Lily and The Flares

GUYS I BOUGHT JEANS THAT AREN’T SKINNY.  Groundbreaking.  Ok so that’s maybe a slight exaggeration, but I’ve realised there was a flared jeans shaped hole in my life that is now filled, and I feel the need to tell the internet about it.  Who knew that stepping out of your sartorial comfort zone could help… find a new comfort zone eh?  Prepare to see A LOT of these jeans over the next few months.  I’m hovering over the ‘add to basket’ on the other colours already.

But Lily… flares aren’t exactly a new thing, I hear you say.  I KNOW.  I have been living under a skinny jeans shaped rock for years because nothing else I tried seemed to suit me.  The one pair of more relaxed fit girlfriend jeans I own rarely make it out of the house these days; I just don’t feel like they look right on me.  Give me a spray on pair of skinnies any day – I’m an all or nothing kinda gal, I like my clothes either form fitting or ginormous.  Not a fan of the in-betweeny fit.  If I remember rightly, my last pair of wider leg jeans were pale blue denim with a pink fabric belt that I very much enjoyed wearing to play on the seesaw and whatnot at age 9.  So a wee while ago.

Enter the flares.  Skinny jeans at the top, party at the bottom?  Sign me up.  I’ve seen flares kicking about for a while now and tried a few pairs on ages ago in the hope of finding the perfect pair, but my search was fruitless.  *Tiny violins*.  None were long enough to have that proper 70s look, and instead fit as cropped kickflares that look cute on other girls but absolutely ridiculous on me.  You see, this gal doesn’t push the boat out very far when it comes to quirky shapes.  The boat remains pretty much in the harbour.  Kickflares felt too quirky hipster for me and that I certainly am not.  We were going for more of a VB vibe here (or as near to VB as a clumsy idiot with a permanent bad hair day can get, anyway) and none fit the bill.

My skinny jean clad self had long since given up the search, when I found myself in Leeds Topshop with a couple of hours to kill (as you do).  Obviously I decided a try on sesh was in order, as it seems only very few branches of Topshop actually stock all the different lengths and fits so I was sure as hell gonna make the most of it.  Usually with trousers I just have to put up with them being a bit short (very fond of the ankle grazer look in summertime), but this was not an option when it comes to flares.  How absurd!  Nuh huh, these needed to skim the ground perfectly and not look like they’d shrunk in the wash.  Jeans are often an awkward length because whilst I’m 5’10.5 (the half inch is important, OK) the majority of my height is in my body, so regular jeans are too short, but the length 36 in the tall range reaches up to my boobs.  Swear they add an extra 2 feet not 2 inches, and make jeans only Slenderman or Karlie Kloss could wear.

The story of Lily and The Flares could’ve been cut a whole lot shorter by entering the 21st century and shopping online, I’m well aware.  But no.  Not the same, is it?  As I mentioned on Twitter, I much prefer a good old IRL shopping sesh and probably wouldn’t have even looked at these jeans how they’re styled on the website.  However I’ve bought many an item in store that when I’ve looked it up online, my reaction is ‘ehh?’ because it either looks A) nothing special on the website, or B) the styling is so different to my taste that I’d have scrolled right past.

Jeans: Topshop Jamie Flare | Top: Topshop | Watch: Timex | boots: New Look (old) | earrings: New Look

BLOG, MEET THE TOPSHOP JAMIE FLARE.  JAMIE, MEET BLOG.  Jeans that don’t gape at the back, are nice and skinny on the thighs, and flare out over the boots in a Farrah Fawcett kind of way?  Yes please.  I haven’t worn Jamie jeans since I bought a mint green pair in the sale when I was about 13.  Usually I look back and think I had half decent taste (if I do say so myself) but I’m not quite sure what went on there.  Mint green jeans?!?  What was I thinking.  So yeah, we broke up a while ago, but Jamie and I are back together now.  Currently the third wheel in our relationship is ‘Lettuce Top’ – named by Topshop, not me, FYI – but she’s only staying for a few months before Crisp White Tee storms in to replace her.

We’re still in the early days of this relationship, but I feel so comfortable already and I’m wondering why it took us so long to find each other.  Jamie just gets me.

And that, my friends, is the story of a romance between a girl and a pair of jeans.  We’re doing great.

Lily Kate x

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