Rae--you've touched my heart. My jeans wardrobe is expanding while the pants part is constricting. I question why I even need dress pants, but the reality is I do.

BR Martins used to be perfect for me. Last year I donated or tossed several perfectly-fitting pairs that were 5-8 years old--out of style and shiny. What a shock when I tried to replace them! Poor quality creepy fabric--what is going on with BR?

AT fits pretty well except that they are too short. Upscale pants are not made for my body. As a former sewer I know the difficulty of altering pants in the rise. A tailor can't always fix a basic body-shape incompatibility.

Have you tried Theory? I did buy a new pair of Theory Emory pants this fall. Unfortunately they are more flared than I'd like and have side-seam pockets. Arg. The straighter cuts don't fit the same.

Rae I am totally with you. Same issues. I did a pant week challenge and it was horrific. LIke you I thought they looked good int he mirror, but in photos YACK. I was planning to post all my pants this weekend to see if any are even keepers or just scrap the lot.
So what I'm saying is it is NOT YOU. I tried on the BR Sloans but am completely in between sizes so one size is too snug and one too loose so I passed. Like Ms Maven I used to have great fitting Martins, but they have changed the fit (no matter they call it the original Martin - it is not) I had great pants from Gap, but now am also in between sizes and don't like any that I've found. I have one pair of AT but they are not so great in photos. I'll be hunting along with you or wearing skirts and dresses from now on. I think I actually did take MaryK's advice and bought 3 pair of shoes yesterday! (returning 2)
Cheer up - Angie will rescue you.

Hugs to you, Rae. You have received a lot of good advice here. Mine is not very original: change stores, change brands for this wardrobe item.

It will sound a bit strange, but try stores where you would normally never go. I have found the brand Guess to make some very well cut trousers and jeans, when they want to. What I mean is that to me most of their stuff is fluff, but if you look well, they often have certain items in a very classic cut that fit beautifully.

Many stores selling better quality tailoring try to appeal to the baby-boomers (who, i our society, generally have the money for it). Therefore, they will display outfits that are colourful and enticing, but that would suit your grandmother. Don't over look such places for your tailored pants quest. You don't have to buy all their accessories, but you might find just what you are looking for there.

I've also had some success with Talbot (Petite, for me). Other ones: Club Monaco, Rodier.

They are expensive brands, Anyway I consider them as such. There was another thread here :"Do you find shopping a chore?" and in the case of dress pants, yes.

I would seldom fit anything from the brands you mentioned.

Did you ever try the Express Editor Pants? I think you and I have a similar body type and I love them. Give them a shot. They come in really fun colors. Check this out (The red ones):

http://www.express.com/signatu.....pro#jsLink

The entire line up:

http://www.express.com/dress-p...../index.cat
I swear these are a NYC favorite along with the BR Martins and Sloans. We live in uniform here LOL
(ETA: Never mind, you already tried Express. As a side note, you have to buy the Editor pants, to fit you somewhat tight in the bum as if you were wearing jeans. They do stretch a lot and conform to your body just like jeans. They are cut more like a bootcut jean than a trouser).

Awwww, Rae! This totally stinks Are you being too hard on yourself, expecting that the pants look good in person and on camera? Because I wonder, in the case of dress pants, if we need to lighten up on the camera requirement. I am quite sure they look better in real life, and on top of it, I am quite sure that the paparazzi are not standing outside of your office!

We have to make sure Angie sees your thread. She will know what to do!

Rae- I just wanted to say that like the rest of the YLF family I'm here for you. Maybe take alittle break from finding pants for now- put the experiment on hold, feel rejuvenated by some stellar pencil skirt looks and when you are in a 'better pant place' try again?

This is such a bummer (no pun intended :)! It can be so brutal to try and fail over and over. A couple of things: I'm with Laura in wondering about the photo test--maybe IRL fabness is good enough, or are you feeling like the pictures "expose" the fatal flaws that are somehow hidden IRL? Second thing, and I'm probably stating the obvious: I wonder if the crotch fit issues are about your curvy tush? I have a relatively easy time finding non-jean pants (if they are long enough) and I think it's partly because I have a very flat butt. So the key would be to find pants cut for a smaller waist-curvy behind? Easier said than done, obviously....

Good luck!!

Rae, I also feel your pain. I have two pairs of non-jean pants, and they're both just a smidge big now, but passable when I need to wear something other than jeans.

I don't understand why I can find various jeans that fit, but for months I have been trying to find one simple pair of sleek black straight-leg or stovepipe non-cropped pants, with absolutely no luck! The rise is usually too long, the legs too short,or the thighs too tight. Grrrr.

Well, Rae, my mom works in man's tailors department. And she still hates making me pants. When I was in high-school she had 4 years of trouble with me. The uniform demanded gray pants. She didn't have acces to buy me fabrics with some stretch (nor is she specialized in cutting those kind of fabrics) .I hated off the rack fit. I hated custom fit. She made like 3 pairs all CUSTOM FIT to me till i finally had a pair that fit lovely in my eyes. Then we bought a naf-naf pair which fitted me almost perfectly but with alterations became THE Favorite. I was 17. I still have them. (yes the waist and hips has been let out a bit last year ) . No, i haven't find such perfect fit since. If I ever will want another pair, I suppose I'll have to duplicate them. It's possible. So yeah, dress pants are tricky. And if you add a shaken body image to the mix it gets frustrating. But please don't give up. It's not you! It's them!

Big hugs, Rae!!!

Oh I understand you Rae! As a pear shape any bottom is difficult for me to fit but trousers take the cake. Almost impossible!

A few tips I've picked up over the years having to find them for work:

1-Fabric is key, I cannot handle anything thin without a lot of drape and for a form fit the material has to be really thick, such as ponte.

2-Don't buy cheap, the fabric quality is just not there. And least not in my experience.

3-Shop where you normally don't. Stores I rarely or never go to: AnnTaylor, Talbots, Brooks Brothers, have much better trosuers for me than my usual stores of: BR, Gap, Express, The Limited, JCrew, Esprit or Ann Taylor Loft.

4-Go for styles that you do not wear in jeans. I adore (and own quite a few) bootcut jeans but in trousers, they are the worst fit on me. The features that make a bootcut fit work well on me in jeans (form fit for the bum and thighs with a taper to the ankle or skinny jeans with a slim fit all the way) is exactly what doesn't work for me in trousers. I go for: straight leg, wide leg and sometimes even a taper cut.

5-Center crease. My trousers must have a crease down the center of the leg, this takes the eye to the crease in the middle and not the edges when you look at a leg in them. I always get trousers pressed with a crease.

6-Go one size up. Often I have to go a size up for less cling on the problem areas (thighs and bum) and just get the waist taken in.

Hope this helps in your searching!

I was going to say what Lisa said about sizing up. I read somewhere that celebs buy their slacks a size big and then have them altered for a perfect fit. It makes sense... go for something that fits in the rise and thighs and everything else can be custom fit to you. (albeit a pricey alteration especially if they are lined... but it might be worth it)

rae, you're so durn smart you answered your own problem!!

"@ Sveta and MKK, what about copying existing pairs of pants? Do you think that either I or a tailor could do that? I'm decent at generating patterns without taking garments apart. I know there are services that will duplicate your favorite jeans, so maybe that's an option for pants, too? "

If you have a pair that fit you well your problem is over. You can copy them yourself or have a tailor do it for you. Just make sure that the tailor is working substantially from your "perfect pair" (that they're not just plugging your waist and hip measurements into their standard slacks pattern). If you're doing it on your own (which, in my experience, is not scary) just make a muslin first to nail down the fit. Noodle around the web first for advice for more confidence and fewer mistakes.

After two whole years of no jeans or pants that fit, i started sewing. i now have two pair of great jeans - love the fit, comfy, etc. Your frustrating experience is *** exactly *** why i sew so much of my own wardrobe.

Best of luck! steph

Rae, try Yoox. Go to the sale section and buy every single pair of pants that look like they might work. These are European cuts and may work better. You can get some REALLY nice things for less than $80 in my experience - things slightly edgier than you might get in the US.

Ex:
http://www.yoox.com/item/YOOX/.....sr_women80

The only issue is sizing, which can throw you for a loop. But al you can do is try and return, and shipping/return shipping is free over $100 I believe. And no tax.

My gosh, you have all come to my rescue so speedily! I wish I could reply to everyone individually, but I will try to hit on some of the big points instead, in case I run out of time.

- Express/The Usual Suspects: The Express pants were the ones that I had high hopes about last night until I saw the pictures. Maybe I need to go back, bring a friend with a real, non-phone camera.

- The UNusual suspects: Yes! I've been trying to! LOL. I bought and returned several from Talbots, etc. I guess I might have to work through the lot of them. There is a 3-day weekend coming (glory be!!), so perhaps I can get myself to a big outlet mall, where I can wrap my brain around trying on some higher end stuff. The bummer here is that I still do want fun colors and prints - seems like I'm out of luck for that since J. Crew's don't work. I'm also wrinkle fiend... I had a pair of Theory pants that I just had to resell, because they still wrinkled up like crazy.

- Tailoring: I don't think I'm going to try this unless I meet a sewist whom I can con into shopping with me, to tell me which pants have the best shot at being altered. Someone mentioned basic fit incompatability - with my luck I'd pick that pair. Plus the feedback seems to be that crotch alterations are hard to begin with - I can just see ruining a new pair of pants trying to play Dr. Frankenstein with them.

- Yoox: IK, I didn't know return shipping was free with a minimum purchase... I can't find that in their policy, though. Hm.

- The importance of being photogenic: Unfortunately, that is one thing I did promise myself, because I've cried over pics so many times when I was young: everything must photograph well. Between facebook, my outfit posts, my blog that I love, and camera happy relatives, pics are a reality. I refuse to document myself looking like a stuffed sausage.

- Sewing/Knocking off existing pants: I've done this before, with jeans. Took my fave $100 pair of jeans (which cost the earth at that time in my life) and made two more pairs (of course they no longer fit). I'm sure the no name juniors brand that made them will never sue me for using the pattern... I think I should start another thread asking about fabrics, because those I've no idea about. My faves are 100% polyester - no wrinkles! lol.

- Shoe therapy: My boot spray is in the mail! I want to get into my Frye Julias ASAP. They do make me more than happy to wear skirts.

If you like polyester, have you tried French Connection's pants?

Rae, big hugs to you. I think that if you look in my archives you'll see a nearly identical post from me a couple years ago. I have the exact issue with pants and have not found a solution at all. I used to wear dress pants but the fit was never great- they would be too tight or too loose depending on the time of day, or if I was doing a lot of walking, and low rise pants didn't work well because of my long rise, the inner button would painfully dig into me, the zip fly would add bulk where I wanted it least...
Now that I'm at a heavier weight I have not managed to find a single pair of dress pants that I like in years, yet I can find plenty of jeans. This is really why I've stocked up do much on dresses and skirts. They mesh much better with my body and don't make me hate on my figure.
I wish you better luck than I've found and hope this doesn't come off as being defeatist, but just wanted to share my similar experience.

I'm so sorry Rae, don't give up yet: My only comment: Go back to Express and try the Editor in your size, one size up and one size down. Sit down for a little bit and assess. I prefer the wide waistband ones, the fabric is of a heavier weight, so they drape much better.
ETA: Also, work pants tend to not photograph well because, unless they are painted on, you will have some creasing at the inseam .Also, the fabric creases as you move.

Dress pants was one of my first big issues when I joined YLF. As I've aged my bottom has become flat (dropped) so that dress pants usually make me look like there's a diaper under them. Forum member Shiny was especially helpful. One thing she said was to look for not much difference between front and back rise. These seem easiest to find in a low waist. Express Editor pants can work but they are cut at different rises and in different fabrics. If one doesn't work, try another style of Editors. I still have very few dress pants although they would work very well for days when I teach and usually sit on the floor.
Altering pants in a larger size was a big waste of money for me. The crotch was even worse.
Would a jean cut pant without contrasting stitching be dressy enough for work? I have found some of those at Nordstroms that work and look like dress pants (Focus brand, I'm not sure if it still exists) when I wear a top long enough to mostly cover the pockets. Hugs and good luck. It's not you!

Booo sorry to hear this Rae! I don't exactly wear a lot of dress pants and you've already gotten some great advice here. I know we have a similar shape so I wanted just to quickly share with you my very small dress pant experience. A few years ago I needed a suit for a conference on VERY short notice. I found one, but they only had the pants a size up (maybe two even). I bought it anyway, and took it to a tailor right near where I bought it. For me, the fit problem was that the waist and seat fit was definitely too large so it was not staying up AND crinkling all funny in the crotch; he was able to quickly and easily fix 'em up so they fit just right by taking in the seat seam as well as a minor crotch alteration. Perhaps it'd be worth trying some at Nordstrom just to get their opinions on the types of alterations that would be necessary for you?

So sorry to hear your woes Rae, good luck. I'm still on the search for a decent pair...

My boyfriend also struggles with pants (and as he is a male he does not have the option of wearing skirts to work instead.)

He often says, "I don't like pants. They always get on the way."
(in the way of what, I'm not sure.)

I've suggested that he take up wearing kilts instead but he declined. I'm not sure why. I've seen many men in authentic kilts from Scottish County Dance, and they can be quite alluring!