“Everyone is confused”: How to find the right pants | Well, actually

A few weeks ago I had a terrible realization. I needed new pants.

In theory, this should be an easy task. Stores are packed with pairs in every size, shape and material: wide-leg, bootcut; high-waisted, elastic waistband; Denim, leather. And yet, trying on a pair of pants inevitably feels like I’m diving into an MC Escher drawing. What looks like a pair of regular jeans on the rack will stick to me in a way that is both confusing and unsettling. I envy Winnie the Pooh and his minimalist, top-only uniform.

Many people share my fear. When I broached the subject of buying pants, friends said things like “Ugh” and “This is hell.” We had questions and no answers. Where can you find good pants? Which style should you choose? And how should pants actually fit?

“There are so many different styles of pants these days—everyone gets confused by them,” says Samantha Dawn, a personal stylist and style coach.

The answers to many of these questions depend on personal preference. However, there are some guidelines that will make it easier to find the right pants for you.

Try on many pairs to find what you like

Experts agree that the most important step in buying pants might be the hardest: Figure out what you like. How loose do you like your pants? Do you like them short or long? How high do you think the waist should be? Figuring this out will probably require trial and error. Lots of it.

“It’s about studying the pants you like on you,” says Sophie Strauss, a self-proclaimed stylist for regular people. When shopping in person, Strauss recommends grabbing “a big stack” of pants — “more than you think,” she says — in two to three sizes.

Michael Maccari, associate professor and design director of men’s fashion at the Fashion Institute of Technology, also recommends trying on “as many (pants) as possible.” Then find what feels right for you and note which brands you like best.

“Wear the fit that suits your body type and don’t follow trends,” he says.

Don’t be influenced by articles or influencers who claim to have found the perfect pair of pants. According to Strauss, there were hundreds of viral so-called perfect pants, none of which were perfect for everyone.

Companies “rely on you not to figure out how pants work or what you like,” Strauss says. “And they trust you to feel bad about it, because when you feel bad, you buy another pair of pants.”

When choosing the fabric, pay attention to comfort and function

When looking for pants, pay attention to the fabric and whether it has stretch.

“A stretch fabric will perform completely differently than a non-stretch fabric,” says Michael Andrews, founder and CEO of Michael Andrews Bespoke.

If you’re looking for pants with a very slim fit, Andrews says stretch material is usually the way to go for comfort. A fabric with 4% or 6% stretch is much easier to move and sit in than a non-stretch, all-natural fiber – like denim or wool – which is likely to be stiffer.

However, stretching comes with a cost, especially if you’re shopping at a major clothing chain.

“With the advent of synthetic fabrics, our fast fashion and mainstream clothing production has moved away from making sure things actually fit,” says Strauss. “They don’t have to fit anymore because they stretch.”

Stretch fabrics such as elastane also have a much shorter lifespan than natural fibers. Synthetic fibers break down and lose their hair over time. Not only does this poison the environment, but it also destroys the structure of your pants.

For example, think back to your favorite skinny jeans from the mid-80s. At first they fit like a second skin, but over time “the knees get saggy, the butt gets saggy, the waist gets big, the pockets get wobbly,” says Strauss.

Know your measurements

As anyone who has ever tried on pants in a store knows, sizing is a breeze.

“Every brand cuts differently,” says Maccari. Generally, brands fall into one of three fit categories, he says: true/actual size, slimmer cuts and plus-size sizes. For example, a size 32 from a brand with true sizes fits looser than a size 32 from a brand with slim sizes.

One way to make your life easier – especially when shopping online where you can’t try anything on – is to know your own measurements in inches and centimeters. The most important measurements are: waist, inseam (the distance from your crotch to the bottom of your leg) and your preferred rise (the distance from your crotch to the waistband of your pants).

Take the inseam. Dawn says that ideally the bottom of a pant leg should touch the instep. If it’s shorter, “it’s shorter,” and if it’s longer, “you get wrinkles.” Knowing the length of your inseam will help you determine where a pair of pants sits on your leg and whether it will achieve the look you want.

Know what you can change

If you find a pair of pants that you like but don’t quite fit, don’t despair – a tailor can probably help you.

In most cases, Andrews says, it’s easier to size down rather than up. In other words, it’s safer to buy pants that are a little too big and have them taken out than to buy pants that are a little too small and hope that they can be taken out.

Strauss recommends sizing “by your largest part,” meaning you should find pants that fit you comfortably on the largest part of your body — your waist or thighs, for example — and then adjust them on the smaller areas let.

If your pants are hemmed, bring some of the shoes you plan to wear so you can see how they fall. If you’re not sure what to wear them with, Dawn recommends bringing both a pair of sneakers and heels. “So it has just the right hem for both,” she says.

Although tailoring involves additional costs and effort, it is traditionally part of purchasing new clothing.

“Clothing should be tailored,” says Strauss. She notes that this is how human clothing has functioned for most of history. The so-called standard sizes are a relatively new development – previously clothing was usually made tailor-made for an individual’s body. “Tailoring is something everyone should do,” she says.

I still have to buy new pants. It still seems daunting. But I feel empowered knowing that sizing is meaningless and my inseam is 29 inches.