Lamia: The Fashion Statement: Waist Not Want Not

About a month ago, my sister dressed my niece in a denim-blazer-and-high-waisted-Capri set. The seven-year-old -- a Project Runway addict -- looked at herself in the mirror and groused, "I look tucked in like an old man. That's not usually how I roll."

High waists, however, are where the fashion industry seems to be going as evidenced from a few pre-fall shows this week. Above is a look from Oscar de la Renta's vision of the end of summer, 2010. And, after years and years of how-low-can-you-go jeans and pants, we might be soon hearing that's-not-how-I-roll cries from consumers.

In my experience, we'll have a little time before high waists really come back in style. A few prescient designers have and will continue to be reacting to the low-waist trend with the opposite reaction. But it will take time for most designers to catch on. And even longer still for the mainstream's eye to embrace the trend. So don't panic, you won't have to buy a pair just yet.

Even in their heyday, high-waisted pants were tricky look to pull off. In the mid-'80s, when the look was last embraced by the fashion flock, pants reaching up to the armpits completed SNL's Ed Grimley hyperactive, neurotic nerd's schtick played by Martin Short. It was the joke.

Still, pants can't get any lower. So what come down must come back up. Interestingly enough, the original low-waist culprits -- denim designers -- were the first to try out high waists a few years ago. Celebrities here and there tried it, including Fergie and Mary-Kate Olsen. Earlier this year, Jessica Simpson got skewered as much for a high-waisted denim look on her petite frame as much as her much-talked about weight gain. And, yes, I confess: Yours truly sported a pair from Radcliffe London in 2007. I put them on again this week and decided I looked positively matronly.

There's something to be said about high-waisted pants, particularly at a time when the '40s are making a resurgence. It's particularly tempting to those of us who think we have short legs. A high waist lengthens those legs. But it also lengthens the derriere, too. And there's the rub.

Sure, a super slim, high-waisted silhouette might eventually tip the scales toward becoming a full-fledged trend. In the meantime, try convincing our boyfriends and husbands this is a sexy look. I mean, they are just now embracing slim, '60's-esque suits.

What's your view?