Test: Papao wrap pants

I was very excited to review patterns from the new Pépite collection from @readytosew when Raphaëlle reached out to me and asked me to try the patterns I liked. The first I made was the Pekka jacket (you can find my post here), a kimono style light jacket. The second pattern I tried was the Papao pants, an asymmetric wrap style inspired by Asian traditional clothing. There are two views, one with a curved front pocket and one without. The closure is with ties. Initially I was a bit skeptical towards any trouser style that accumulates layers of fabric on my tummy, but I’m pleased to report that these worries were unnecessary as it stays flat and looks very neat. One of the great features of the pattern is the half sizing, so it’s very easy to achieve a great fit. I’m between sizes myself, but the only adjustment I needed to do was to shorten the legs by 2 cm, and that’s it. The fit is achieved with darts on the back and front pieces, and the clever design secures the fold at the front so it stays flat during movement. It is important to make sure that you pick your size based on the waist measurement and then adjust it to your hip measure. If you have smaller or bigger hip/waist ratio you will need to grade between sizes.


The fabric is a light/medium weight linen from Metermeter.dk, and although the pattern recommendation is for a heavier fabric I had no problems. The key feature is structure. A very fluid fabric would cause the sharp folded front to soften and relapse during movement, so a structured linen, ramie or cotton is preferable. From the remnants I managed to squeeze out a little top to make a faux jumpsuit – see the last picture below.


The instructions are very detailed and easy to follow, and include several blog posts and video. If you are looking for something a bit different, this is a very satisfying make that should be achievable for a confident beginner, but take your time to cut and mark each piece carefully to avoid confusion, there are many pieces. So – I really love these pants, and I think they will be my favorites this summer. For the record: I received the pattern in exchange for a blog post, but I used my own fabric. 

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