Velvet Colettes

Hi, all -- 

I retired my old J. Crew plaid pants, a holiday staple. They are a straight-verging-on-skinny and I'm not enjoying that silhouette now. (I didn't donate them, though; they are such a great pant I think there's a chance I"ll come back to them later.) 

Meanwhile, I've been wanting a velvet pant, wanting to add more red to my closet, and wanting to try the Colette wide legs for quite some time. 

Voila, the Colette in red velvet comes to the rescue, along with a plaid shirt from J. Crew to make up for the lost plaid pants, and Ecco booties as featured in Angie's Fab Finds for this week, except in the limestone. 

I love these booties. They are ingenious. They come with two sets of insoles so you can adjust the fit for different socks/ stockings. They are very stable because of the rubber sole. The leather is very soft. On my leg, there is not a lot of flower-pot effect. The toe is called "round" but I would call it a wider almond. Not truly round. Anyway, I love them so much I just ordered the black patent at the super sale price. 

Love the Colettes, too! They are fun and cozy! 

And the shirt conforms to Angie's description exactly: 

Red Tartan Christmas Fabness. The red is less bright in person, and the fabric is a spectacular crisp and sharp cotton. Gorgeous quality. Size down one size. Layers well under roomy sweatshirts and sweaters.

Please forgive the photo quality. You can have dark plus over-exposed in my study, or brighter, with kitty litter box and a dirty mirror in my laundry room! 

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39 Comments

  • Kate replied 5 months ago

    Wow! What a super look, Suz.

  • Laurie replied 5 months ago

    Excellent boots! You look great.

  • Mirjana replied 5 months ago

    Wow! Gorgeous pants, beautiful shade of red, maybe more wine, love them. The shirt is great and you look wonderful, super look.

  • Dee replied 5 months ago

    Oh this is such a wonderful outfit, perfect for your style, I love velvet and this red is sublime, perfect with your stripes and plaid combo. Great outfit for the festive season. Boots with 2 insoles, terrific idea, also like the fact that you can remove the insoles altogether and insert your own if necessary 

  • Firecracker (Sharan) replied 5 months ago

    Wow, gorgeous! I knew you would totally rock those pants. The new shirt and sweater and fantastic with them, too. 
    And now that I see you got those Ecco booties in limestone, I have boot envy. I have tried Ecco shoes and boots so many times and not found the fit right for me, though I have a pair of Ecco sandals that are faves. So maybe, with the two different insoles. . . .

  • Roberta replied 5 months ago

    This is dynamite, pure and simple. I love the stripes and plaid together, with the rich velvet and the elegant boots. Perfect.

  • Irina replied 5 months ago

    Looks wonderful and very season appropriate :)

  • Dottie replied 5 months ago

    Beautiful color combination!  Those Colette pants look gorgeous on everyone.

  • Suz replied 5 months ago

    Dottie, the pants are indeed very flattering to most people. While trying on, I noticed a number of others with various body types/ sizes fitting them in velvet or corduroy and I have to say I did not see a single person they did not flatter! The tricky thing with them, though, is to get the size right. In different fabrications, they fit very differently. So you can't assume that because you got a denim pair, say, that the corduroy ones in the same size will work. 

    Thanks, Irina & Roberta. Roberta, I can see you in a version of this look! 

    Sharan, it's weird about footwear brands, right? Well, or jeans brands, for that matter. I say that because I know you bought a pair of Levis that I also tried that -- while they *fit* me -- just did not look anywhere near as special on me as on you, LOL. With footwear I think we both wear Paul Greens pretty well, right? And also La Canadiennes and Cole Haan. But somehow many (though not all) Eccos work for me -- but not for you! Oh, and Pikolinos, which I see you have, don't work for me...

    Dee, I can absolutely see you in a version of this, too! You'd love the stripes! 

    Mirjana, Laurie, Kate -- thank you! 

  • slim cat replied 5 months ago

    Fab! Love the whole look!

  • Angie replied 5 months ago

    KILLER Cute Festive Holiday Susan Fabness! 

    Signature stripes, plaid, red, J.Crew, and white accents! Doesn't get any better, right ;) 

    You are milking your look and owning it! LOVE THAT. Please carry on!

    (How fun, handy, and effective that J.Crew is back on our radar.....)

  • Angie replied 5 months ago

    AND.

    .......how did you live without those boots? 

    ;)

  • Suz replied 5 months ago

    I honestly don't know how I lived without the boots, Angie!  ;)

    Well, I could, of course have worn the same outfit with my Sam Edelman's...Or with my navy boots. Or my Paul Green plaid boots -- and I did wear it that way when I went for a walk on some trails later in the afternoon, where even a little heel would be too much. But these ones are a nice combo of refined and robust. It seems most of my other boots are one or the other....

  • Janet replied 5 months ago

    Fun and festive! Red plaid is so great on you. 

  • Cardiff girl replied 5 months ago

    Super look,l love those red velvet trousers especially with the boots.You have really tempted me to take a look at both these items!

  • Ms. Liz replied 5 months ago

    Wow!  What a super fun outfit!  I just love how you mixed the shirt and striped sweater together.  Your outfit is fun yet refined and can go anywhere!  The boots are great and I can see how you will get a lot of wear out of them.  

  • Lee replied 5 months ago

    Cute! I like your pattern mix and those pants look scrumptious.

  • Jaime replied 5 months ago

    Red velvet and red plaid look splendid on you. Fabulous outfit!

  • replied 5 months ago

    The boots sound very practical! I always just buy a half size up in boots to accommodate socks. Outfit looks great!

  • Olive Green replied 5 months ago

    Red is stellar on you. 

  • Mary Beth (formerly LBD) replied 5 months ago

    Marry North American preppy with French Chic… but make It groovy! 


    Suz, in a nutshell.

  • kellygirl replied 5 months ago

    Smashing! I think Mary Beth's descriptor is the best!! YLF!

  • Suz replied 5 months ago

    I love that description, Mary Beth! Thank you! 

    Kelly, Olive Green, Suntiger, Jaime, Lee, Ms. Liz, Cardiff Girl, Janet, thanks! 

  • lyn67 replied 5 months ago

    I see Santa is on his(her?:-)) way!!! Love this outfit -your velvet pants are so fun and I think I remember the old plaid pants-which were also fab-but  love the wide legs for a change!

  • Helena replied 5 months ago

    Made for you!

  • Ket replied 5 months ago

    Suz, you SIZZLE in these! OH MY! I love the fabric and color of red. And I love what you're pairing together! It's so fresh. I think your style is secretly what I wished mine to be but it just never worked out for me. But any hoots... keep rocking your style! You're just fab!

  • Suz replied 5 months ago

    Aww, Ket, thank you. I think most of us have at some time in our lives a "shadow style" --- the style we wish we could wear but that just doesn't look great on us. (Boho for me, years ago.) I guess that's part of what makes style interesting and fun -- that we can keep experimenting and learning about what works for us and why at different life stages. 

    Helena, Lyn thanks! And yes, Lyn, I think this will be the tree decorating outfit, too! 

  • Ket replied 5 months ago

    Oooo! I like that phrase "shadow style." Yep, that's me. I want gamine a la Aubrey Hepburn. And well, not good on me ha! And yet, boho lite does. So I feel you and hear you. Here's to more experimenting :D 

  • Karie replied 5 months ago

    Stylish and festive! Those are great colors on you.

  • Suz replied 5 months ago

    I think they are great colours on you, too, Karie -- hint hint. :) Not that I'm enabling or anything...

  • Carol replied 5 months ago

    You know, I had some green pants just that silhouette in the late 90s, thrifted. Some black ones later. They look great with booties, for sure.

    I really love that plaid shirt and the maroon/red juxtaposition you get with the pants. I admire your ability to save a pair of pants for another time in the closet. If I had them, I'd probably keep wearing them, forgetting that's not the look I'm going for right now. 

  • kkards replied 5 months ago

    I love an item that dresses up or down, and just seamlessly fits into your closet. These are great

  • RobinF replied 5 months ago

    Wow, great outfit! Those pants are gorgeous, I love velvet, so cozy in cold weather and looks just a bit special. Nice mix and match items.

  • Kyle replied 5 months ago

    SPECTACULAR.

  • Inge replied 5 months ago

    These pants were made for you, Suz! Just stunning and excellent fit! I absolutely love the entire outfit, the mix of plaid and stripes is divine!

  • Aquamarine replied 5 months ago

    These are fantastic!

  • Sal replied 5 months ago

    I love these pants - and boots on you!  So vibrant and with some soft edge that really suits your (I think) flamboyant gamine style.

    I put some slim fit pants in storage too - I suspect in a couple of years they will be just the thing!!

  • Cee replied 5 months ago

    Rock star microphone drop !!

  • SarahD8 replied 4 months ago

    Late to this but you look smashing in this outfit, and knowing how important footwear is to your lifestyle I'm thrilled that you found such a great pair of boots...times two!

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