My tips:

You like the fabric and style of the pants on your body. The rise is pretty good and the waist fits more less the way you like. The pant is maybe a bit on the big side because it is easier to take something in than to let something out. The pant's design is straightforward in the areas where you need the alterations; for example, a fly-front pant with slant pockets is easier to alter on the side seams than a pant with a side zipper and/or a complicated side pocket design. If you find a pant that has a seam in the middle of the back waistband, you have won the lottery because that makes the alteration described by Diane much easier. Lining isn't much of an issue, but look for a pant that is made of reasonably nice fabric and doesn't have any wonky issues like twisty side seams which indicate sloppy construction.

Oh, this is good stuff, Gaylene. I think this might very well need to be on my phone.

...You know, I'm gonna be looking at all my pants and everyone else's. That seamed waisband... that has got to be rare.

Firstly most tailors should carry trouser patterns. Secondly, yes a seam in the middle of the waistband is very useful.
Also when I'm altering a saggy butt I actually take apart the trousers right underneath where the fork of the trousers is, under your nether regions and down the seam from the waist to that point plus a small amount of inside leg, It is all to do with crotch depth and back leg width on the pattern at crotch level. I got a lot of this info from a Patti Palmer book called 'Pants for real people'.

Hi there, I am a hipless wonder and have had luck with BR and even Gap dress pants. However, if these aren't working for you, have you tried Club Monaco? I haven't shopped there is a while but recall their cuts being quite slim through the hip also.

Diane, that's good that tailors have patterns, lol. I sense disaster, me trying to find a pattern and asking someone to make it.

But I'm imagining now the back panel of a trouser leg hanging from the waistband and able to be laid out flat again, essentially... I have always wondered about how people fit the back, since it's not flat like the front... and it has always looked somehow "shaped" to me.

... Talking with you guys, I really feel there's a lot else I could be looking for when I look for pants. I'm pretty sure I can do a better job narrowing the field.

Diane, that's too funny! The earlier Palmer/Pletsch "Pants for Any Body" was my fitting guide way back in the early 80s! I also took a couple of workshops with Patti back then; she had a host of tips, tricks, and shortcuts that made sewing so much easier than many of the traditional tailoring techniques that my mother and grandmother used. I'll always remember her showing us how to create the right curves for various body shapes in the "nether" regions using her own body as the model--lots of laughing, a bit of blushing, but totally making her point in an unforgettable way!

Here's an old post that, I think, was originally started by San about fitting for "flat butt" syndrome. It's also a hilarious read because it highlights how the meaning of a word can really vary depending on where one lives. Angie can't stop laughing at her interpretation.

http://youlookfab.com/welookfa.....annie-here

As Diane indicated, the correct procedure for doing this kind of adjustment in RTW pants is a bit more time consuming than just taking in the side seams to get rid of a bit of poof on the side seams. If the tailor's response is something like the following, you know you've found a good one:

Well, I'd take take a bit in on the side seams to get rid of some of the excess on the back, but I'd probably also need to take apart the inseams at the intersection of the crotch to get rid of some of the excess there. I might also need to adjust the dart length and width and/or lift the waistline at the centre back.

By the way, my husband has this done on all his dress pants and is never charged extra for the alteration! So unfair!

Oh, this stuff is brilliant pure gold. I never would have known.

torontogirl - I have never really done other than poke my head into Club Monaco. I'm not sure what it's supposed to be, to be honest. The AT of H&Ms? But an excellent suggestion because that's a store totally unexplored by me. A chance exists!

Rachylou --

Great stuff above. Here's a quick overview, complete with line drawings, re Making Perfect Pants

I share your long rise and rolled to the back of the trunk junk issues and crotch depth is key. One less extensive workaround for that -- if you're not a big tucker -- is to have the tailor cut out a small (~ 2" wide) triangle-shaped piece in the back waistband (fill in with fabric or elastic). This lets the pants drop a bit for comfort without too much droopy drawers syndrome.

Gaylene, those workshops sound great fun! I wish I could have attended something like that. I'm off to read that thread too. Thanks for the link, it sounds hilarious!
Vix, what a great link too!
Looks like you have a lot of food for thought Rachy

No kidding, a lot of food for thought! This has been so educational.

Thanks for the link, Vix ( I'm busy reading), and the tip. So clever!