Pantsfilter

August 22, 2019 10:26 AM

Friend (M, 20s) is looking for slacks/dress pants. Major obstacle/snowflake: the crotch is often "too tight", independent of waist/inseam/rise/all other metrics known to us.

Trying to pinpoint/find a name for a previously unknown quality of certain men's pants. Some have enough room in the crotch (a big enough junkyard, if you will) while others don't.

• The pant-ee is tall and skinny.
• This is related to, but not the same as, waist size. He swears he’s tried pants with larger waist sizes, only for him to have to wear a belt just to keep them on, still somehow resulting in constricted genitals.
• Also related, but not identical, to rise. (He’s tried high-rise, low-rise, etc.)
• There doesn’t seem to be a clear pattern to which pants have this quality and which don’t. He claims to have gotten both types from the same store/brand, on many occasions (i.e. pants with a junkyard do exist, but it’s not easy to tell which are which).
• This problem arises with casual pants as well (most notably jeans)—but not shorts? Somehow?

Seeking: either a tailor’s name for this phenomenon, or a brand which is reliably good for this sort of thing? Or possibly just an explanation for how it could have been the waist size all along, despite the evidence above.

posted by queen anne's remorse to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (11 answers total)

Best answer: He might try the Duluth Trading Company's "Ballroom Jeans," so named because they are made with more ball room.
posted by nebulawindphone at 10:31 AM on August 22, 2019 [7 favorites]

This doesn't answer your question, but your friend my find solace in the fact that Lyndon Johnson had the same problem.
posted by caek at 11:08 AM on August 22, 2019 [8 favorites]

I have had similar problems with an inconsistent cut from Gap trousers—sometimes it is fine and sometimes it just doesn't work. Have never had that problem with Uniqlo trousers. If everything else fits, the crotch is not a problem.
posted by grouse at 11:10 AM on August 22, 2019

Best answer: Have him look into men’s dress slacks from Lululemon. They advertise an “ABC” (anti ball-crushing) feature set. I can attest to their success in preventing said ball-crushing
posted by armoir from antproof case at 11:26 AM on August 22, 2019 [1 favorite]

Brooks Brothers offers long (and regular) rise men's dress pants in three different fits - what they call the "Madison" fit is quite roomy.
posted by jcrcarter at 11:29 AM on August 22, 2019

I would ask him what kind of underpants he's wearing, because they can add some bulk in that area and changing style can help a lot.
posted by xingcat at 11:42 AM on August 22, 2019 [6 favorites]

Duluth Trading has basically built their brand around solving this kind of problem, but I'm kind of inclined to agree with xingcat that his underwear might play a part as well. I used to wear boxers, and they'd sometimes interfere with my slacks, whether through slightly different cuts that just didn't line up well or through static cling. Hasn't been a problem since I switched to wearing boxer-briefs instead.
posted by tobascodagama at 12:00 PM on August 22, 2019 [1 favorite]

Best answer: This guide to pants fit issues is what you are looking for! It tells you what the wrinkles really mean - is the crotch too long or short? etc.
posted by beyond_pink at 12:42 PM on August 22, 2019 [5 favorites]

We've found LL Bean often works with this issue
posted by Goofyy at 1:07 PM on August 22, 2019

Eddie Bauer makes regular rise and long rise pants. That's the metric you're looking for.
posted by postel's law at 3:32 AM on August 23, 2019

Best answer: Was coming in to recommend the Lululemon ABC pants. They're pricey, but as a tall skinny guy who favors slim-fitting pants and almost had to give up cycyling to work because of the damage he was doing to his nethers, I can tell you they're pretty great.
posted by saladin at 3:51 AM on August 23, 2019 [1 favorite]