Nothing fits!

November 26, 2007 6:00 PM

I can't dress myself. After two babies in four years I have too much tummy and waist and not enough tush, and I'm unable to find jeans that fit. When they fit in the waist they are too big everywhere else (and vice versa - can you say muffin top?). I'm 5'6" and have relatively thin legs, if that helps. Please recommend styles and brands of jeans and pants that might fit my unfortunate body type!
posted by missuswayne to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (18 answers total)

I hear good things about the unfortunately named Tummy Tuck jeans. I actually found a pair in a thrift store recently but couldn't bring myself to admit that they might be good for me, and also, they looked a little high waisted for my tastes (although that would definitely make the muffin tops a non-issue).

Honestly, I've just taken to wearing skirts about 80% of the time. It sounds like it would be less practical, but you'd be surprised.
posted by padraigin at 6:24 PM on November 26, 2007

Have you considered finding a seamstress that could take in the material on a pair of jeans that fits you at the waste.
posted by oddman at 6:26 PM on November 26, 2007

I am a muffin top queen, fits in the waist, too loose everywhere else. A perfect fit on my legs, waaaay to tight in the waist. The two brands that I have so far had the best luck with are American Eagle and Abercrombie and Fitch (1892 line). They are still far from perfect, but they are the closest I have gotten.
posted by Vaike at 6:28 PM on November 26, 2007

Prefacing this with 1) I'm male, but 2) also not the easiest fit, I've had True Jeans recommended to me by a couple of folks. The 'fit finder' might help you find some options.
posted by pupdog at 6:29 PM on November 26, 2007

I bought my wife Dress Your Best: The Complete Guide to Finding the Style That's Right for Your Body which she loves (she's losing weight and her body type is changing). It's written by the hosts of the What Not To Wear tv show. It's neat since they have 15 different female body types (and 8 male) described and recommendations for each. It's a fun read too.
posted by rdhatt at 6:35 PM on November 26, 2007

Taking the "have them tailored" suggestion a step further, you might consider having jeans made specifically for your body? My mom has had great, well-fitting dressy slacks tailor-made for less than I would have expected (about $100, if memory serves). The woman who makes her slacks also does custom jeans at a similar price. Pricier, perhaps, than the average pair of Levis, but might be worth it if they save you some "I've tried every pair of jeans in the store" craziness.
posted by Meg_Murry at 6:41 PM on November 26, 2007

you might like the gap's "curvy" jeans. i am pear-shaped, and find them too loose in the waist when they fit my bum and thighs. so i presume that they will fit someone with a larger waist and smaller thighs better.

if you don't have a lot of hips, you may actually do well with men's jeans, too. try some classic 501's.
posted by thinkingwoman at 6:41 PM on November 26, 2007

Have you tried Zafu? A few friends have recommended it to me, though when I did it there were too many results (53!) given back to give me much confidence in it. For what it's worth, the brand they rank best for me is Ralph Lauren Modern Bootcut. I'm in sort of the same boat as you - shorter, curvy, babyfied and unable to find jeans that fit right in all the right places. For the last year I've been getting Gap and Old Navy jeans and having a tailor adjust the length. They're not great though and my next step is to go to a major department store and ask what jeans would be good for my shape. If you go the tailoring route, shop for waist and hip fit, and tailor for leg width and length.
posted by cocoagirl at 6:46 PM on November 26, 2007 [1 favorite]

Have you tried Zafu.com? You enter in your specs in a whole slew of common jean problems (whether you have a gap, size of butt, size of hips, what fit you're looking for, price) and they turn out recommended brands AND fits. It is an awesome tool.
posted by Anonymous at 6:49 PM on November 26, 2007

Oh, whoops, cocoagirl got there!
posted by Anonymous at 6:50 PM on November 26, 2007

Response by poster: Thanks for the responses. Tried Zafu, and I'm going to try True Jeans as soon as I can find my tape measure :)

I also may try men's jeans, as thinkingwoman suggested. I used to wear them in college, as I preferred a low rise fit and in the early 90s it was awfully hard to find women's jeans with low rise.

rdhatt - Funny you should suggest that book, I'm determined to get on that show. Damn, I could use their $5000 Visa card.
posted by missuswayne at 7:10 PM on November 26, 2007

I have it on good authority that the Tummy Tuck jeans are excellent.
posted by Alt F4 at 7:57 PM on November 26, 2007

Just say no to men's jeans (unless you are, in fact, a man). Not cute.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 8:01 PM on November 26, 2007 [1 favorite]

I highly recommend Levi's Shrink-to-Fits! Just be sure to get the proper size initially since they'll shrink up quite a bit (add around 1-2" at the waist and 3-4" to the inseam). Since they are essentially mens jeans I worried they wouldn't shrink correctly on me, but they actually shrank perfectly snug to my body. The rise sits at the waist so it defintley catches any muffin-top spillage you'd get from wearing lower-rise pants, without being too "mom jeans."
posted by zippity at 10:15 PM on November 26, 2007

levi's capital E's are also good for conforming. i have a lot of thigh, and these are the only ones that take that into account while fitting the waist. kinda pricey though; they run about $200ish. worth it.
posted by patricking at 4:46 AM on November 27, 2007

The Atlantic did an article on jeans sizing this month. It's a pretty interesting read (I think you may need a subscription). It also mentions Zafu and describes how it works. But in the end, the article just says you have to go to a store that sells different kinds of jeans, ask for help from a salesperson, and try on lots and lots of pairs.
posted by bluefly at 6:59 AM on November 27, 2007

It sounds like you have the same problem I do; mine is from losing a lot of weight and still waiting around for my waist to reappear. It might seem counterintuitive since you're talking about curves here, but my solution was juniors' jeans. Because they're made for a less curvy body type, there's little or no difference between the hip and waist measurements. You get all the snugness of men's jeans but they are still styled to look feminine and give you a hott lady ass. The brands I've tried have also all had a bit of stretch, which helps keep them from falling off or looking too boxy when you get the correct size to avoid muffin top. If you're a larger size, try online merchants that carry extended juniors' sizes (J.C. Penney's, Torrid, or Delia's, for example).
posted by littlegreenlights at 11:18 AM on November 27, 2007

Oh, and the ones I've been wearing are Underground Soul. Cheap, but they've been doing the job for the last three sizes. :)
posted by littlegreenlights at 11:24 AM on November 27, 2007