Crush: Ponte Di Roma Fabric

My introduction to ponte fabirc came in the form of a deep burgandy pair of Marisa skinny pants from Ann Taylor Loft this past winter. Based on the amount I wore them (3-4x a week, for about 2 months straight) they were a complete steal at $15 on the sale rack. They went perfectly with the navy blues and blacks that I tend to favor, especially during the winter months. I was ecstatic to find a similar pair in hunter green in the Julie style a few weeks later.

Photo credit: ShopStyle

Photo credit: eBay

These pants are as comfy as a legging but with thickness comparable to a dress pant. I stand just a hair over 5' 1" but these pants make me feel like I have longer legs and create a clean silhouette when paired with peplum tops and denim button-ups. As someone who has struggled for 7+ years with finding jeans that fit my size 6, yet petite, frame, these pants were just about everything I could ask for--I love them!

Black soon joined my repertoire of ponte pants and I found myself wondering if anyone else knew how flippin' cool ponte was. I knew nothing about it, just that it seemed to hold up well, keep me warm, and was incredibly comfortable. Google quickly affirmed to me  that yes, people knew, and ponte (also known as Ponte Di Roma) was being used not just to make pants but blazers, tops, and dresses as well.

Sally of already pretty gives a concise overview of the fabric on her blog:

Ponte is a double-knit interlock fabric that has stability and firmness in addition to flexibility and softness. This means it can be used in dresses, blazers, and more structured pieces and hold its shape but still maintain comfort and give. ... This fabric has all of the comfort and flexibility of jersey..

Probably one of the most well-known ponte garment is J. Crew's Pixie pant.One of my coworkers last summer wore hers in constant rotation and I'm sure that was my subconscious inspiration for purchasing the ponte pants from Loft this winter. While the $98 price tag has me waiting for a good paycheck as well as a sale, I know that the pants are worth it for their premium wearbility and quality. More expensive ponte often indicates high-quality blends, thus ensuring true durability (comparable in this sense to cashmere). 

J. Crew Pixie pants / Photo credit: J. Crew