wierdiest thread on mofi so far. Anyway. Pants are what you wear under your trousers. No?
• All his talk about un-svelte ladies in lowrise jeans just makes me want to scream: "Mirrors people, for the love of Pete! look in the mirror"
• I am just AMAZED at the amount of controversy and commentary this topic has inspired!!! btw, I have the cutest pair of "dress flip-flops" with a gold flower on the front, got em at ross for $9, they look GREAT w/my capri pants ;)
• Crap, how old are you people anyways? Next young person I see in Capri pants will be the first. Soccer moms are the demographic of Capri pants and flip flops. No 18 year old girl in the world, or at least any I've seen would be causght dead in the standard summer '04 housewife uniform. And yes, I have been seeing men in Capris pants lately. It's scary.
• The freshman stay the same age, but the rest of us just get older and older in our pleated khaki shorts and berkinstock sandals. Sigh...
• Also, I wore flip flops to work last summer. With linen pants and a dress shirt. It was my "I'm ready for a weekend in the Hamptons" outfit. So screw you all. ♥
• Don't listen to us, Daniel, we're just grumpy because we can't get away with wearing flip flops and capris to work.
• Just remember, mere months ago that undergrad was a high school student. It'll all make much more sense that way.
• I LOVE my capris and flipflops! My current flipflops are 6 years old, and just getting broken in. The tan lines on my feet all winter long can attest to that. Seriously though, I don't like shoes, and flipflops are the closest I can get to barefoot and still be 'legal' in town, y'know, in shops and restaurants and such. And capris are just plain comfy...
• Keith Talent, I have to agree... its the over 30 crowd (self included) that rocks the capri pants. (And by the way, I just finished London Fields. Darts, innit.
• a tear welled when I realised the $3 straw flipflops I bought 5 years ago in the bargain district in NYC were beginning to fray just that little too much. As whitmar said: they put me just the right side of those "no shoes no service" signs while maintaining the illusion of blissful foot freedom. And on the issue of the "paratroopers" on ultra low waist jeans -- most women I know would rather have jeans that fit perfectly but run into 1 (or both) of these problems: the damn things ONLY COME IN LOW WAIST these days, or insufficient cash to lay out for Paper Cloth Denim/Seven/etc, which occasionally actually do fit. Not saying that's the only reason (hey, a dear girlfriend of mine loves women with what she calls Buddha belly - nothing sexier she thinks), but just a frequent reality.
• I agree with Keith Talent and Kimdog (almost made that Kimgod! Heehee). Being 37 and wearing capri's as I type this, I never see women under 30 wearing them. Where I am, Pacific Northwest, it is standard spring/summer wear for women over 30. Frankly, I think that the complaint here should be for those that wear shorts and really just shouldn't and those whose jeans and tank tops or cap-sleeve tees are WAAAAYYY too small (you think they'd get a clue when their belly's are oozing out all over the place.....and shouldn't they be afraid of seams splitting?) /rant
• Squeak--I've always said that it should be against the law to sell mirrors without an operating manual attached.
• I wanna see Darshon in her capri's!
• You think the flip flops are bad? Everywhere you look in New York City you see girls wearing these. I'm still hoping the fashion world doesn't discover Chacos. Best. Footwear. Ever.
• Men in flip-flops. Oy.
• ohhhh, jaypro22, those remind me of those awful 'chinese slippers' that were so popular in the mid-eighties. ugh, indeed. And, I counted no less than 5 women at the store tonight with 'paratroopers'. Now, in my head I will be screaming "MIRRORS!"
• Why would I be wearing 3/4 shorts and thongs in winter? Even in Adelaide it's generally not that warm. *shakes head*
• Not too bloody warm today.
• *hums tune hum hum hum Margaritaville
• jaypro22, Chacos are hip as hell here. Sorry. I understand they are the raging shit, though. I still love my Birks. In other words, your favorite fashion sucks. WORD! I consider myself a rabid anti-fationist, so I have always endeavored to stay away from what is "in." And ladies, here on campus, ALL the girls wear capris, regardless of age. I have noticed more guys wearing them, but they are always gay (so says my semi-reliable gaydar). As to the slippers and pajama pants, I have asked several of my female friends. The general response is that once they heard of the fad, they were all about it. "Wait, it's socially acceptable to wear the most comfortable clothes in my closet now? SWEET!" I have no issue with capris and flip-flops. Some people look good, some don't. If you want to get upset at the Buddha-belly girls, let's go after the four-foot-wide ass in spandex first, FOR THE LOVE OF GOD! I like baggy jeans. Not huge, and I wear a belt so I don't have to worry about them falling down. I love the loose feeling of a lot of fabric around me, and the giant pockets they come with. I want to be able to sit down and still have my cuffs touch my shoes (6ft even). There is a fine line between acceptable size and comfort and looking like a little snot-nosed punk. Although I notice the ones who look like that tend to be exactly so!
• Not too bloody warm today. Today I went outside...without a jacket! It's almost like summer! Seriously. It's depressing how cold a Christchurch summer is.
• that's weird that some monkeys haven't seen anyone UNDER 30 wearing capris... they're all over The Gap and The Gap ads that target 18-24 yr olds...
• Maybe some monkeys aren't very good at age approximations.
• *If you want to get upset at the Buddha-belly girls, let's go after the four-foot-wide ass in spandex first, FOR THE LOVE OF GOD!* Spandex should be banned.
• They're all over Old Navy, too. MissusFes (over 30, but of the sort of body and face type that still gets her carded) just came home the other day with pink camouflage capri pants, with cargo pockets, drawstrings and whatnot. I'm not sure what sort fo environment various shades of hot pink are good camouflage for exactly, but I have to admit the overall effect was quite fetching. As for me, short pants are typically for yard and garage work; like sweatpants in the wintertime, they're not something one enters into public display in. Women's fashion, as compared to men's, has far more room for variation (example: only in the last year or so have we men seen a resurgence in the bold striped shirt coupled with a striped tie as suitable business attire). The main issue here, I think, is that most people don't have any idea what looks good, or looks good *on* them, but instead either buy what's cheap or copy what they see on the TV, neither of which is a great idea. Recommendations? Seek out the counsel of friends when trying new things, and make it acceptable for them to tell you the truth. Take advantage of the expertise of salesclerks (and learn to recognize that expertise). Learn the basics of classical style, and build your wardrobe from there. Don't be afraid to pay a little extra for a quality, well made garment that fits you well, as it will remain in your wardrobe for far longer (and you will get far more use out of it, and look better in it) than a cheap piece of crap. Don't be afraid to take something to a tailor and have it let out, chubby - the "blivet" look (aka "ten pounds of taters in a five pound sack") is always a mistake. When in doubt, buy and wear the less casual item, and don't be afraid to dress a little more formal for any social occasion (at *worst*, people will think you have somewhere cooler to go afterward). And lastly, as in everything, know thyself. If you have some (ahem) physical detractions, be honest with yourself about them and wear clothes that de-emphasize them. Covering one's four-foot ass in spandex is not only indicative of the worst sort of denial, it advertises one's ignorance to the cringing masses.
• /carson kressley
• I've been wearing Capri pants and flip-flops constantly for the last couple of years. I like the Capris a little tight so that some cleavage is visible from behind while my belly hangs out over the waistband under a short, sleeveless shirt. I generally team the flip-flops with a pair of grey calf-length socks. Three or four medallions in the old chest hair complete the look, but what I need to know is, what kind of headgear is cool these days? I generally go for a Michael Moore worn sideways, but I'm seeing people in berets?
• Plegmund = Carl from Aqua Teen Hunger Force.
• And to answer your question: Think Homburg!
• I would have to recommend a nice trilby - matches the socks, while still being retro-guarde-chic. Perhaps a nice Tyrolean? But I defer obviously to languagehat, so much wiser in these matters.
• wow. Plegmund, if you ever come out with you're won clothing line, I am SO there!
• Don't forget to tuck a nice, colorful handkerchief into that cleavage. A nice accessory, and functional!
• Good thinking, middleclasstool, but should it match my thong?
• In my neck of the woods, usually older women wear capris that are slightly tapered and have some sort of print on them, like large flowers. Younger girls that wear them seem to go either for very tight or sort of cargo capris, never patterned, except maybe for pinstripes and even that is pushing it.
• OK for what it's worth I wear clamdiggers or cotton trousers rolled up past my calf when bouldering, it just adds a bit of scuff resistance to your knees and avoids the whole cuff getting caught on your calf when stretching for that bitty ledge with your big toe. My wife who turned 25 this year wears capris all the time, although being just shy of 5'-1" she wears them cause they fit great with her height.
• Complementary colors make a bold statement. For instance, a green handkerchief to complement the redness of the crack. Wait, isn't that a Gibson movie?
• I did go from wanting to be someone Now I'm drunk and wearing flip-flops on Fifth Avenue. -- Rufus Wainwright, Poses, 2001
• This flip-flop half-pants thing has been all the rage for years in Ottawa. Get with it, people.
• Oh shit, now you know where I live.
• I try to wear nothing but thongs, generally. Freedom and support.
• Hey! It's a free country. If 350 pound people want to wear rhinestone-encrusted flip-flops, multi-colored horizontally striped tank tops, and puce spandex capris, wachayagonnadoaboudit? My personal favorite is a plumber's buttcrack combined with a grungy unraveling thong. That just OOOZES class.
• If 350 pound people want to wear rhinestone-encrusted flip-flops, multi-colored horizontally striped tank tops, and puce spandex capris, wachayagonnadoaboudit? I'm going to mock them, of course. And with luck, perhaps roll a quarter down their buttcrack.
• Fes, little marbles are even better.
• Or little steel ball bearings that have been sitting in the freezer for a long, long time.
• My town used to be topless friendly, until some friends of mine abused the open-mindedness of the town. But what cracks me up is that while re-outlawing bare boobs, the City Council struck down Plummer's Butt, too!
• Flip flops no socks Capri pants calves dance
• Ah, if only I had a flux capacitor, I'd be on my way to Moscow. Actually, Missouri's topless-friendly, but only on waterways. If you're in a canoe, you can let the girls out, but it's illegal the second you set foot on the bank.
• If you're in a canoe, you can let the girls out OH. OUCH. The thought of sunburned boobs makes me cringe. Anybody besides me notice how guys that wear flip flops and baggy shorts with a wife-beater shirt often have REALLY hairy legs and walk like a duck? This is the kind of guy who stands in front of you in the check out line and crouches slightly while he picks his sweaty shorts out of his butt. They always like to sit with their legs spread, and their shorts are so loose everyone knows they're freeballin'. PLEEZE PEOPLE! We don't want to know these things! Just an observation.
• I now have the indelible image of Plegmund wearing a Foreigner belt, shouting, "I don't need no instructions to know how to rock!" On the fashion tip...there's soooo much I could bitch about, but to boil it down to the most egregious, the Bhudda bellies, coupled with the four-foot ass, wrapped in low-slung jeans with a flourescent pink thong hiked up way too high and a bare midriff shirt. Yes, I had to call in the Fashion arm of Homeland Security and get her deported to Gitmo.
• The thought of sunburned boobs makes me cringe. Which is why dedicated citizens like myself are always available to apply sunblock.