help me pants - thunder thigh edition
October 25, 2014 7:08 AM Subscribe
Hey folks I'm a reasonably fit male, 5'10" with a 32-34" waist and enormous thighs. Finding good pants is always problematic - typically they get around my trunks and are completely loose around my waist.
I've had the best luck with Lucky brand jeans, but there must be more pant options out there.
I try to dress casual chic - any tips, tricks or brand recommendations would be appreciated.
If pants fit well at the thigh and hip, you can always buy them and have the waist taken in by a tailor/dry cleaner. It adds a little extra time & expense to the buying process, but it makes the shopping a lot less frustrating. (Same goes for shirts/jackets - as long as it fits the widest part of your body, you can get someone to make an alteration to get rid of the baggy part)
posted by oh yeah! at 8:34 AM on October 25, 2014 [2 favorites]
posted by oh yeah! at 8:34 AM on October 25, 2014 [2 favorites]
I'm pretty much the same in terms of proportions, both height and weight. My thighs/butt are always several sizes larger than my height/waist. One of the things that I really like is pants with gussets, which aren't super common. There's a Kickstarter right now for a company called tailors of atlas that's gonna try to make jeans that address this issue. My go to right now is various cycling jeans. Levi's makes a line called "commuter", which I really like, I have a pair of the jeans and some more chino looking pants from them, and they fit great. You can find those all over the place, I got a pair at an outdoor supply store, as well as finding em at Nordstrom Rack once. SWRVE also makes a solid pair of jeans, which also fit really well. They're harder to find than the levi's, but I really like those, too.
posted by DGStieber at 9:33 AM on October 25, 2014 [2 favorites]
posted by DGStieber at 9:33 AM on October 25, 2014 [2 favorites]
Do what every curvy woman does, and get pants altered for you.
On preview: What oh yeah! said.
posted by small_ruminant at 9:33 AM on October 25, 2014 [1 favorite]
On preview: What oh yeah! said.
posted by small_ruminant at 9:33 AM on October 25, 2014 [1 favorite]
Mountain Hardware Runouts; and I have to get the waist tailored. Too outdoorsy?, who knows. I cycle a bit, and when I do find pants that fit; I buy some to keep on the shelve for next season.
posted by buzzman at 9:34 AM on October 25, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by buzzman at 9:34 AM on October 25, 2014 [1 favorite]
Are your thighs big from weightlifting? If so there's a company that purports to design clothes for people like you.
posted by dfriedman at 10:18 AM on October 25, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by dfriedman at 10:18 AM on October 25, 2014 [1 favorite]
I'm not sure what the policy is about answering AskMe questions with incomplete but funded Kickstarter projects so I won't link directly to it, but there's an interesting one for jeans for athlete-types with big quads and glutes. Search for Keirin at Kickstarter.
posted by tomierna at 10:33 AM on October 25, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by tomierna at 10:33 AM on October 25, 2014 [1 favorite]
Sort of along the lines of dfriedman's comment, but designed for hockey players, Gongshow has jeans and pants that are supposed to fit guys with larger thighs.
posted by sigmagalator at 11:08 AM on October 25, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by sigmagalator at 11:08 AM on October 25, 2014 [1 favorite]
You might want to check out 3sixteen's CS-100x fit: wider in the thighs, slightly tapered below the knee.
posted by raihan_ at 11:26 AM on October 25, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by raihan_ at 11:26 AM on October 25, 2014 [1 favorite]
I have the exact same problem (5'9", 32" waist, 25" thigh circumference). I've found that "relaxed fit" is the magic term. Besides that, I have no advice, because Banana Republic recently discontinued their entire relaxed fit line, which was my favorite kind of jeans. The popularity of skinny jeans has made life very difficult.
posted by qxntpqbbbqxl at 12:05 PM on October 25, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by qxntpqbbbqxl at 12:05 PM on October 25, 2014 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Clothing with "athletic fit" is designed for a small waist, high round rump, and muscular thighs.
Dappered:
"guys who’ve struggled to fit bulging biceps into trim sleeves, hawt hamstrings into slim legs, and their bangin’ caboose into close fitting flat front pants.” J Crew has introduced the Crosby suit with an athletic fit
US Navy:
Real Men Real Style
Dappered:
"guys who’ve struggled to fit bulging biceps into trim sleeves, hawt hamstrings into slim legs, and their bangin’ caboose into close fitting flat front pants.” J Crew has introduced the Crosby suit with an athletic fit
US Navy:
"Generally, if there is six inches or more between your chest and waist measurements, and between your waist and hip measurements, you could be an athletic fit," said Vickers. "If there is less than six inches between your chest and waist measurements, and between your waist and hip measurements, you could be a classic fit."
Real Men Real Style
Men’s Trousers For athletes who are very tall, or who have large legs... It’s important to remember that trousers should follow the natural contours of the body.posted by ohshenandoah at 5:39 PM on October 25, 2014
Pleated-front cut trousers have always been the dressier cut. Pleats were originally designed to combine comfort and function. The hips will widen naturally when sitting, allowing one to sit more comfortably. If going with pleats, know that they should not open while standing.
For proper fit, you want to start by wearing the trousers on your waist, NOT the hips. Waist-worn trousers will emphasize the smallness of the waist area.
If you wear them on the hips, they’ll bulge out and the hips will draw attention to themselves, rather than the thinner waist area. Also, wearing trousers on the waist will make you look thinner, as well as make your legs looks longer.
The crotch of the pants should be fit so they’re as high as they can be while still being comfortable. If you have definition throughout your legs, this is important.
The higher the crotch, the longer your leg will look, but of course comfort is the most important part, so having a nice balance between these components is essential. The pockets should lie flat on the hips when the trousers are pulled up to rest around the waist.
I'm taller than you, but i have the same problem. I also have SuperCalves.
You want j brand jeans. I used to occasionally get a seemingly off spec pair of levis that fit pretty good, but i'd eventually rip the crotch out or something from the tension. J brands? spot on.
The only problem i've had is finding them in the wash i like, and that they're like... $150-200. But seriously, go to barneys or some other higher end store in your area that carries multiple brands and try some on. When i first did i actually went "woah", and wore them almost every day until they were ruined weather permitting. I also got plenty of complements on them, including from one of my friends who works in apparel design who wanted to know what designer they were(heh).
Alternatively, if you're ok with them not being full length pants, i also love my swrve "pants"(they're more like capris, but i think they finally make real pants now?) and will be buying more for sure when they wear out. I can pretty much put my leg behind my head without any binding up because they're made out of crazy space fabric. And i've also, once again, gotten asked several times by cool people what brand they were/where'd i get them.
I've also had really good luck with levi "commuter" 511 slacks, if you need "business casual" type work pants/quasi chinos. They fit my thighs fine, with the bonus of also being rain proof... and they come with a double crotch! which is always what i ruined on my levis. My smartass cynical self was sold when i saw that, and they're cheaper than most of the other options mentioned.
posted by emptythought at 12:38 AM on October 26, 2014
You want j brand jeans. I used to occasionally get a seemingly off spec pair of levis that fit pretty good, but i'd eventually rip the crotch out or something from the tension. J brands? spot on.
The only problem i've had is finding them in the wash i like, and that they're like... $150-200. But seriously, go to barneys or some other higher end store in your area that carries multiple brands and try some on. When i first did i actually went "woah", and wore them almost every day until they were ruined weather permitting. I also got plenty of complements on them, including from one of my friends who works in apparel design who wanted to know what designer they were(heh).
Alternatively, if you're ok with them not being full length pants, i also love my swrve "pants"(they're more like capris, but i think they finally make real pants now?) and will be buying more for sure when they wear out. I can pretty much put my leg behind my head without any binding up because they're made out of crazy space fabric. And i've also, once again, gotten asked several times by cool people what brand they were/where'd i get them.
I've also had really good luck with levi "commuter" 511 slacks, if you need "business casual" type work pants/quasi chinos. They fit my thighs fine, with the bonus of also being rain proof... and they come with a double crotch! which is always what i ruined on my levis. My smartass cynical self was sold when i saw that, and they're cheaper than most of the other options mentioned.
posted by emptythought at 12:38 AM on October 26, 2014
Previous answers have recommended Levi's 511 Commuters. Even though they're marketed to cyclists and cut higher in the rear, they are, inexplicably, low-rise pants. The listed waist dimension is the circumference of the waistband, which sits low on the hips.
My measurements are 33" waist, 43" hips, 27" thigh. I tried on the 34"x30", and literally could not pull them high enough to cover all of my underwear.
I've now resorted to combing through Goodwill for pants whose waists are 2-3" larger and paying a tailor to take in the waist. Buy pants that fit you in the crotch, bottom, and thighs; the hems and waists can be altered for $20.
posted by d. z. wang at 7:34 PM on October 31, 2014
My measurements are 33" waist, 43" hips, 27" thigh. I tried on the 34"x30", and literally could not pull them high enough to cover all of my underwear.
I've now resorted to combing through Goodwill for pants whose waists are 2-3" larger and paying a tailor to take in the waist. Buy pants that fit you in the crotch, bottom, and thighs; the hems and waists can be altered for $20.
posted by d. z. wang at 7:34 PM on October 31, 2014
This thread is closed to new comments.
I'm looking forward to this thread! I need more options.
posted by gregvr at 8:05 AM on October 25, 2014 [2 favorites]