When Rae began playing with ideas for her lovely turquoise top featured in the post about Pinterest Inspiration, she longed for the fabric to match some Eureka! Pants already in her wardrobe. But every time she compared her tan, ivory, olive, black and navy/denim pants to the fabric her heart sank a little more. “It wasn’t that any or all of them wouldn’t work, it was that none of the existing pants elevated the fabric into a fabulous ensemble,” she said with a sigh. Read more in her own words.
While I knew that skinny jeans would be fine with my new top, what would work for the few occasions where denim is not the best choice?
Because new pants were not on the busy spring sewing agenda, the topic was easily avoided until I had to finalize my wardrobe for four days of teaching at the ASG Conference. At each point in this conversation, which began in March, the idea of purple pants kept lingering in my mind. They needed to be snug, skinny pants to compliment the top’s long length. That meant that the fabric had to have spandex but it would go with so many things in the closet.
Find the Right Fabric
My search began by visiting my favorite fabric stores and trusted online vendors, but no luck finding a dark purple that had enough stretch and would work for warm weather. Then one morning, I moved beyond the regular choices and simply did a Google search for purple twill with lycra. Luck was shining on me as I found what appeared to be the perfect shade, rayon blend fabric at a reasonable price at Zelouf Fabric. There was no time to dither; I just ordered it.
When it arrived, it was the perfect color—dark enough to be visually pleasing and work across the seasons. It had enough stretch that the pants could be cut with my very skinny Eureka! Pants pattern. There was also an added bonus that it coordinated well with several other tops already in my closet. I prewashed it immediately.
The only caveat was that the stretch was in the warp, not the weft of the fabric, which meant that I had to cut the pants on the cross grain. While that gave me pause, there was no time to linger, so they were cut and stitched together in record time.
Find More Fabric in Your New Color
Moving forward, I suspect that when considering new fabric purchases for tops, fabrics that will complement the purple pants will be given priority. Here, for instance, is a new paisley twill purchased when visiting a fabric store near the new French house. I think it will become a big shirt for transitioning to fall. It has an added bonus—it will go with many of my other pants.
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Embrace the New Color Completely
The purple theme extended into my accessory choices as well. I found a bronzy pair of slides that look great, and a new light purple scarf for cool evenings on a restaurant patio that will take these new looks into cooler weather ahead.
Does your wardrobe need a new color refresh. It is great if the new color coordinates with other essentials and inspires an additional wardrobe make or two. As you build a core wardrobe, it is fun to add a new base color occasionally to reinvigorate items languishing in the closet. Embrace your new color and take advantage of all the possibilities it offers. It should make getting dressed even easier.
I love purple! It’s great that you already have tops that can be worn with your new pants.
I made some simple, lightweight purple pants during the summer and just love them.
Trying out a new color is always fun and opens up new opportunities.
I love purple! Good choice!
You are right, it has proven to be an excellent addition. RAE