http://judithandcharlies/
Hi Lisa- have you ever tried this Canadian designer? Their clothes are a little pricey but are a lovely quality and beautifully cut. I find the trousers run a little small but I am long waisted. They are probably available in some of the smaller, nicer boutique stores.

I feel your pain - I've been searching for interesting trousers all month for interviews.

Alice & Olivia sometimes makes more interesting work trousers. Expensive - I only buy them at the end of season. And I'm yearning for this pair of Helmut Lang trousers that are sold out - the size I ordered was too big.

Bonne chance!

I'm not sure what you will think of this, but have you tried Melanie Lyn or even Laura? I think these are exclusively Canadian stores, but I've had some luck there when shopping for basics... especially ML...

https://www.melanielyne.com/en/clothing/pants/

Lisa, it's always worth looking in Brooks Brothers. And Talbots for that matter. Their fits can be *just right* even when the vibe of the store is not your style persona. I have a creative and hip client who likes to wear avant-garde outfits with a dash of preppy and lots of drama. She wears classic Talbots and BB's trousers, but looks more like a poster child for All Saints or an arty boutique.

COS can do nice trousers too - I have a navy pair - but you have to be patient and keep on trying because fits are all over the place unfortunately.

Thanks Marja, I am familiar with both of those stores, but typically fabrication is an issue. Just not my preference.

Angie - had to laugh. I lasted for one minute on the Brooks Brothers website - so - uh, - Brooks Brothers-ish! But I know exactly what you mean. I think I want to meet your client !

YES, Lisa. I get it. The same way another client can walk into Chicos and pick a piece that works perfectly for a very Un-Chicos look, IYKWIM. It's all about how the outfit is styled and carried by the wearer.

Brook Bothers quality is gorgeous, btw.

Sorry, Lisa -- my computer is still broken so I am either on phone or on Mark's (when I can get it). Here are the pants. I sized up (well, maybe not, considering weight gain, it's probably my real size now, if you know what I mean). They look different on me than on the model. They are slim, tapered at the bottom. Side zip. You have to play with the size to ensure the pockets don't "poof" -- I had sized up too much (believe it or not) and the SA told me to go down one and the pockets magically got flat, but I will say they are quite a slim fitting pant on me. However, I also know that they will "ease" a bit with wear. So far so good -- they are comfy. But not super warm, and it is very cold here right now!

Oh those do look really great. Too bad I just bought lots of other dress pants - the charcoal version might be a perfect versatile option.

Hands down Marciano classic cuts.

Brooks Brothers is in the PATH just north of union station. I find they run narrow and in store one is depressingly sized out after size 6. Staff are pretty exclusive, and don't offer assistance to just anybody.

Do you have time to pop in to the Nordie's in the Eaton Center? or have they got you in an airport hotel for the conference? There is an SA in lingerie named Michelle, who is lovely to work with. She was 17 years at Bikini Village before going to Nordstroms when they opened in Toronto. The restaurant on the 3rd floor is nice and it can be fun if you get a 'window' seat looking down into the mall concourse.

Lisa - this is my entire collection of "good" pants. I fit theory perfectly except for the length. Had them hemmed. The Louise are slim and the Max C are boot cut. I wear them with the theory selata jacket for the louise and the bootscuts get the short gabe 2 jacket. Then I have the Vince strapping pants which I wear with my HL gala cropped tuxedo jacket. They were perfect off the rack. I'm lucky other than a hem I can usually find pants. Rise is the perfect midrise. They are all not lined....who even makes lined pants anymore but that's a minor quibble. They were last years addition to the suit capsule which needed total renovation.

Lisa - one last thought. People rave about EF pants. Have you ever tried that brand. I have not tried many of her pants but her black waxed denim jeans are some of my favorite pants ever. I know a lot of bloggers have raved and I mean to try them.

Lisa, it's not worth me recommending Australian brands so I am sharing a label I haven't tried (but I would like to) and might be of interest to you. Canadian label Obakki, here is the link to their wool pant

https://www.obakki.com/shop/us.....-pant.html

A little about the brand "The Obakki Foundation, Obakki’s philanthropic counterpart, is a registered charity that focuses on providing clean water and education in Africa. Obakki, together with angel investors, absorbs all administrative fees for the charity, allowing 100% of the Obakki Foundation’s public donations to go directly to its charitable initiatives."

I believe the range is made in Canada

Sounds like you are in Toronto. There are Talbots stores at Yonge and Bloor, at Sherway and at Bayview Village. There is also a Judith and Charles and a Brooks Brothers at Bayview Village. Good luck!

I am a little behind but reading this post with great interest! Janet we have similar shape/issues, your insight about the extra material in the crotch when sizing up validates my recent struggles with pants and fit! Although my issue is a very full/round bottom and not so much the thighs, but nevertheless I need to size up too and have crotch/fit issues. Thank you for your wisdom. I don't have suggestions for you Lisap but hope you have some luck with the information shared. I will be using the valuable info here to investigate the other brands/suggested.

Reading/watching with interest. Of course, the suggestions I love the most are Vince. Do you have Nordstrom Rack? Mine carries Vince. I may need to start stalking.

Viva - no Rack. Sadly. We do have Saks Off Fifth though , which I should have a walk through one day.

mtnsofthemoon - same thing happens to me with sizing up in order to tailor - in other words, it rarely works.

sydney - no, I live in Winnipeg, but travel to Toronto for work.

gryffin - I want your wardrobe - and your slim size 2 figure too I had a pair of EF pants a few years ago. No real opinion of them other than they were expensive and not necessarily worth it. I love my Vince strapping pants too, and should probably just duplicate in a heavier wool. Mine are some kind of blend that is too thin for winter wear. Also - what I paid for them say 5 years ago is nothing compared to what they retail for now . Ugh.

Carla - thanks for the tips, but sadly, I'm stuck out at the airport and tied up all day, every day, and into most evenings too. It's not a trip with any personal time - which is not a bad thing

krishnidoux - never seen these...this is the higher-priced label from Guess, correct?

Deborah - thank you! Not familiar with this company. I took a quick look and their pieces do look good .

Lisa, why not try ordering a bunch of pants from Simon’s website. Free shipping AND RETURNS in Canada!
https://www.simons.ca/en/women.....wear--8618

Unless you are near a Nordstrom or Tabot’s in Canada, the prices for their online stuff is nuts once duty, exchange, returns, and sales taxes get added into the total. A pair of Talbot’s pants I can buy in our local store might be in the $75CAN range once I use one of the frequent discount coupons. Online price for exactly the same pant might end up costing me in the the over $175CAN range.

In my opinion, the quality of Simon’s CONTEMPORAINE in-house line is comparable (or even better) than Nordstrom’s house brands, and Simon’s styles have considerably more verve than what I’ve seen in BR these days. The CONTEMPORAINE department also includes designer wear like Hugo and Judith and Charles if you want to go higher-end. Maybe order a couple of dozen styles and sizes at different price points to see if anything works since returns won’t cost you an arm and a leg. Faster shipping is a bonus.

Ok, I will! Thanks Gaylene!

mtnsofthemoon -- I've largely given up on sizing up and altering pants at the waist, because I always end up with crotch poof or crotch sag. Every time I've had the waist taken in it turns out to be an expensive mistake. There might be a way to avoid it, by taking material out down the entire back seam, but I don't have access to a tailor with that ability, and I'm certainly not good enough to DIY.

lisa p -- I would recommend Boden, because I think their fit and construction is miles above most of what's available at that price point, but I know it's a pain to order from them in Canada.