From Puffy to Palazzo with Paloma Picasso

My puffy cuffed denim pants have been refashioned.

Behold, they are now palazzo pants:

In November I made view B from this 1981 McCalls pattern:

They fit me pretty well without alterations.  I did lop off about two inches from the bottoms before I attached the buttoned cuffs, though:

It’s a cute idea, those button cuffs.  But they were TIGHT. Getting them buttoned was difficult.  Once buttoned the cuffs were secure. But they weren’t really working for me. If they were a bit looser, would the pants have hung differently?  As it was, they were spending all their time on a hanger in my closet, unfulfilled (literally). It was time to uncuff these otherwise lovely pants and get them into circulation.

When I detached the cuffs, my pants expanded into wide legged palazzo pants.  However the unfinished bottom edges were too short to hem (because of the aforementioned lopping).

So I followed this tutorial to add a DIFFERENT kind of cuff to these pants.  Basically, you make a tube of fabric, sew it to the bottom edge right sides together, fold it in half and then sew again “in the ditch.”

attach the cuff

fold it under and "stitch in the ditch"

new cuff!

This method ensures that the cuffs are very securely attached and stand up well to frequent wear.  They give added length (1.5 inches). I wanted the new cuffs to be denim as well and luckily I had just enough fabric leftover.  If I hadn’t, I could have used a contrasting fabric (a light blue and white stripe could have been nice). But I probably would have made them into wide-legged cropped pants (a look that seems to be on trend right now).

I was  thrilled to finally have an opportunity to wear a 1980s vintage Paloma Picasso belt I had been hoarding for a few months.  

I think it really works here. I love this belt, I don’t have anything else like it. The patent leather connects lengths of gold chain and closes with her signature triple X.   It was purchased from this Etsy seller.

Born in 1949 to Pablo Picasso and french painter Francoise Gilot, Paloma initially avoided going into the arts.  Eventually she was drawn to jewelry design and fabrication. Her first pieces in 1971 were met with great success.   

In 1980 she started designing jewelry for Tiffany & Co and developed her signature Xs and Os (hugs and kisses).  In 1984 she developed her fragrance, “Paloma Picasso” and in 1987 branched out into accessories including sunglasses, handbags and belts.  She is still out there, designing all kinds of goods, from bed sheets to bone china. She also still designs for Tiffany and the Paloma Picasso collection is ever popular.

Paloma’s bold and beautiful looks made her a natural model for her own creations.  I remember her print ads from the 1980s:

The shirt I’m wearing is not made by me (I wish!) nor is it vintage.  It was a gift from my husband a few years ago and carries the Pink label.  It is gorgeous and impeccably made.

I have the feeling these pants in their new incarnation will get a lot more wear.  They can be dressed up or down. And my ankles feel so incredibly FREE!