Carve Designs Sun Valley Sailor Pant
November 7, 2010
I was pretty impressed by Carve Designs at Outdoor Retailer this year. They’re a California-based company focusing on the beach lifestyle, with a line that encompasses swimwear, rash guards, and functional board shorts to fashion-based pieces such as skirts, dresses, and casual clothing. I was attracted to the line even though I’m not really a beachy person and sometimes it’s hard to envision how California style would fit into my life, but I loved their athletics-based photography in their catalogs as well as their designers’ obvious dediation to fit and function, and their enthusiasm for their product. Their line is HUGE and there is so much to choose from, it was hard even to know where to start; by the time I was done with the presentation at OR I wanted to try pretty much everything. I made a hard bid for some swimwear, as I think that is a neglected subcategory of “gear”, but the folks at Carve thought I was crazy for wanting swimwear in September, so they submitted a selection of their fall pieces.
First I want to discuss what I think is my favorite out of the pieces submitted; the Sun Valley Sailor Pant. I don’t have a picture of it, but I’ll link to one in just a moment. I hate to do it, because it’s the only picture of these pants I could find, and it’s not a very good one. It is from the Carve Designs web site, and I really don’t know why they don’t use a better picture. The pants look to be a size too big for the model, and end up looking baggy and unflattering. In real life, and fitted correctly, and (full disclosure) with a bit of restyling, these pants are super cute and one of my favorite pairs. They are made of incredibly soft, luxurious corduroy fabric that for once is not bulky and thick. It feel satiny and smooth, and nicely thin and lightweight.
The restyling came in after I tried them on and fell in love with the fabric and fit but wasn’t keen on the button detail and the bulges caused by the pockets. Now, I used to sew quite a bit, and back in the day I made my own and all my friends’ prom dresses as well as various other garments, but the fact that I have disposable income now has made me put aside the sewing machine in favor of, you know, buying stuff. But for these pants, I broke the Singer back out and got to work. First I took off the buttons on the pockets. They do nothing; they are just for show, to get that “sailor” look. They also draw attention straight to the hips. No, thank you. Off they came. From there, I sewed all the pockets shut and cut out the inside fabric because the pocket fabric made visible bulges and lines. This not only eliminated those unsightly lines but also kept the hip pockets from pooching out and making my hips look wider. Can you imagine this look with a line of big buttons on the pocket? Don’t imagine – go look at that picture. See what I mean? With just a little work on my part, now these pants are perfect. I love the slim cut – which you, again, can’t see in the picture they chose – and the flattering, sexy low rise and well-cut waist that gives you the low rider look without the dreaded “coin slot” in back. They are super cute pants. Why they look so bad in the picture shown on the Carve web site is really a mystery to me. It’s not the model – she’s in other pictures and she looks much better.
Also a mystery is the description of the pants listed on the site. None of this: ” the Sun Valley Sailor Pant has four custom Carve Designs bamboo leaf on stripe buttons that close across a front panel with hidden hook and bar closure and zipper fly behind. Fitted through the hip, room through the legs and a higher front rise” is true at all. I’m thinking these pants were redesigned and someone forgot to change the description. Luckily for us the improvements to this pant really are that: improvements. Here’s hoping the Carve web site team tries again and gives these pants a better showing. In real life, though, these pants are great. Order your regular size, be prepared for a low rise, and feel free to take the buttons off if you want!
