Are you one of those women who have a hard time with pant fit? Do you hate to shop for pants? You’re not alone. Most women feel the same way as you do.
Pants are the hardest piece of clothing to get a perfect fit. First think about all your curves in this area. Then think of all the pant curves which need to perfectly curve around your curves.
Another pant fit issue relates to all the different styles of pants and each has its own set of fitting requirements. For example:
- Jeans — Most are made to curve around your butt
- Trousers — Made to slightly fit around your butt
- Wide Leg — Made to fall straight down your butt
Each of these styles is designed to fit your body differently. I see over and over again women wanting trousers to fit like jeans or jeans to fit like trousers.
While helping women (mostly younger) find a trouser for work, they tell me the pants are too big in the butt and thigh area because they want them to fit like jeans. I tell them the pants aren’t too big because this is how a trouser should fit and I explain the fit to them. This is because the fabric used on a trouser doesn’t have the “give” required for a jean fit.
Prior Pant Fit Posts
I have written about this subject on pant fit in 5 previous posts.
- Start with the right silhouette — Pants — Regular Vs Curvy Pant Fit — How Do You Know?
- Waist, hips and legs fit — Pant Fit — Signs Of Well-Fitting Pants — Part 1
- Rise and front pelvic and butt curves fit — Pant Fit — Signs Of Well-Fitting Pants — Part 2
- Different types of pant lengths — Pant Fit — Signs Of Well-Fitting Pants — Part 3
In this post I will summarize the above posts using the same format in the other How To Create A Perfect Fit posts:
- Waist
- Crotch
- Hip/Leg
- Crotch to Hem Length
Refer back to the prior posts to get the full understanding of pant fit and alterations that can be made. There is so much information on this subject that it can’t be put into one post.
Regular Vs Curvy
Before I start talking about pant fit, first you need to pick the right pant for your Body Shape. I wrote about it in Body Shape — Regular Vs Curvy. The first step to finding the perfect pant fit is starting with the right pair of pants. You learned in What Are Your Body Shape Clues that you need to match the silhouette of your clothes with that of your Body Shape category. If you have an angular Body Shape, then you look for angular silhouette clothes and if you have a curved Body Shape, then you look for curved silhouette clothes.
This goes for pants also. Pants have two categories:
- Regular — Angular Silhouette
- Curved — Curved Silhouette
This fitting process will be much easier when you start with the right silhouette for your Body Shape.
If you don’t remember your Body Shape or need to learn it, go back to What Are Your Body Shape Clues and Pants — Regular Vs Curvy so you know the correct silhouette of pants for your body.
Pant Fit -- Waist
When looking at pant fit the first stop is the waist. How it fits at the waist affects the fit in the rest of the areas. I wrote about waist fit in Pant Fit — Signs Of Well-Fitting Pants — Part 1.
Pant fit around the waist is about matching the circumference of your waist with that of the pair of pants.
The actual fit on your waistband depends on your body type. If you are an “A,” “X” or “S” Body Shape, you can have a little wearing ease. I’m in this arena and like ½ inch to an inch wearing ease. Because my silhouette curves out to my hips the waistband doesn’t go anywhere.
While creating pants for clients with an “O” or “V” Body Shape I learned these Body Shapes need a snug waistband. This is because they don’t have hips or a butt to stop the pants from falling down.
If you have an “H” Body Shape, it depends on your body and if you have a smaller than normal butt.
For “A,” “X” and “S” Body Shapes, if the pants fit in the hips and the waist is too big, you can have it altered by your tailor/seamstress. This is why you should start out with a curvy fit pant.
For “H,” “O” and “V” Body Shapes, if the waist is too big go down a size until you find a fit snug enough around your waist.
In all cases make sure you don’t have a muffin top whenever possible. This is where the waistband is too small causing fat to spill over the top. Muffin tops take away confidence and personal power. If the next size up is too big, get it altered to fit your waist perfectly. It’s money well spent so you can tap into your confidence and personal power.
Pant Fit -- Crotch
Remember when I said above that pant fit can be difficult because all the curves on a pair of pants have to match your curves. This is the area I was talking about. It can be difficult to fit. Once you understand the fit in this area you will know what to look for.
I wrote a blog post on this one area. It’s called Pant Fit — Signs Of Well-Fitting Pants — Part 2. Go to this post to get more detail about the fit in this area and learn what alterations can and cannot be done.
There are two parts of this fit:
- Rise
- Curve under the front (pelvic bone) to the back (butt)
Rise is the distance between the waist and the crotch.
Front pelvic bones have different curves. If your curve doesn’t match that of the pants, the pants will not lay correctly in this area.
As you know butts come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. For pants to fit well in this area the curve on the pant needs to match your curve.
In this post I will summarize what I wrote in the first post because if I wrote everything it would make this post too long.
The crotch fit is divided between:
- Front waist to crotch
- Back waist to crotch
Front Waist To Crotch
When looking at the front waist to crotch length you are actually considering 2 things:
- The actual physical length which is the rise
- The curve going around your front pelvic bone
Your rise length is this distance between your waist and crotch. This fit gives you clues to determine whether you are regular fit vs petite vs tall. Think about the ideal body proportions you learned in Body Proportions — Out Of Balance.
An ideal body has 8 equal heads. The length of each head is different for everyone, for example, a 5’2” woman vs 5’5” vs 6’0”. Also consider if you’re 5’5” and you’re short in between your waist and crotch; you might need a pair of petite pants. Or if you’re 5’2” and you’re long in this area you might need a pair of regular size pants.
Also most pants are made for a flat tummy. If you carry and weight here the length increases.
If the curve of your pelvis bone is different from the fit model’s lines, then your pant fit will not be perfect. When you have a flat pelvis you will see horizontal stress lines in that area. On the other hand, if you see excess fabric, then your bone is round. Your tailor/seamstress will be able to help you determine what’s going on and what type of alterations are needed.
Back Waist To Crotch
When looking at the back waist to crotch length you are actually considering 2 things:
- The actual physical length
- The shape and size of your butt
Most pants are designed for an average size butt. This is the size you will find on most women with an “H” Body Shape. Most likely if you have an “A” Body Shape your butt will be fuller causing the length between your back waist and crotch to increase. When you have a “V” Body Shape your butt will most likely be flat causing the length in this area to decrease.
There is one more fit issue in this area which arises as we get older: droopy butt. As we get older we lose muscle tone and our butts migrate south. This causes stress lines in the back.
For all these pant fit issues review my first blog post on this subject and talk to your tailor/seamstress.
Pant Fit -- Hip/Leg
I have grouped these two areas together because the pant fit totally depends on the style of the pant:
- Jeans
- Trouser
I first wrote about these categories in Pant Fit — How Do You Know? I also wrote about hip/leg fit in Pant Fit — Signs Of Well-Fitting Pants — Part 1.
Jeans
Jeans should fit close to your body without stress marks on the fabric. When you see these stress lines in the crotch and thigh areas, then the pants are too small and you need to try one size bigger.
You know the jeans are too big if you can pinch more than a half inch on the hip and thigh side seams. If the waist fits well then consider getting the jeans altered or finding a manufacturer/designer that fits your body better.
Trouser
Trousers have more ease built in. Ease means the pant circumference is larger than your circumference. This ease allows you to move around without putting stress on the fabric. For trousers there needs to be 1 to 2 inches of ease. 1 inch is for trousers made of fabric with Lycra built in and/or a Ponte Roma knit fabric. 2 inch ease is needed for trousers made of non-stretch woven fabric.
For trousers the fit is totally different from jeans. You’re looking for little or no cupping around your butt. This might be a problem if you happen to have a thicker thigh. (Remember there is nothing wrong with your thighs. It’s just a matter of finding a manufacturer/designer with the proper fit for your body.)
Pant Fit -- Crotch To Hem Length
Pants come in all sorts of lengths:
- Shorts
- Capris
- Ankle
- Floor
- Wear with heels
The best length for you depends on where you want to see horizontal lines. As I have said before, hems create horizontal lines. The Body Element that gives you clues about your best horizontal line placements for pant hems is Body Proportion.
I first wrote about it in Pant Fit — Signs Of Well-Fitting Pants — Part 3.
If you find the length isn’t right for you go to the above post and you will find help.
The length of pants depends on the type of leg. Pants come in:
- Skinny/Slim
- Straight/Bootcut
Designers have decided that these above categories can also be worn in capris length. I will address this in a separate section.
Skinny/Slim
For most skinny and slim leg pants, the hem should hit right around the ankle. I personally like it below my ankle because that way my legs appear longer. Understanding your legs in respect to Body Proportion will help you find the best placement for your pant hem. (For more information on Body Proportion go Body Proportions — Out of Balance?)
Straight/Bootcut
You will find straight and bootcut lengthens can be ½ – 1 inch off the ground when wearing flats or 3 inch heels.
If your legs are proportionally shorter than your torso these styles of pants make your legs appear longer. Your legs will appear in proportion with your torso creating balance and adding confidence.
Capris
I’m not a big fan of capris length pants because the horizontal lines they create can make a woman’s body out of proportion.
If your legs are shorter than your torso then you should rethink capris pants. However, if your legs are the same length or longer than your torso, then capris pants could be a good choice for you.
Summary
The critical areas for pant fit are between your waist and crotch:
- Front waist to crotch length
- Back waist to crotch length
- Pelvic bone curve
- Butt curve
Once you get these areas figured out the rest is much easier. Talk to your tailor/seamstress about alterations she can and cannot make.
Remember if your rise is short then shop for pants in the petite department. I know it’s getting harder to find cute petite clothes. Go online, for example Macys, Ann Taylor, Gap, J Crew and Talbots to name a few.
On the other hand, if your rise is long and regular size pants are too short for you, look for tall sizes. Try American Tall — 5’10” and above.
If you have short legs remember in most cases it’s easy to have pants shortened.
However if your legs are too long there are creative ways to have pants lengthened. I have a friend who is 6’2” and I lengthen her pants all the time. Look for pants that have a wide hem because this length can be utilized.
If you’re having trouble finding a pair of pants that fit your body, even with alterations made, then consider custom made pants. I know this route is more expensive. But think about how you will feel in them: the increase in confidence and personal power. You will also wear them more, decreasing the cost per wearing.
You can also consider creating your own. There are many videos on YouTube on this subject.
Did you learn anything new about pant fit? Share in the comments below. I would love to hear about them.
The next blog post will summarize this series How To Create A Perfect Fit. It’s called How To Create A Perfect Fit — In Review.
Wear Your Greatness!!
