A Letter From Michelle — The Formal Pant Set
A Letter From Michelle
Why do so many mother-of-the-bride outfits make us look older than we actually feel?
On the four things that date a wedding outfit, the six I would not compromise on, and why it is $79.95.
A woman came in last spring to find something for her daughter’s wedding, tried on three of the things she was supposed to want, and said the same sentence each time. It makes me look like my mother.
She was right, and the reasons are always the same four: a jacket with shoulders in it, a skirt, a neckline waiting for a necklace, and bare arms she would spend the day covering. That is the outfit a woman is handed the moment her child gets engaged.
So look at what this one does instead. The top is layered chiffon that falls rather than fits, the sleeves cover the upper arm and flare, the beading is at the neck where the photographs look, and underneath it all are wide-leg trousers. No jacket anywhere.
Six things I would not compromise on.
The trousers are wide-leg, not tailored
A narrow trouser reads as workwear in a photograph, whatever you put over it. These are cut wide and fall straight from the hip, so the line is unbroken from shoulder to floor. That is what makes trousers read as an occasion.
“I chose the navy for my daughter’s wedding. I didn’t want to wear a dress, and this felt like such a lovely alternative. The wide-leg pants looked beautiful in the family photos.”
Marilyn H., WilliamsburgThe beading is at the neckline, nowhere else
Beading over a whole bodice is what makes an outfit look like it is trying. Here it is held to the neckline — where a camera goes, and the one place a little light works. It also means you can leave the jewelry in the box.
“The beaded neckline is what caught my eye. Just enough sparkle without being overdone. I wouldn’t even bother with a necklace.”
Carolyn P., GreenvilleThe top is layered, so it falls instead of clinging
Overlapping panels of chiffon, cut long enough to pass the waist and keep going. Nothing is fitted through the middle and nothing is belted, so no seam sits where you would rather not be reminded of one.
“I’m 68 and much more comfortable in pants these days. The layered top falls nicely over my middle, and I love that it doesn’t look boxy or shapeless.”
Diane W., LancasterThe sleeves cover the upper arm
Cut in the same chiffon, flaring from the elbow, covering the upper arm. This is the detail that decides whether you spend the reception in your outfit or in a shawl you have carried since the ceremony. You should not need a second garment to be comfortable in the first.
“Those flowing sleeves are wonderful. I prefer to keep my upper arms covered, especially for formal occasions, and these make the outfit look so graceful.”
Elaine R., RoanokeNo jacket, because the jacket is what dates it
A matching jacket with structured shoulders is the single thing that pushes a wedding outfit back twenty years, and it comes off an hour in anyway. The layers do that work instead, and they stay on all day.
“I was looking for something elegant for my grandson’s wedding but didn’t want a traditional pantsuit with a jacket. The overlapping layers and wide trousers give this such a feminine look. The navy is classic.”
Barbara K., CharlottesvilleThirteen colors, and a word on sizes
Navy, Pine, Plum, Olive, Grey, Champagne, Grape, Wine Red, Royal Blue, Dusty Blue, Frosted Lilac, Candy Pink and Lemon Sorbet — thirteen ways not to match everybody else in the photograph. Now the honest part: it runs US 2 through 16 and no further, so check that against your usual size before you choose.
“Wore this to our 40th anniversary celebration with silver heels and a small clutch. My husband said I looked beautiful. That was enough for me! 😊”
Patricia M., SavannahThis set, against what else $80 buys
| Most $80 formal pant sets | This set | |
|---|---|---|
| The trousers | Tailored and narrow, like work pants | Wide-leg, falling straight from the hip |
| The top | A fitted shell that clings at the waist | Layered chiffon that falls past the middle |
| The sleeves | Sleeveless, so you need a shawl | Flared, and covering the upper arm |
| The neckline | Plain, waiting for a necklace | Beaded, so nothing else is needed |
| The jacket | A matching jacket you take off once | None — the layers do that work instead |
| The color | One or two, if you are lucky | Thirteen, navy through to champagne |
| Sizing | A narrow run that stops early | US 2 through 16, every size one price |
Why we are clearing them out now
This set was $218, and that number was for beading worked across the neckline by hand, overlapping panels of chiffon cut long through the body, flared sleeves in the same cloth and a wide-leg trouser underneath, made up in thirteen colors. A great deal of work on something most makers would have sold you as a jacket and a skirt. But the store turns twenty this year, and my daughters Julie and Amy are both at the counter most days now, which is not something I let myself count on in 2006. We wanted to mark it by handing something back to the women who kept those doors open, so it is going out at a little over a third of what it was.
And the honest reasoning. The day your child marries is not the day to be managing a shawl, a jacket and a waistband. It is the day to be looked at and not have to think about it once, from the ceremony to the last dance.
★★★★★4.8 out of 5 — from 3,369+ reviews
$218.00$79.95
20th Anniversary Sale — Save 63%
- Beading worked across the neckline
- Layered chiffon, falling past the middle
- Flared sleeves, covering the upper arm
- Wide-leg trousers, straight from the hip
- No jacket, and none needed
- Thirteen colors
- US 2 to 16, every size the same price
- Free UPS shipping · 30-day money-back guarantee
Every color and every size the same price · while sizes last
One more thing, and I will let you go.
Think about the photograph that will sit on your daughter’s shelf for the next thirty years.
You will not remember what it cost. You will remember whether you were comfortable in it.
Thirty days to send it back if it is not it.
Go and pick your color.
With love and gratitude,
— Michelle · The Hayes Family Hamptons
PICK YOUR COLOR — $79.95 →This is a personal letter from Michelle Hayes, co-founder of The Hayes Family Hamptons. Customer reviews are quoted as written. · Free UPS shipping · 30-day money-back guarantee.