How To Not Be Fooled By Pants - YouLookFab Forum

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How To Not Be Fooled By Pants

Roberta

Veteran

Four simple steps!
1. Order pants in your "usual" size. Be optimistic!
2. Try them on and admire the sleek fit. Decide to wear them for a day without cutting the tags.
3. Eat a delicious Polish lunch of sausage, kraut, and potatoes.
4. After a nap, order the pants in a larger size.

Okay, I'm going for the funny, but I'm actually serious. The best way for me to test if a pair of pants are really going to be comfortable in the long run is to wear them for a few hours and see how they feel after a meal.

I've read you should always try shoes on at the very end of the day, when your feet are at their largest. I still don't think that's enough, I have to wear them for at least 4 hours.

Do you have any tips or tricks to avoid being conned by a piece of clothing?

Banana Republic

Low-Rise Bootcut Jean

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14 replies

Latest reply was from Joy

Dee

Veteran

Ouu…those look like really nice pants Roberta and you’re right clothing sure can be deceptive. My tip is don't be fooled by change room mirrors and lighting. I’ve had items seem fabulous in those change rooms that have mirrors with the lighting on the sides. Heck, even I look better in those mirrors but I always like to find a regular mirror with no special lighting just to double check if its really all that marvellous on me. Nine times out of ten, its not that great.

merwoman

Veteran

You made me laugh out loud Roberta! So true!! Bloat is real. I’ve learned to disregard the label and go with the fit that gives me some ease; a little more before eating and a little less after meals.

Irina

Veteran

I do a “sitting test “ on jeans and some pants to see if they are going to stretch in the knees.

kellygirl

Veteran

Haha! I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one conned by pants these days! I don't even have to eat a meal to regret cutting the tags--just sitting at my desk for a few hours is enough to make me wish I ordered the size up! My solution is mid rise - makes sitting so much more tolerable!

Suz

(website)

Veteran

That is hilarious.

But also, ahem, to the point.

My test with pants is the sit test. Does the waistband dig in? Or, contrariwise, do I get a lot of pouffy fabric in the front?

I am more likely to buy my pants too big than too small, though. Wanting ease I sometimes end up with sloppy. It is a lesson Im trying to learn..

Shoes -- actually, it is hopeless. No trick I have ever tried has a guarantee attached. Despite my care over this, every couple of years I make an expensive mistake.

For dressier items, my tricks are: walk away and think for a few days. Do I need it?

Firecracker (Sharan)

Veteran

Very funny! and true!

I don't have any great tips to share, though. Ditto what Suz said about shoes.

Sisi

Veteran

Haha, Roberta, you are funny! But that's not a bad idea.
When I try on pants I sit and bend over my legs (a trick I read about when I was still a teenager). Shoes are tricky - yes, if possible try them at the end of the day but the few steps that you take in the shop are not enough to assess the comfort. As Suz says - sometimes a mistake occurs!

Olive Green

Veteran

I have the older woman thing of bloating if I look at a potato wrong, so yes, Roberta, I order the size up also! Love those jeans.
I console myself by remembering the Katherine Hepburn dictum, always buy a size larger for ease and drape. Or just, you know, to breathe. She was classy, right?
Just put a large pair of too oversized cargo pants in the charity bag, as I got it wrong in the fit and size and hemmed the darn thing as well.

Janet

(website)

Veteran

So funny and so true!

Shoes…oh, they can still fool me, even as careful as I am. One hint: wear around the house and be sure to walk on a solid floor like wood or tile to evaluate — carpet can fool you into thinking there is more cushion than actually exists.

Anonymous

Haha! I'd swap the Polish lunch for a nice spinach curry and naan
Of course I gave up on # sized pants and non elastic waists a few years ago- so there's that!

RobinF

Veteran

Haha so true! Shoes too, what is it about pants and shoes? Occasionally I have the opposite problem too - I tend to buy a looser fit so they are comfortable but sometimes they stretch out so much that then they are too big! Then they become my TV-watching pants

Cardiff girl

Veteran

Ha,ha!I feel seen.That is what elastic waistbands are for.

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Good catch, Roberta!

What Suz and Janet said about shoes. I am SOOOOO careful and thoughtful - and STILL new shoes can be uncomfortable a few wears in

I do make my clients try on new shoes after a day of shopping though. Tired feet are a good test.

Joy

Veteran

Skirts. I try to think of what to wear on top and sometimes buy something while I have the skirt handy. Jeans, sit test. Shoes wear inside for a day. Not always good. Feet continue to change with age and use. I have to reevaluate each season.

Also, check the view of pants from the side and back before committing.