Because sometimes even the most stylish people have an off day.

What is style? Does it come from the inside or the outside? Is it from both? Should style equal comfort? Comfort in your own skin or comfort in your clothes? How do the two blend together? And what are the failings?

I like to think I’m stylish: I generally dress well and have nice clothing. People line up for my hand-me-downs. [To you bitches who criticized my non-designer jeans: I only bought them because I wasn’t sure skinny jeans were going to stay in style and didn’t want to invest a lot of money in a pair just to ditch them after one season. $40 at AE = well worth it.] I buy nice shoes and bags and belts and I take good care of my belongings. I invest in beautiful pieces that I have for years and years. My black DVF wrap dress doesn’t owe me anything and it’s still going strong.

Juicy Couture is an example of the successful merger of style and comfort, as are Hard Tail and So Low sweats and more recently Lulu Lemon. Each of these labels took comfort and brought in the crucial element of style – all of their designs have been mimicked for years now and women pay top dollar for the look.

But merging style and comfort has its failings, where something stylish and comfortable has been destroyed by fit. Sometimes it’s simply the wrong body type wearing something stylish: skinny jeans are not for everyone, even though jeans are one of the most forgiving of pants. [If you have no ass, skinny jeans are not your friend. Be sure to wear a tunic to conceal this.]

The following is an email I sent in November 2007 to my sister detailing my attire. Perhaps the most horrifying part is that I was on the train so I must have worn this outfit to my Manhattan office, which is FILLED with stylish people.

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Sent: Monday, November 19, 2007 5:39:57 PM
Subject: My outfit

So I told you I am wearing way too big pants, right? I also have on a big gray cardigan and a gray shirt underneath. The cardigan is longer but is doing nothing to conceal my saggy baggy ass. Oh, and the pants have one of those latch hooks at the waistband and they are so oversized that the latch won't work. Only the fly is keeping them up. And underneath the pants I have on a pair of beat up pink undies, so if my pants fall down it won't be pretty.

To walk home from the train I brought my Merrill snow boots. They are similar to Merrill mocs, but incredibly have a wider, more unflattering toe than the low mocs. It's an unbelievably good look.

Finally, I am wearing my long puffer parka and mittens and I have 2 bags with me. So I look like a crazy, disheveled bag lady with a load in her pants. If you see me walking on the street just keep going, I'll probably be looking for soda bottles and cans worth a nickel at the redemption place.

Sent from my BlackBerry wireless handheld.
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I can tell you exactly what I was wearing. The whole outfit was from BCBG. [Stylish, right?] I still have everything but the pants: I believe I unloaded them on my “grab bag” shortly after this incident. The puffer coat is a North Face parka that has a flattering cut and despite being quilted down, doesn’t add bulk and is incredibly warm. The Merrill boots…well, it was November and my walk from the train is nearly a mile and it may have already snowed. I most certainly had lovely shoes on while in the office, and I was probably toting them in one of the two bags. (Again, I’m a nice person. Please don’t judge me by my postings here.) The undies were my first pair of Hanky Pankies and I got them before Hanky Pankies became a household name. I remain a loyal devotee and I did eventually part with my first pair.

But back to the point: while all of this was stylish independently (not the Merrills, I concede) the end result was a disaster. An unsuccessful merger of style and comfort, brought on by an ill-fitting pair of pants. So what’s a girl to do when she has a major failure? As a supremely stylish person I’m sure I carried it well in the office that day. Stand tall, shoulders back, walk confidently. No one will notice the ass of your pants is way too big when your personality and smile are even bigger.