Buster v. Bargain - The Skinny on Skinnies

Skinny pants are here... and they are here to stay for as much as I can tell.  Skinny jeans, cigarette pants, tapered ankle pants, cropped chinos, ankle capris, capris... WHATEVER you want to call them... it looks like this style of pant is a fairly worthwhile investment.  I avoided the style, because for some reason I assumed, as many capri pants have done to me in the past, tapered ankle pants would make me look stumpy and fat.  However, after observing so many pictures of adorable outfits consisting of skinny pants and heels, I had to try them out.  I didn't want to invest too much money in a style that could totally wreak havoc on my self-esteem, so I chose to purchase a pair of tapered ankle pants in a soft sueded chino material from a clearance sale at Lands End last year.  I was so pleasantly surprised at the slimming effect and my ability to utilize the pants in my business casual work environment and transition them into casual and comfortable weekend outfits... that I purchased a few more.  The pants have worked great with flats or heels.
Now that Spring is steadfastly approaching, I am seeing skinny pants pop up everywhere.  And, as much as I adore JCrew's style, I am often aghast at the price of many simple items in their collection, e.g. ankle chino pants.

My suggestion?  Head over to the Lands End website and snap up a pair of their 4-way Stretch Twill Pants offered in Regular, Petite, or Plus sizes for a bargain price of $19.99.  The pants come in black, stone, or chocolate brown.  Compared to JCrew's New Cafe Capri at $79.50, I think it's a no-brainer, unless you have a particular sizing issue with either retailer.  Last year, I bought several pairs of the Modern Slim Leg Stretch Sueded Cotton Pants from Lands End in Golden Yellow, Hunter Green, and Black in the petite version, and wear them a lot with heels or flats.  I am still kicking myself for not buying the Khaki and Ivory colors, because they were such a great price.  I also purchased a pair of the Modern Ponte Snap Leg Cropped Pants in black (also the petite version), and am really considering the purchase of one or two more of the exact same pant... JUST BECAUSE they are so comfortable, but no one would ever know.  They look dressy when you dress the pant up, and perfect in a casual outfit when dressed down.  And at $14.97 a pair, why not??  The quality of Lands End is pretty superb, and despite buying from the "Overstocks" section, I have had no issues.  They frequently offer free shipping deals, and I just received an email today that you can manually enter the promotion code "NICESHOES" and the pin 1010 at the billing information page's promotion code section.  This will give you free shipping for any order over $50.  I'm currently tempted to purchase all of the 4-way stretch twill pants available on the website, as well as the extra pairs of black ponte snap pants... SIGH... darn you clothing purchase hiatus!!  Oh well.  While I only own the pants and flats below, I have created similar outfits with stuff I already have at home.  I say this with a twitch of annoyance, because I have been searching high and low for a pair of grey suede peeptoe pumps in that EXACT style, and i adore that stripe blazer.

At Work: Debenhems Orange Sheer Tie Blouse, PiperLime Aryn K Stripe Blazer, Lands End Modern Ponte Snap Leg Cropped Pants, and Nine West Grey Suede Peeptoe Pump.  On Weekends: F21 Heather Grey V-neck Tee, JCrew Cotton Dobby Scarf, Lands End Modern Ponte Snap Leg Cropped Pants, and Payless AE Chime Teal Flower Flats