Has anybody tried wearing men's pants? - YouLookFab Forum

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Has anybody tried wearing men's pants?

Parsley

Veteran

I've been searching for some nice slim, tapered trousers in a menswear-type fabric: similar to Angie's here:
http://youlookfab.com/2012/11/.....and-cream/

and here:
http://youlookfab.com/2012/07/.....user-look/

But I haven't found any I really like. I've found quite a few that are cropped, like these:
http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/cl.....ts/3317429
http://shop.nordstrom.com/S/cl.....tback=3326
http://shop.nordstrom.com/S/ji.....tback=1597

but I really want full length.

Anyway, today I tried these on at Banana Republic:
http://bananarepublic.gap.com/.....=905684002
and I think they might work. I think the key is that I don't have a very big difference between my waist and hip measurements, which works well for a men's fit.

I've ordered them online, to get the 30% off promo this weekend, and to get the right length. I think I'd like to taper them a little, because they're straight legs, but otherwise the fit is good.

I'm I crazy? Have any of you tried the men's department?

Dressing

22 replies

Latest reply was from Parsley

Jjsloane

Veteran

I have not, but now you've piqued my curiosity. I too have a small difference between my waist and hip so might have to try. I did always love my original Levi's (before they made special ones for women). Please post when you get these. It could open a whole new world for me!

And I hear you on full length. Gap had the cutest pants today on sale, but all were CROPPED. Winter pants!! Hello!!

JR

Veteran

I have a friend who recently bought men's jeans, complaining that the women's ones didn't fit her properly. I now intend to give it a try myself, next time I need a new pair of jeans, which could be soon. There just aren't enough lines that cater to more than one shape of woman.

US ladies, have you tried Fashion Bug's pants? I got a couple of pairs there a few years ago that were designed for rectangles. (!) And they even had them in plus petites. (!!) Oh, the sheer bliss of having a pair of pants that actually fit.

Caro in Oz

Veteran

I used to wear men's pants because to get women't pants to fit my waist meant they were always way too big in the thigh & rear for me. I'll be interested to see how these work. I used to wear the men's Levis too!

Parsley

Veteran

I'll be sure to post pictures when I get them!

There are some advantages of men's pants: more choices of length, and I really liked the fabric choices.

I looked up size conversions online, and it said to add 21 to your size in Misses pants to get your men's size equivalent. So for example if your wear a 10 you would wear a 31 in men's. I found that conversion to be right on target.

JR

Veteran

Interesting. But what if the 10s are really baggy in the legs, and you only wear them because they aren't too tight in the waist? LOL!

Mo

(website)

Veteran

I wore men's Levi 501's all the time in the 90's. The ladies' versions were much too high in the rise. And the men's came in all kinds of fun colors - I had a rust red and deep forest green.

Parsley

Veteran

I guess a lot of people have tried guy's jeans, but I have to admit I never have, that I can remember. Maybe I'll have to try the jeans, too!

I have that same problem with baggy thighs, JR, so I tried slim cut pants. I'm sure that the fuller cut ones would have been too baggy through the thighs. The slim cuts were just a traditional fit on me, not actually slim through the thighs, but not too baggy, either.

Laurinda

Veteran

I wear men's shorts, in denim and khaki 'painter' style. Inexpensive and easy to fit. I imagine men's jeans would be the same. The rise was a little higher than would be most flattering.

Echo

Veteran

Like Mo already mentioned, this is how women's fit "boyfriend jeans" came about, and lower rises, too. In the '80's the rises on women's and girls's pants were so high that they came up to our ribs; it was ridiculous and uncomfortable. Many of us started buying men's jeans as teenagers because they were so much more comfortable. Manufacturers eventually caught up and made lower rise jeans and other styles for women who didn't want pants up to their ribs. I wore men's jeans for years and occasionally still try them. I don't see a thing wrong with it if you find the fit on men's pants works for you. If they fit and especially if you have them altered to fit even better, no one would ever guess they were men's pants.

Anonymous

I've worn men's jeans not pants. How is the crotch fit? I'd be too worried about that part. I am quite intrigued nevertheless. Please let us know how that works out.

Anonymous

Years ago I had a summer job with the Ministry of Natural resources (like US state parks) and we had to wear work pants. My older brother took me shopping in the work wear section of a department store. The pants were hideous, I had to go up about 4 or 5 sizes to fit my hips. I was very tiny then, 115 libs 5'4". The waist gapped, the rise of the bum was wrong, length terribly long

I don't think it will work

Scarlet

Veteran

Yes, I used to try to wear men's jeans like Mo, when that was the thing. They were too small in the hip and too baggy in the crotch on me, but it just depends on your body type. They looked great on some people. (Also the baggy in the crotch thing might work for the trouser look you want now).

Parsley

Veteran

Zap, the ones I tried fit fine in the crotch.
I tried them slouched down, and they looked a lot like Angie's in the link.
On me I prefer them unslouched, but I could wear them either way.

A and Scarlet, I don't think men's pants will work as well if there's a big difference between your hip and waist measurements, although another nice thing about men's pants is that the waists are made to be easily alterable.
Why don't they do that with women's?

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

I have tried MANY times to get trousers in the mens dept - can't fill them out at all. Not even in the best baggy and slouchy way. Also tried the boys dept only to find that everything is too short. I thought teen boys were tall????

I'm excited to see your mens trousers, Marci!

Parsley

Veteran

I'm not surprised, Angie, since you're so tiny.
I think it does help, though, that they're starting to make some slimmer cuts for men. The traditional fit would be way too huge through the thighs on me, too.

Parsley

Veteran

I'm not surprised, Angie, since you're so tiny.
I think it does help, though, that they're starting to make some slimmer cuts for men. The traditional fit would be way too huge through the thighs on me, too.

I'm crossing my fingers that they actually work!

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Agreed. Men generally don't have large thighs (unless they are very muscular), so it always surprises me that slim cut legs are still less popular in the mens dept.

I went to H&M and Club Monaco where they make extremely slim fitting trousers for daintier men - still no luck.

What struck me was the vast difference between the largest boys size and smallest mens size. It's no mans land.

Suz

(website)

Veteran

I haven't been able to get men's trousers to work on me, either. In the old days it was because I was too pear-hourglass shaped (big waist-hip difference). Now I am straighter but they still don't fit right. I tried boys also, without success; huge difference between largest boys and smallest men's, as Angie reports. Smaller-boned, shorter men must have enormous fit challenges! If petite women think we have problems, imagine being a small guy!

Sara L.

Veteran

I used to take my dad's old jeans and cut them down into cut-off shorts for me. I liked the slightly slouchy look of men's jeans on me. I have very little definition between my hips and waist and I had even less so before I had two kids.

Mander

(website)

Veteran

I sometimes buy men's jeans, and I used to buy men's khakis for work. It really depends on the cut, though -- the pair I am wearing right now fit me fine, but sometimes the thigh is too tight and the rise is too low.

Anonymous

I used to buy men's wool trousers at the thrift store and wear them when I was in high school. I have been considering trying again, as I liked the look a lot. I do think though that you have to have not a huge difference between waist (or low waist if wearing slouchy) and hip.

Parsley

Veteran

Oh my gosh, Ceit, you just brought back memories for me!
One of my daughters went through a phase in high school when she bought all her clothes at Value Village and she would wear men's pants that were just huge and sagged way down. That is NOT the look that I'm aiming for!