Well, when I mean low rise, I mean, like, 2-3 inches below the waist, right above the hips. That's the J Crew "favorite" fit, or the Loft Marissa style. I don't like the ones that are right below my hip bones, too revealing for work, but I do wear them for "play." I've always had the waist gap problem because my waist has always been small in proportion to my hips, no matter what size I have been. It's not too bad now, though. I buy clothes at exactly 3 places: Banana Republic, Ann Taylor/Loft, and J Crew. They've all had "size creep" in the past five years, so I wear a ridiculously smaller size, even though I am the same weight and my cycling thighs are definitely bigger.