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5 Tips To Wear Bell Bottoms Like a Pro


Hey guys Shay here from Team Jilly!! First of all, thank you SO much for all of the positive feedback from my previous fashion post on how I styled my FAV sweater 5 different ways (if you missed it you can check it out here). I thought I would take over Jilly’s blog again, this time to share some tips on what to look for in a bell bottom and how YOU can wear them like a pro! I know some of you are probably already cringing and hoping I didn’t actually say the word bell bottom …. but you heard it here first folks (or maybe you didn’t lol) but BELL BOTTOMS ARE BACK!!! Don’t be scared, don’t worry, I’m sharing my secrets below on how you can find the perfect pair and how to style them in this post. Read on …

Shay Merritt styling bell bottom jeans

TIP 1: HIGH WAISTED
I find anything high waisted to be more flattering on a women’s curves. The day I wore these jeans to Jillian’s house she pulled out her retro pair of bell bottoms and if they weren’t so low waisted she could TOTALLY still pull them off. The higher waist makes your legs look longer and your waist super tiny because it cuts off at your smaller part. They hug everything in so that you don’t get that winter muffin top making an appearance. There’s also guaranteed to be no but cracks to be seen!! Oh and they also happen to be WAY more comfortable …

TIP 2: LEG WIDTH

Ok Ok I know jumping back into bell bottoms might be a bit scary so start small!! Find a pair of “wide leg” pants that are tight through the thigh and start to bell out at the knees. These won’t feel so drastic for you. They hug all of the good parts and then elongate the legs. They are a great introductory pair to the real deal!

TIP 3: WASH 

I went for a bit of a darker wash because I found them to be a bit more slimming and flattering than the lighter wash. This is totally a personal preference but they might not look AS wide when you look in the mirror … meaning they’re less scary! Maybe I’ll get up the courage to rock a lighter wash for my next pair …

TIP 4: DON’T BREAK THE BANK 

I bought this pair from Aritzia for $128 but I have found some AWESOME pairs for you around the $100 range which I think is reasonable for a quality jean. Since these might not be an investment piece, you don’t need to break the bank to be in style!

TIP 5: HOW TO WEAR THEM

I like to keep things simple when you’re going out of your comfort zone with a statement piece like bell bottoms. I’ve paired mine with an old white sweater tee that I found in my closet and white sneakers. I recommend wearing a simple white t-shirt or a white blouse tucked in slightly so that you can see the waist of the pants. I paired mine with sneakers for an every day look but these would look AWESOME dressed up with a wedge for a night out.

Bell bottoms that tick off all of the above boxes:

Shay Merritt styling bell bottom jeans

Jeans | Top (similar) | Sneakers | Watch | Sunglasses

There you have it … 5 tips to feel a bit more comfortable wearing bell bottoms!! What do you think … are you ready to try them out?? Do you like the bell bottom trend?? Tell me in the comments below!!

 

XO
Shay

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Leave a Reply

  1. Shay you are the cutest! I love your style posts. I bought the platform Vans this weekend and was a bit on the fence, but knowing my favourite fashionista wears them makes me happy I took the plunge. I vote for more of these posts!
    Thanks for sharing 🙂

  2. I’ve always been a fan of bell bottoms! I’m glad that they’re back, and that they’re high wasted! Don’t have any in my wardrobe yet but can’t say I won’t have some soon!

  3. Love that the other ladies are posting! Would love to see a blog where Mindy is featured. We have the same body type and I love her style!

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