women's pants rant

[Eden]

I HATE BUYING JEANS. I'm the one with 20 pairs in the dressing room, swearing under my breath. Every one gaps in the back. I'd love to have a pair of nice fitting jeans but unless I make them, it ain't going to happen.

I don't know if the women's sizing is comparable, but I found some kids "It" brand jeans that fit *perfectly*, no gap, the right length and a tolerable rise (it could be a little higher for me, but I don't feel like I'm always showing off my undies or my butt crack) The model I have is the "starlet", more of a skinny jean cut, but the legs are not stove pipe thin the *whole* way up, so I can fit my thighs in too.

[TsPoet]

I have a funny for you:

I got dressed in a newish pair of genes and my SO complained that I needed to tuck my shirt in, he could see my underwear. I complained about the "low rise" style of the pants and he said... "those aren't low rise, those are Dockers".

[GLC1968]

I hate buying pants, too. And I hate that designers are constantly changing their fits. I mean, I get that styles change and I'm all for trying to be 'current' but even if they alter a style, it would be helpful to stay within the same fit framework. Yes, I speaking to you Eddie Bauer.

I'm 5'4" but have short legs, so I ALWAYS have to hem my pants. 29" inseams are too long unless I'm wearing heels and I no longer wear heels.

For jeans, if you want ones that don't gap in the back, go Levi's Curve ID. I'm a Supreme curve, but even if you aren't as curvy as me (12" inch difference between waist and hip), they have more modified curve signatures. It is reasonably high quality denim that lasts, too. At about $70, they are not cheap, but they often have sales and free shipping. And honestly, the jeans do last. They last better than Gap jeans, for sure.

[Irulan]

You gals do understand there is absolutely NO industry standard when it comes to sizing women's clothing in the USA. Some people withing the clothing manufacturing sector have been pushing for this for years but not getting too far.

[jessmarimba]

I hate buying pants, too. And I hate that designers are constantly changing their fits. I mean, I get that styles change and I'm all for trying to be 'current' but even if they alter a style, it would be helpful to stay within the same fit framework. Yes, I speaking to you Eddie Bauer.

Hahaha I just had to laugh when I saw this. I loooooove getting the Eddie Bauer catalog - but I'm pretty sure absolutely nothing but their First Ascent line fits me. At ALL. They don't make tall pants smaller than a size 6. And their shirts are all so short on me and the sleeves are all too short but the clothes are so cute it kills me. AGONY, I tell you! I just have to wonder where they get models for their catalog? Since aren't most models supposed to be taller than the average woman? I can't figure it out. Maybe they use actual people-sized models and then photoshop them?

[Owlie]

Hahaha I just had to laugh when I saw this. I loooooove getting the Eddie Bauer catalog - but I'm pretty sure absolutely nothing but their First Ascent line fits me. At ALL. They don't make tall pants smaller than a size 6. And their shirts are all so short on me and the sleeves are all too short but the clothes are so cute it kills me. AGONY, I tell you! I just have to wonder where they get models for their catalog? Since aren't most models supposed to be taller than the average woman? I can't figure it out. Maybe they use actual people-sized models and then photoshop them?

I got two skorts and a pair of shorts from them last summer. By the end, the undershorts of the skorts were too tight and migrated up. Okay, fine, I can live with that, since the average person is not a cyclist and does not have cyclist's thighs. I've never bought full-length pants from them.
I have a similar complaint about their tops, though. Cute, really, but I must be between sizes or something. They're tight in the shoulders (expected, since I have relatively broad shoulders) but loose everywhere else, and the sleeves are usually a bit too short. The length of the body is fine, for the most part, so maybe I just like sleeves longer than the average person...not that it matters for me because I roll them up. The shoulders on the long-sleeve shirts I got for Christmas are fine, though. Weird.

GLC: Are you just rough on your jeans? I haven't had a problem with Gap's jeans thus far, save a couple of pairs that are slightly too long and therefore have chewed-up cuffs...

[GLC1968]

I got two skorts and a pair of shorts from them last summer. By the end, the undershorts of the skorts were too tight and migrated up. Okay, fine, I can live with that, since the average person is not a cyclist and does not have cyclist's thighs. I've never bought full-length pants from them.
I have a similar complaint about their tops, though. Cute, really, but I must be between sizes or something. They're tight in the shoulders (expected, since I have relatively broad shoulders) but loose everywhere else, and the sleeves are usually a bit too short. The length of the body is fine, for the most part, so maybe I just like sleeves longer than the average person...not that it matters for me because I roll them up. The shoulders on the long-sleeve shirts I got for Christmas are fine, though. Weird.

GLC: Are you just rough on your jeans? I haven't had a problem with Gap's jeans thus far, save a couple of pairs that are slightly too long and therefore have chewed-up cuffs...

I am tough on my jeans. Part of the problem is that my legs are so short that the bottoms fray (like you mentioned). I also have big thighs but narrow spaced hips, so there is always a LOT of rubbing on the inner thigh and very few pants can survive it for long. And lastly, there is the farm. Only a select few pair of my jeans get to avoid going out back and once they do, they are pretty much toast.

[Owlie]

I am tough on my jeans. Part of the problem is that my legs are so short that the bottoms fray (like you mentioned). I also have big thighs but narrow spaced hips, so there is always a LOT of rubbing on the inner thigh and very few pants can survive it for long. And lastly, there is the farm. Only a select few pair of my jeans get to avoid going out back and once they do, they are pretty much toast.

Ah, okay. The farm would do it!
I have worn holes in the inner thigh of at least one pair of Old Navy jeans, but my weight has fluctuated enough over the past few years that I haven't had any of my other jeans long enough to do that. Then there's the pair that had potassium perchlorate spilled on it. It has several holes down one leg now...

[Penny4]

Hahaha I just had to laugh when I saw this. I loooooove getting the Eddie Bauer catalog - but I'm pretty sure absolutely nothing but their First Ascent line fits me. At ALL. They don't make tall pants smaller than a size 6. And their shirts are all so short on me and the sleeves are all too short but the clothes are so cute it kills me. AGONY, I tell you! I just have to wonder where they get models for their catalog? Since aren't most models supposed to be taller than the average woman? I can't figure it out. Maybe they use actual people-sized models and then photoshop them?

I agree! Their Regular shirts are just ridiculously short on me too. Do you ever order their Tall shirts? They are one of the few retailers I have found that offer Tall tops in almost all of their styles. But sometimes even the Tall is too short, like ALL of their casual blazer/jackets. Gap has a lot of Tall tops too.

[smittykitty]

The last straw: Ordered three pairs of pants, all supposedly the same fit. The capris fit but the size 2 were too big (I'm 4P elsewhere). The 2p were short enough I would have been afraid to dry them. I couldn't figure out why the one leg of the 2P seemed really tight, turns out it was a full 1" narrower than the other leg!!!

I filed my divorce papers with Eddie via on-line review of their products.

And I agree, their stuff is so cute in the catalogs. Some guys just aren't what they appear to be when you get to know them. This relationship is over!

So now where to shop?