Does shopping for pants send shivers down your back? Do you walk into a dressing room with an arm full of pants and walk out with maybe one pair? Does it feel like you’re the only one who has trouble finding the perfect pair of pants?
Over the last 12 posts I have given you a step by step process to shop for pants. Shopping for pants is hard. Think about all the curves a pair of pants has to fit around. Also consider all the designs and design lines that can be used to create a pair of pants. Now that you understand the clues your Body Elements are giving you, you need to have a different eye when shopping for pants.
In this post I will summarize each step. If you want more detail, you can go back to the original posts.
Step 1 -- Shopping For Pants -- Curvy Vs Regular
Step 1 in shopping for pants — determine if the pair of pants is curvy vs regular (Pants — Curvy Vs Regular). Your Body Shape clues will tell you if you should look for curvy or angular pants. Most pants created by the fashion industry are angular known as regular. If you have an angular body, then you look for pants not marked or marked as Regular. Otherwise, if your body is curvy look for pants marked as Curvy.
Step 2 -- Shopping For Pants -- Horizontal Line Placement
Step 2 in shopping for pants — look at horizontal line placements (Horizontal Line Placement — 1 and Horizontal Line Placement — 2). The body elements that give you clues to these lines are Body Shape and Body Proportion.
- Stop your eye
- Create emphasis
- Shorten your appearance and/or make you look shorter
- Make that area appear wider
They are created by the waistband, pockets, plackets and sewn in design lines.
When considering the horizontal line placement with respect to Body Shape you need to ask yourself three questions:
- Where do I want the eye to stop?
- What area do I want to emphasize?
- Are there areas I want to appear wider?
Body proportion also gives you clues as to horizontal line placement in a pair of pants. Those of you who are short in an area need to avoid horizontal lines there. However, if you’re in the group which is long in an area, horizontal lines are welcomed because they bring balance.
Step 3 -- Shopping For Pants -- Vertical Line Placement
Step 3 in shopping for pants — look at vertical line placements (Vertical Line Placement On Pants — 1 and Vertical Line Placement On Pants — 2). The body elements that give you clues to these lines are Body Shape and Body Proportion.
- Draw the eye up and down
- Elongate your appearance and/or make you look taller
- Cut the body vertically, creating a slimmer profile
They are created by center front and back seams, pockets and design lines.
When considering the placement of vertical lines with respect to Body Shape, ask yourself two questions:
- Where do I want the eye to look?
- Are there areas I want to appear thinner?
As with vertical line placement for Body Shape, the placement of these lines is not as critical as horizontal line placement. However, the proper placement can create overall balance. As a result, you can easily tap into your confidence and personal power.
Step 4 -- Shopping For Pants -- Design Shapes
Step 4 in shopping for pants — look at the shape of design lines (Design Line Shapes On Pants). The body element that gives you clues to design shape is Face Shape.
Face shapes and design line shapes come in two categories:
- Angular
- Curved
Angular faces need to look for angular design line shapes. Curved faces need to look for curved design line shapes.
Design line shapes in pants include:
- Pockets
- Bands
- Sewn in design lines
- Prints
Step 5 -- Shopping For Pants -- Color Of Pants
Step 5 in shopping for pants — look at the color of the pants (Neutral Or Color — What Color Pants). Most pants sold are made in a neutral color and the most common neutral color is black. The questions you need to ask yourself are two-fold:
- What is my best neutral color?
- To tap into my confidence and personal power is a neutral color, in general best for me?
First, to determine your best neutral color, you look at the color of your skin, hair and eyes. Then consider whether your neutral or power color taps into your confidence and personal power. To figure this out, ask, “Which color makes me feel the lightest?”
Step 6 -- Shopping For Pants -- Pant Fit
Step 6 in shopping for pants — determine if a pair of pants fits your body well. First you need to understand the type of fabric the pants are made out of and how different styles of pants should fit.
The next step of pant fit is determining how well the pants fit your body. In most cases you will not be able to find that perfect pair of pants off the rack. You will need to have alterations done or have the pants custom made. Remember you aren’t alone on this quest for the perfect pair of pants.
Type Of Fabric
When looking at a pair of pants look at the fabric: knit vs woven, woven with Lycra vs without. As a general rule pants made out of knit fabric are stretchier than woven fabric. Pants made of knit fabrics can have a closer fit to your body. Woven fabrics need wearing ease so you can move around. However, if the woven fabric has Lycra built into the fiber, woven pants can have some stretch. As a result you don’t need as much wearing ease.
Style Of Pants
When looking at how a pair of pants should fit you need to consider if they’re a jean vs trouser. In general jeans have a closer fit compared to trousers. Jeans cup under your butt while trousers don’t.
Leg style also needs to be considered: skinny vs slim vs straight vs bootcut. Each leg style has a different fit with different amounts of ease built in.
To review fabric types, jean vs trouser and leg style go to: Pant Fit — How Do You Know.
The Elements Of Well Fitting Pants
When evaluating how well a pair of pants fits your body and whether you can alter them, you have to evaluate each body area for both width and length. If you see horizontal stress lines then the pants are too small. Vertical fold lines are a sign that the pants are too big. To really understand if a pair of pants fits your body go to these posts:
- Circumference of waist, hips and thighs (Pant Fit — Signs Of Well-Fitting Pants — Part 1)
- Waist to crotch length (Pant Fit — Signs Of Well-Fitting Pants — Part 2)
- Crotch to floor length (Pant Fit — Signs Of Well-Fitting Pants — Part 3)
Pant fit -- Your Body Shape
Every body shape has its own pant issues. You’re not alone in the struggle to find pants that fit your body. In the post “Pant Fit — For Your Body Shape,” you can review where your body shape might have pant issues.
Step 7 -- Shopping For Pants -- Create Visual Balance
Step 7 of the shopping for pants puzzle — understand the different pant leg styles and your body shape. The goal is to create visual balance so you can see your whole body and not just one body part. If you have an “O,” “V,” or “A” body shape it’s something to be aware of. To review this concept, go to: Create Visual Balance Through Pant Legs.
Now you know all the steps to evaluate whether a pair of pants can be that perfect pair of pants. This process might seem cumbersome in the beginning but overtime it will become second nature to you. You will be able to look at a pair of pants and know if they’re on the right track for you. You won’t have to carry an arm full of pants into the dressing room to find one pair.
What did you learn? Do you see shopping for pants in a whole new way? Have you changed your opinion towards shopping for pants? Make comments below about your observations.
The next post will start a series of evaluating that favorite outfit in your closet. If you don’t have a favorite outfit, look at the one you wear the most. This series of posts is to help you apply what you learned about your 5 Body Elements and the clues they give. I look forward to your joining me on the journey of truly understanding what clothes and accessories embrace your natural beauty and tap into your confidence and personal power.
Wear Your Greatness!!