Reviews of Affordable Summer Items & Fit Comparison of Pants

Reviews Spring and Summer 2023

Reviews of Spring Summer Clothes 2023

Ready for some reviews? Here are some items I’ve tried lately that I haven’t gotten to talk about in blog posts. This batch has some summer basics with just a few statement pieces. If you want even more recommendations, remember that I highlighted some in the recent posts “Elevated Casual Tops for Summer” and “Special Occasion Outfits Under $50.”

I’ll of course be sharing more as we really start getting into summer. I feel like this round is a warm-up. 😆 Looking ahead, we have some packing lists coming, summer capsules, summer wardrobe & outfit guides, and all sorts of good stuff to help you with summer style. Until then, here’s an appetizer!

SIZING: I’m 5’6″ and usually S/M or 6 in clothes and 8.5 to 9 in shoes. 

 

Casual Outfit for Summer: orange brown t-shirt + denim shorts + white sandals + white earringsCasual Outfit for Summer: orange brown t-shirt untucked Cicy Bell + denim shorts + white sandals + white earringsCasual Outfit for Summer: orange brown t-shirt Amazon + off white linen pants + white cross strap sandals + white round leather earrings

Amazon Orange Tee – size M
This tee is super, super soft and fairly thick with a drapey material. I really like its rolled sleeves which adds a small detail and a relaxed touch. It’s pretty long as you can see in the second picture, but it works well in a full tuck and in a partial tuck. One note is that it does not really look like the picture on Amazon’s site and looks more like my pics here. It comes in 20 colors and in sizes S to XXL, HERE. I’m wearing size M in the color “Brown” though it’s more like orange (which I prefer)!

Shop the Outfit #1:
T-shirt: Amazon (exact—wearing size M)

Shorts: Kohl’s (exact—wearing size 6)
Sandals: DSW (exact in different colors—wearing size 8)
Earrings: c/o Nickel & Suede (similar, similar, similar, similar)

Shop Outfit #2:
T-shirt: Amazon (exact—wearing size M)

Pants: Gap (exact—wearing size 4)
Sandals: Nordstrom Rack (exact—wearing size 8.5)
Earrings: c/o Nickel & Suede (similar, similar, similar, similar)

 

Casual Outfit for Summer: orange brown t-shirt Amazon + off white linen pants Amazon Essentials + white cross strap sandals + white round leather earrings

Amazon Linen Pants – size S
These pants don’t work great with my shape personally, which is curvy on the bottom, i.e. hourglasses and pears. They are tight around my curvy hips, and as you can see here, they don’t fit me well. These would be much better if you have straighter and narrower hips, i.e. inverted triangles, rectangles, and some apples. The rise feels more like a mid rise, so if you need high rise, these also wouldn’t be as great for you.

They are a great pair of pants if they fit you well, though! They are thick with some good structure, though of course since they’re linen, they’re flexible and not rigid. They have an elastic, tie waistband, and pockets. Available in 5 colors and 3 prints, and some colors are available in sizes XXS to 6X. Only $35.80, too! I’m wearing size S.

Shop the Outfit:
T-shirt: Amazon (exact—wearing size M)

Pants: Amazon (exact—wearing size S)
Sandals: (exact—wearing size )
Earrings: c/o Nickel & Suede (similar, similar, similar, similar)

Total tangent, but fun insight, here’s a side-by-side comparison of the Amazon linen pants and a pair from Gap that fits me better. I recently showed this Gap pair on the blog HERE (though I believe availability is now limited), and it’s up above in the pics with the orange tee. Let’s break down the fit comparisons:

Fit Comparison Chart Wide Leg Pants: Casual Outfit for Summer: orange brown t-shirt Amazon + off white linen pants + white cross strap sandals + white round leather earrings

This is important because it’s easy to think that if you try a couple of pairs of jeans or wide leg pants—or ANYTHING for that matter—and they don’t fit you, that the problem is your body. The problem is NOT your body; the problem is the clothes. If you’re in the PMT Style Club or a Simply Put Together style-course student, you’ve heard this before. This is SUCH an important mindset shift! All clothing is cut differently. So if one or two or three pairs don’t fit you, it doesn’t mean something is wrong with your body. It means that something is wrong with the clothes and you just need to move on to find a pair that is cut better for your body.

Also quick note, SHAPE, or how things are cut, is not the same thing as SIZE. Sizing up in the Amazon pants just makes everything too big everywhere on me, so it doesn’t work. The fit points and how the item is CUT are just wrong for my shape. Finding a pair that is cut differently, that has a different SHAPE, makes ALL THE DIFFERENCE. There is a lot more to say about this, but I’m trying not to get into the whole spiel here since this is just a post reviewing clothing, haha!

If you do want to hear more about it, jump on my email list, and in a couple of months you’ll get a 4-part series from me with an intro to dressing body shapes. (The two months prior to that cover other essential topics, like foundations of building a wardrobe, pulling together outfits, and more.) Subscribe HERE, and download the free wardrobe staples checklist while you’re at it!

Or, if you’re a member of Simply Put Together or the PMT Style Club, you already have access to the Dressing Your Body Shape lessons, so log in and go watch them. They’re waiting for you!

Last, if you want access to my course Dressing Your Body Shape, then become a PMT Style Club member when it opens next week on May 30th. You’ll learn what it means to dress your shape, what clothes to look for, and what kinds of outfits work well for your shape.

Okay, all that aside… the Amazon pants are good, just not for me. If you have straighter hips, give them a shot!

 

Casual Outfit for Summer: white tee + purple joggers + white slip on sneakers + white round leather earrings

Amazon Joggers – size S
A PMT teammate, Ceci, has been looking into comfy pants for her upcoming international summer trip. This is one of the pants she found, and since Ceci and I carry curves in opposite places (she’s an Inverted Triangle with straighter hips while I’m an Hourglass with curvier hips) I had a hunch they wouldn’t fit me well. But I wanted to try them anyway to speak on the material firsthand.

As suspected, I don’t love how they fit on me, and they would better if you have a straighter bottom half. Fit aside, these pants are SOFT, STRETCHY, and SMOOTH. They’re that sporty material that feels soooo comfy and never wrinkles, which makes them good for travel. That said, I find them a little clingy for my curvy hips/bottom and fuller thighs. That is a result of fit though. You can see in the pictures on the product site that these pants don’t cling to the models this way, so if you have a straighter bottom half and thinner limbs proportionately, then these shouldn’t cling to you like they do to me. Available in 15 colors, HERE.

Shop the Outfit:
T-shirt: Nordstrom Rack (exact—wearing size M, exact)

Pants: Amazon (exact—wearing size S)
Shoes: (exact—wearing size 8.5)
Earrings: c/o Nickel & Suede (similar, similar, similar, similar)

 

Work Outfit for Spring and Summer: white button-up blouse + green pants + nude heels + white earrings

Kohl’s Work Pants – size 6
Infuse some fun into your summer workwear with bright green pants!!! I got these pants to try as one of the options for a collaboration with Kohl’s but didn’t end up using it in the post. I wanted to mention them, though!

These pants have a pull-on elastic waistband, and while I’ll admit that I have many other pants that have far stretchier waistbands than this one, some stretch is better than no stretch at all. These pants aren’t super duper soft, though they do have stretch so you can be in them all day. So again, I wouldn’t say they feel luxurious, but they are soooooo affordable, especially during sales, and good for the price. Especially if you want to infuse some fun colors or prints into your wardrobe! These are available in short, regular, and tall lengths, HERE, and plus sizes HERE.

White Button Up Blouse – size S
This blouse is another affordable find that is great for work. While it’s a collared button up, it has a much more relaxed feel, thanks to its short sleeves and flowy material and fit. It also has some sheen to it. I like how the sheen makes it a little more upscale, adds a level of polish and style, and keeps it from feeling stiff. My main note is that this is kind of hard to do a loose front tuck with, as the strip where the buttons are sewn into prevents it from draping fluidly with a tuck. I needed to tuck it a little more tightly here instead. Good work staple, though! Available in 9 colors, HERE.

Shop the Outfit:
Top: Kohl’s (exact—wearing size S)

Pants: Kohl’s (exact—wearing size 6)
Shoes: (similar)
Earrings: c/o Nickel & Suede (similar, similar, similar, similar)

 

Nice Casual Outfit for Spring and Summer: yellow with white short sleeve blouse + white pants + metallic sandals + white earrings Nice Casual Outfit for Spring and Summer: yellow with white short sleeve blouse + white pants + white earrings

V-Neck Top – size S
I have shared this top in solid green before, but I HAD to get this new yellow spotted version! This top has a bit of sheen to it, which makes it look upscale and nicer for work settings. But, you can dress it down in nice casual outfits with jeans, too. Available in several colors and prints, HERE.

Metallic Sandals – TTS
Just wanna highlight these metallic sandals from my recent Kohl’s blog post. These are really affordable and really comfortable, with super soft and flexible straps. Metallic sandals are extremely versatile, as metallics are technically neutrals. They also add extra polish to outfits, which is very helpful in the summer when you have less pieces and less material to work with to make your outfits look good! Available in 5 colors, HERE. I’m wearing size 9 but probably should have gotten size 8.5.

Shop the Outfit:
Top: Kohl’s (exact—wearing size S)

Jeans: Kohl’s (exact—wearing size 6)
Shoes: (exact—wearing size 9 but should have gotten 8.5)
Earrings: c/o Nickel & Suede (similar, similar, similar, similar)

 

Nice Casual Outfit for Spring and Summer: yellow with white short sleeve top vera wang + white ankle jeans + metallic flat sandals Kohl's + white round leather earrings

Nickel & Suede Florence Earrings
I’ve been showing these in outfits lately but haven’t had a chance to talk about them until now! These are such a fun pair for summer that can dress up a t-shirt and shorts or be paired with a dressy outfit like the one here. These are made of leather, and the leather is super soft and lightweight. I love being able to wear beautiful statement earrings that essentially feel WEIGHTLESS—they don’t weigh down your ears, and it’s awesome!

Apologies for not having a great closeup of these earrings, but you can find them on Nickel & Suede’s site, HERE.

NOTE: I had a discount code for $10 off $25+ for first-time shoppers, but I don’t know if it’s active anymore. You can check by clicking to Nickel & Suede’s site through any of my affiliate links (like THIS one) and adding something to your cart. At checkout right before you actually pay, you’d see $10 taken off with my code if it’s still active. If not, sorry!

Shop Outfit:
Dress: c/o Nordstrom Rack (exact—wearing size S)

Denim Jacket: (similar—I wear size S)
Sandals: c/o Nordstrom Rack (exact—wearing size 8.5)
Earrings: c/0 Nickel & Suede (exact)

 

Casual Outfit for Summer: green ribbed tank + black shorts + black slide sandals + white earrings

Gap Shorts – size S
I ordered this pair for a collaboration with Gap and ended up not using them in the post, but I wanted to highlight them. They are very soft and comfy with an elastic waistband! They have a super flowy and airy fit, which I know all of you in hot and humid places will appreciate! I measured a 12″ rise which is usually wayyyyyyy too high for me, but I think because they’re so flowy, I can wear them lower and it doesn’t matter. The inseam is 5″. Available in 4 colors and in regular, tall, and petite sizing.

Shop the Outfit:
Tank: Gap (exact—wearing size S; similar)
Shorts: (exact—wearing size S)
Shoes: Kohl’s (similar)
Earrings: c/o Nickel & Suede (similar, similar)

That’s it for now! There will be much more summer content to come over the next several weeks, so get ready! 😊

Also, if you are interested in joining the PMT Style Club, it opens NEXT WEEK on May 30th! I’ll be leading a workshop on preparing your summer wardrobe and another workshop on how to mix and match, and we’ll do a remix challenge. Plus, you’ll get the summer wardrobe & outfit guide, packing lists for 3 locations (weeks earlier than they’ll be released on the blog), and all of the courses on how to dress your body shape, how to take outfits from plain to polished, how to identify your style, and more! Click here to get all the details and sign up for the waitlist.

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