I have a few small things that belonged to my Nanny Ruth. These things include a gold-edged plate that she and my grandfather bought at Niagara Falls, a ring with a blue stone that I wear on the little finger of my right hand (like her granddaughter, she piled on rings every day of her life), and a miniature piano that winds up and plays songs. When Indy is old enough, I’ll give him that piano and tell him about his great-grandmother and her signature can-can twirl, and how much she loved music and dancing. I hope he’ll love those things, too.
One more gift that Nanny Ruth left for me: these palazzo pants. Purple and velvet, they were her very favorites, but I mostly think I ended up with them because…well, I’m probably the only one in the family whom she thought might actually wear the things.
“I mean,” said Mom, “they’re really purple. Do you think you’d ever wear them?”
…Are you kidding me?
Would I wear them?!
I love them.
And so I thought I’d take some photos in them for Nanny. I think she would have liked this quite a bit.
Big, flowy pants can be tough to make look non pajama-y, but fortunately there are a few rules that you can follow to avoid making those around you wonder whether you just hopped out of bed:
1. Go for luxe fabrics and patterns – nothing that could ever be confused with sleepwear (no lambs or bunnies, tread carefully around pastels, etc.).
2. Add bold accessories (hats, scarves, statement jewelry) that definitively say “I am outside, and I am awake.”
3. Make sure that the other half of your outfit resembles nighttime attire not in the slightest. Check out this photo of Rachel Roy, who wore a head-to-toe PJ look on the red carpet. She is very lovely, and I’m sure she’s a very nice person, but don’t do that.
4. Fancy it up hair- and makeup-wise. Try a strong lip or glamorous eyes, and if you prefer a bedhead look to a coiffed one (as I do), make sure your ‘do appears deliberate, not sloppy.
Click here for more pajamawear-in-the-daytime inspiration.
On me: Nanny Ruth’s velvet pants and leather bow gloves, Ann Klein sweater, Albertus Swanepoel for Target hat, vintage necklace and handbag, Keira booties c/o Geox.
(The pants on the lady herself, styled up as only she could.)
Top three images by Ovidius Photography.
