The wonderful world of PANTS: Part Un

Lately, a lot of my friends have been talking about pants. For me and for many others, pants are a touchy subject. My crazy waist-to-hip ratio makes it hard for me to find pants that fit comfortably and attractively. As I’m roughly 42-32/3-48″, a pair that fits in the hip is almost always too big in the waist. Sometimes, pants are fine in the thighs and WAY too baggy in the knees/calves.

The Laura Byrnes Black Label High-waisted Cropped Trousers offered by Pinup Girl Clothing usually get glowing reviews, but they were originally a bust for me. After losing a bit of weight, I tried them again (size 2x) with better results! I like the crisp lines, high waist, and wide waistband, which camouflages the loose skin on my midriff area (AKA “The Blob”) wonderfully. The waistband is elasticized in the back, which prevents it from cutting into one’s gut when one sits. At first the back-zip put me off, but now I really appreciate that it keeps the side and front of the garment smooth. More, the legs offer plenty of room without looking baggy.

Because I liked the cropped version so much, I recently purchased a couple of pairs of the longer-style Black Label trousers. I’ll report back on them once they arrive, but I expect them to be a welcome and winter-friendly addition to my wardrobe. In the more distant future, I hope to try the Deadly Dames stretch bengaline capris and, for the second time, the Deadly Dames twill cigarette pants. Unfortunately, the cigarette pants wouldn’t zip over my big butt the last time I tried them.

In the denim arena, I finally tried the famous Freddie’s of Pinewood vintage-style, wide leg jeans. As it’s based in the UK, Freddie’s isn’t the easiest option for North American customers. That said, the owners are very helpful, efficient, and professional, and the products are of good quality. Despite instructions on the website not to size up, I found I needed to. I originally ordered the Classics and Classic Pedal Pushers in size 34″ waist – assuming that the 48″ hip measurement posted would be fine – only to discover that the jeans were way too small for me. I had success with the 36″ waist jeans. The waist is obviously a bit big, but it doesn’t hang oddly. The wide legs are not too wide, and create a very authentic 1940s impression.

To be continued…