NO SLIM-FIT NEED APPLY
February 27, 2014 12:32 PM Subscribe
After being inadvertently reminded that I have kind of an unusual body type (tall & fairly thin upper body [6'2", 210 lbs, 34W x 36L]... but with massive ham-hock legs--see title), I've decided it's time to quit my grumbling and actually find dress pants that fit. I've looked through the archives and while there's been good advice for casual and blue-collar menswear, I need something that I can wear with a shirt & tie. I like Bonobos and Banana Republic style (or "style," whatever), but I've gained a little weight recently and even though my waist is about the same, everything fits like a sausage casing around my thighs and butt. Who makes the pants I'm looking for?
Pretty much any non-slim fit "regular rise" should work. JPress, Sid Mashburn, J Crew's "Classic" fit, Brooks Brothers, etc. Or anything in the dad/grandpa section of Macy's, Nordstroms, Men's Wearhouse, etc.
posted by BabeTheBlueOX at 12:46 PM on February 27, 2014
posted by BabeTheBlueOX at 12:46 PM on February 27, 2014
Response by poster: Budget: Am willing to entertain going up to $100 a pair.
Re the dad/grandpa-style: I'm mid-thirties and gay in a big city and would perfer not to look like I've already given up.
posted by psoas at 12:59 PM on February 27, 2014 [1 favorite]
Re the dad/grandpa-style: I'm mid-thirties and gay in a big city and would perfer not to look like I've already given up.
posted by psoas at 12:59 PM on February 27, 2014 [1 favorite]
Go to Nordstrom. You are built like my husband; the only answer is tailoring.
posted by purpleclover at 1:01 PM on February 27, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by purpleclover at 1:01 PM on February 27, 2014 [1 favorite]
Yeah, second tailoring. Thigh thickness used to ruin pants buying for me all the time. My solution is buy pants with a larger waist than I require, which tends to mean they effectively hide my thunder, then I take them to a tailor who pulls in the waist without too much alteration to the seat and thighs. This has worked with pants up and down the price spectrum.
posted by undercoverhuwaaah at 1:19 PM on February 27, 2014
posted by undercoverhuwaaah at 1:19 PM on February 27, 2014
Yeah, but the OP might be on to something. A few years ago I could wear jeans and still get my hands out of my front pockets while holding my keys -- but now it feels like everyone has made their jeans slimmer-fit. I used to buy roomy Gap and L.L.Bean jeans, but now even the "relaxed" fit has pockets that I can barely use. :7( And my butt isn't that big!
posted by wenestvedt at 1:26 PM on February 27, 2014
posted by wenestvedt at 1:26 PM on February 27, 2014
Budget: Am willing to entertain going up to $100 a pair.
Here's your answer: http://custom.luxire.com/collections/pants
Made to measure pants, many fabrics under 100 bucks. The dudes on StyleForum think highly of them.
posted by MisantropicPainforest at 1:30 PM on February 27, 2014 [5 favorites]
Here's your answer: http://custom.luxire.com/collections/pants
Made to measure pants, many fabrics under 100 bucks. The dudes on StyleForum think highly of them.
posted by MisantropicPainforest at 1:30 PM on February 27, 2014 [5 favorites]
I have the same issue - 6'3", 225, and thick thighs. J. Crew Essential Chinos are about the only pants that have felt like they were actually made to fit me. Well, those and Levi's 569 jeans. Dress pants (which I fortunately don't need on a daily basis I will generally just get tailored, as none of them fit at all right off the rack. Jos A Bank shirts, esp the athletic cut, fit me perfectly as-is as well, and I've generally had good luck with their jackets, and casual shirts from them and Eddie Bauer.
Good Luck.
posted by jhs at 1:53 PM on February 27, 2014
Good Luck.
posted by jhs at 1:53 PM on February 27, 2014
A good menswear department -- Nordstrom, Sachs, Bloomingdales -- will have a "separates" slacks section -- i.e. pants that come to the store in a tailorable, not-fully-finished form, much like suit trousers, except not paired with a jacket. And, fortunately for you, the whole point of choosing and tailoring men's pants is achieving a comfortable and flattering waist-to-butt-to-thigh fit and silhouette.
Most likely, your salesman and his tailor will point you to some trousers that are actually slim cut in design philosophy but 2" or 4" bigger in the waist than you need.
HOWEVER, you need to make sure that the tailor works with you with the 270" degree mirror thingy with the pants fully pinned to the proposed tailoring, so that you can be sure that you're comfortable that pockets and belt loops work with the tailoring (sometimes they just don't) and that the pants aren't billowy around your knees and calfs, a risk that the slim-cut starting point should mitigate.
posted by MattD at 4:12 PM on February 27, 2014
Most likely, your salesman and his tailor will point you to some trousers that are actually slim cut in design philosophy but 2" or 4" bigger in the waist than you need.
HOWEVER, you need to make sure that the tailor works with you with the 270" degree mirror thingy with the pants fully pinned to the proposed tailoring, so that you can be sure that you're comfortable that pockets and belt loops work with the tailoring (sometimes they just don't) and that the pants aren't billowy around your knees and calfs, a risk that the slim-cut starting point should mitigate.
posted by MattD at 4:12 PM on February 27, 2014
Suggest you ask said relatives if they could take in a pair of pants you buy. If yes, go to an outlet store and buy a bigger pair then you need and have them taken in to fit you.
posted by parmanparman at 4:25 PM on February 27, 2014
posted by parmanparman at 4:25 PM on February 27, 2014
Dockers Men's 5 Pocket Khaki D2 Straight Fit Flat Front Pant.
I'm 6'2", about 230ish, and have huge quads from riding my bike, and have always had a prominent ass. I'm usually 36 long, but on a whim at Ross, I tried going up in the waist and down in the leg, and these pants really fit me well now. Only downside is that they're kinda low on me, relative to most pants, but with this particular fit, that works well. It just means that as I've lost a bit of weight, they can get hard to hold on even with a belt.
But I liked 'em so much I ordered three more pairs through Amazon.
posted by klangklangston at 5:35 PM on February 27, 2014
I'm 6'2", about 230ish, and have huge quads from riding my bike, and have always had a prominent ass. I'm usually 36 long, but on a whim at Ross, I tried going up in the waist and down in the leg, and these pants really fit me well now. Only downside is that they're kinda low on me, relative to most pants, but with this particular fit, that works well. It just means that as I've lost a bit of weight, they can get hard to hold on even with a belt.
But I liked 'em so much I ordered three more pairs through Amazon.
posted by klangklangston at 5:35 PM on February 27, 2014
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posted by psoas at 12:33 PM on February 27, 2014