Stephanie asks:
I don’t have a need for work slacks, but I would like some slacks for church. Any tips on fit? I have never worn them. I’m especially thrown by the noticeable lack of back pockets, and I just don’t know what is flattering. I see so many women wearing slacks that fit poorly…Don’t know how to not make that mistake. Right now, if I don’t wear a skirt to church, I wear dark wash jeans, but I’d like to expand my options.
Well, I’ll tell you a couple of things that are not flattering:
- form-fitting, skin-color pants
- visible pocket outlines
- jiggle
Defining what works is a bit more challenging. Let’s face it: women’s bodies are complicated.
Assuming we (at the bottom of the fashion food chain) lack the means, and/or skills, to do custom, here’s brainstorming on trouser fit:
- If your waist and hip measurements correspond to different sizes, go with the larger size and get alterations if necessary. (This is different from the way stretch jeans are normally fit these days.)
- Lining adds to a smooth look. Alternatively, wear magic underwear.
- The benefit of a mid-rise style with a waistband construction is breaking up the area visually. Recently I’ve seen styles with pocket flaps; same idea.
I suspect different styles flatter different figure types. For me, the fast diagonal line created by the slash front pocket is like magic; it almost transforms my figure eight silhouette into a V!
I’d love to hear what works for others.
Alterations are good! One I have done fairly regularly is to get pockets sewn shut for a cleaner look. And if the front pocket lining shows, out it comes!
I have dress pants with back pockets and without
love those back pocket flaps BUT I’ve had to remove them because they can look awful
under certain jackets and lightweight sweaters.
another thought about fitting pants – everything seems to come with stretch/spandex.
My experience is that this grows over the day. So the pants fit fine standing in a dressing room but later on they get saggy. So I wear mine with a belt. That’s good until I want to also wear a belt over a shirt or a tie belt on a jacket. Hear there’s an invisibelt option for pants but some people think it’s only so-so.
A wide waistband is good for those with a more luscious bottom as it visually breaks up the area.
Pocket flaps are good for those with flatter bottoms.
Diagonal front pockets (man style) are not good for women with broader hips as they tend to flare open.
No pockets are a great option for many women.
The most important fit factor is around the crotch – it should sit flat, no pulling or wrinkling when standing up straight (when you move, you will get wrinkling). If the waistband is too big when the trousers fit at the crotch, get the waist taken in.
If you find that your waist is your widest part, fit this, then take in around the hips and thighs.
You may find that you need a little stretch in the fabric for them to fit best.
If the rise is too long for you and you get a pouch at the front, look for a shorter rise.
Pants should never SMILE at the crotch.
Pants are a difficult fit, which is why so many of us despair. Stretch fabrics are fantastic, but also kind of evil because many women think the stretch takes care of poor tailoring. But it just makes poor tailoring feel comfortable.
For me, the weight of the fabric makes all the difference. I feel like I can wear any
style pants so long as the fabric is thinner. It moves and flows a bit. Stiff constuctions,
thicker or thinner, make me look blocky.