Do you have a question for Cosmopolitan.com's style editor Charles Manning? Submit it here or tweet him @charlesemanning. Happy dressing!
Q: What's the best thing to do with your pants when you haven't had time to get them tailored yet, or can't get them tailored (i.e. pleather)? How can you style them so you don't look like a schlub?
A: First of all, hemming your pants is inexpensive and can usually be done at your dry cleaner in a day, so it really is worth taking the time to get it done.
That said, if you're in a bind there are 3 things you can do:
1. Put on a pair of super high heels. This really only works if your pant legs are on the looser side. Tight pants pulled down over heels never stay in place and always look awkward because of the way they bulge and stretch around the shoes.
2. Cuff 'em. If your pants are tight and made of a thicker fabric like denim or twill, a clean cuff is best, but they will start to look a little bulky if you roll them more than 2 or 3 times. For looser or slouchier pants, a bunchier, more casual roll is best. In either case, you want your pants to be slightly shorter than you would normally wear them. That way cuffing feels like a style choice, not just something you're doing because you have to.
3. Iron, pin, and tape a temporary hem. Fold your pant under and safety pin the excess fabric on the outer and inner leg seams to itself (that way the pins won't be visible from the outside of the pant). Next, iron a hard crease into the pant leg and then use double-sided tape (topstick works best) to keep the front and back of the pants from drooping. It's a lot of work, but if you skip a step the hem won't stay up, so you need to make sure you do all three.
Q: I work in the fashion industry in NYC and have noticed that fashion people never wear tights, even when it's 20 degrees. What is WITH the rejection of tights by fashion people? Is there a temperature at which they draw the line?
A: I blame this particular phenomenon on street style photographers. They love a seasonally inappropriate fashion moment — fur in summer, chiffon and bare legs in winter — and there is nothing fashion people like better than having their picture taken, so they are happy to oblige. Also, fashion people in NYC are used to suffering to achieve a certain look, so unless tights enhance the outfit in some way you are unlikely to see an editor or stylist wearing them, even when it's freezing out.
Of course, if you're into the bare-legs-in-winter look, bundling up on top and wearing a nice warm coat are essential. You'll never be as warm as you would be if your legs were covered, but at least you won't die of hypothermia.
Q: Is it true that you can't wear black and brown together? What about black and navy?
A: This is absolutely untrue. It's just one of those antiquated fashion rules like "no white shoes after Labor Day." Black and brown, black and navy, brown and navy — it all works.
If the colors are particularly similar, it's a good idea to layer them next to or on top of each other so their differences are more apparent. Combining pieces with different textures — leather with denim, silk with wool, etc. — will also keep similar colors from bleeding together. That said, if you're going for a subtler look, a little color confusion can actually be a good thing. The fact is neutrals almost always mix well together, so there really is no wrong way to do it.
Photo Credit: Getty Images
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