Pants Epiphanies--kind of long!

I started this morning searching the forum to see how many pairs of pants other people have. I recently hit a lifetime best of FIVE pairs of pants that actually fit, and I wanted to see what I might try to strive for.

Well, I looked at y'all's counts of, say, 15 pairs of jeans including 7 pairs of dark wash and couldn't fathom WHAT all those pairs of jeans were! Was the same person wearing, say, wide-legged crops, boot cuts, skinnies, distressed jeans, etc.? Or were these all nearly identical pairs of jeans from people who like a lot of uniformity in their wardrobes?

I then started trying on my pants, since I knew I needed to alter a couple, and had an epiphany: pants widths matter. Duh, you may think. Not for this woman. I thought my slim black jeans looked slightly baggy because they were too long. They *are* too long, but shortening them will not transform the fit. They are slim cut jeans, which are different from true skinny, which are different from legging cut. If I want a pair of black jeans that will look form-fitting under my long burgundy sweater, I need a different pair of black jeans.

So, THANK YOU forum as a whole for indirectly leading me to this realization!

Other recent pants epiphanies:
1. I really am hard to fit on pants. 24" inseam, 13 inch difference between waist and hips, and I need/prefer a very high rise in the back (my favorite pants have a 14.5-16 inch back rise).
2. That said, now is a pretty decent time for me to shop for pants: lots of stretch and knit pants that work better on my curves, and the cropped lengths plus slim fit mean sometimes I can get the right length without altering (!!!). Pants shopping will always be frustrating for me, but right now it can be slightly less frustrating.
3. In spite of my tiny inseam, it's worth trying the regular length pants in addition to petites, since the fit can be different, not just the length. The rise in particular can be better on regulars.

Now I'm off to Uniqlo to buy a pair of olive pants in the "cropped leggings" fit. If you had told me a year ago I would have three pairs of olive pants I would have thought you were insane!

6 years ago

cindysmith

Veteran

We take our fashion & style epiphanies wherever we find them, right? You guys have (indirectly) led me to some softer stuff for this summer and I'm not mad at you for it LOL

Barbara Diane

Isn't it amazing what we learn here. So glad for your epiphanies.
I had 5 pairs of pants I wore all winter, and I retired one, so I will need to replace it and perhaps add others.
I have a lot more pairs of summer pants/ crops because I found some in my garage closet and because I purposely added 3 very lightweight pairs for wearing on the hottest days.

Ledonna N.

I think pants jeans so on and so forth are the hardest to fit. I remember I had some ganto jeans from back in the day. They fit me like they were made for me. I bough a whole bunch of colors because I knew I would never find them again. Great that this hit you and made you aware of what you have and what you may need.

Anonymous

Oh, pants! I've tried to custom fit by sewing them but I can't do it. I have two pairs of J. Crew boyfriend jeans that fit so well I can wear them everyday. Everything in the stores is cut so low, I have a long rise and high waist. And I live in a small town so I have to drive a long way to find anything new to wear. I'm looking for 2 well fitting winter pants this year but am losing some weight and want to wait till autumn. I hope something will be left in the stores. Seems that stores carry less and less of quality.:)

Laura G

So not stalking or anything but I looked at your profile and we are twins: hourglass, petite, long waist, short legs, yadda yadda.

So you might be interested in what I found at Chico's this week--two pair of pants that actually fit me! Ok, only a little waist alteration required. They're ponte knit, not jeans, but what a relief to own two actual pairs of pants! They're labeled 'ankle pants' which means they fit me like regular pants.

Custom Find

by Laura G

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rachelthrives

Active Member

Thanks, Cindy!

Barbara Diane, fabric weight is another thing I'm paying more attention to...for years and years I had convinced myself I could wear all the same stuff year-round. That is, um, not true.

Ledonna, that's exactly what I was doing today--the Uniqlo cropped leggings pants work well on me, so I bought three other colors!

Mary, I have been tempted to custom-sew, too, but I am not nearly skilled enough. Those custom-jeans sites that come up from time to time are tempting...

Laura, ooh, I love those leopard pants! I will have to try them since they work on you! I was actually in a Chico's last week and tried on a leopard tunic that was an almost.

minimalist

Love these insights!

Ideally, I'll settle on one or even two pants silhouettes and stay with that. Which would mean being more selective about what white denim I try on.

Here's to olive pants that work for you!

Beth Ann

Thanks for sharing what you've learned! I try/need to keep my wardrobe to a manageable budget and size, but I also found I had too few pants when I first starting working on a integrated, functioning wardrobe, instead of just buying and wearing "outfits." Proportion and fit are central, as you're discovering. So glad you're finding what works for you!

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Fab fit epiphanies, and thanks for sharing. Have you tried Talbots petite pants?

Suz

You are clearly a quick study once you focus on the task! These are great realizations and will stand you in good stead!

I'm one who may have made your head shake over the number of jeans. In my defence, I basically live in them 8-10 months a year, (I work from home) and, yes, they are all different silhouettes (and/or colours).

I have:

Culottes/ wide legs

1 pair of wide leg crops, dark wash, high waisted.
1 pair of mid-rise culottes (tighter in leg than wide legs but wide at bottom), faded wash.

Cropped jeans -

1 pair med. wash kick crops
1 pair med wash skinny
1 pair white skinny
1 pair burgundy BF style (slouchy skinny)

Skinnies

1 pair light wash (can be worn rolled for crops)
1 pair dark wash
1 paid dark plaid (winter only)

BF jeans

1 pair med wash
1 pair distressed
1 pair white

So you see, they vary in cut, colour, and level of formality.

Lisa

A great epiphany here. And I would certainly be one of the multiple pairs of jeans people as I sport them often. I can tell you that I have skinny jeans that I wear for specific times of year and footwear which is why I'll have multiple skinnies. For example, my skinny jeans for my fall and winter capsule wardrobe must have no extra bulk so they can fit inside tall boots. But my summer skinnies I like the extra fabric for some scrunch or the ability to cuff them up to wear with ballet flats.

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