This Is Why You Hate Your Pants
Though it’s possible to love again.
by The Candidly Team
Can we all agree that pants are the single most important staple in our closet?
Here’s why:
1) We wear them more than anything else.
2) When they fit us well, we feel 87% more confident about everything else we’re wearing.
Yet pants are so … difficult.
Unlike shirts, which we can tuck or wear loose or hide under soft sweaters and sleek blazers, pants are just out there. They frame our entire lower body, and therefore, they need to fit phenomenally well for us to feel good in them.
But so many are sooooo bad. And while it can feel like a mystery why some pants work and others don’t, we’ve boiled our problems with our pants down to 4 main reasons:
The Problems:
1) They gap at the waist.
Pear shaped ladies know this well. Anything that glides gorgeously and smoothly over our hips, thighs, and butt tends to leave a big old kangaroo sack of space at the waist.
2) They cut into your belly and create a spare tire.
Oh, yes, and for the apples among us, the exact opposite is true. Pants that fit us perfectly on our butts and legs can cut so deeply into our bellies, we want nothing more than to peel ourselves out of them the moment we get home.
3) They force you to wear a thong.
Is this not the main reason we end up opting for thick jeans or pant styles that are loose around our bum just so we don’t have to spend a single second of our precious time fussing over panty lines?
4) They make your butt look flat and sad.
And finally, even when we do shimmy ourselves into a thong, it’s often only to find ourselves simultaneously flattened and widened out by the sad seat of our pants. With poorly placed, unflatteringly sized pockets. Weird inseams. The works.
The Solutions:
Alright, so what can be done about all this?
Well, weirdly enough, while the problems with pants can vary, the solutions are often the same. This is the reason why some pants and jeans seem to look universally good on every shape. Sure, you might get them in tall or petite or plus, but the basic shape and materials work beautifully in general.
That said, here are some things to look for when buying pants depending on your issue.
1) If you often see a waist gap:
Look for brands that sell “curvy fits.” This generally means they’re tailored to women with a higher hip to waist ratio. Some amazing options can be found at Abercrombie (crazy right?) and Madewell. You can also look for stretchier denim that keeps its shape when buying jeans.
2) If pants are often too tight on your belly:
No one ever told us this, but when we found out, it was pretty game-changing. Find pants with longer zippers and not only will they fit more comfortably, they’ll make your tum look flatter. This is true for long-waisted ladies and those of us with a belly pooch.
You can also look for pleating that falls really flat so it conceals without adding volume. And lastly, try softer, stretchier denim that still has structure, so you feel “held in” and smoothed.
3) If you hate, hate, hate wearing a thong:
Yes, you can always opt for a wider leg style, but the real answer is seamless underwear, my friends. More on that later.
4) If you never like how your butt looks in pants:
Once again, curvy fits can be incredibly flattering. There are also brands making pants and jeans with sort of “magic” fabrics that shape you without feeling restrictive. (Anthropologie is one of those brands FYI.) And finally, pocket placement is almost everything. Look for bigger seat pockets that don’t sit too high or too low.
And now, the pants that will solve all your problems:
Naturally, we weren’t going to leave you with a 22-item checklist of perfect pant criteria and no examples of the pants that fulfill every one of them. These are the 8 best pants in every category of staple pants we need for everyday wear. It’s taken us years to create this list, but every single pair that’s made the cut has made it all worth it.
1. Best Jeans
We recently declared Paige to be the brand making the best-fitting and feeling jeans for women. And a massive part of that is due to this particular style. They’re wide leg but not in a trendy way - more in a classic, wear-forever way. They’re soft to a degree that we feel like we’re in silky joggers but they always keep their perfect, tailored shape, never stretching out or sagging. They come in an ankle and full-length version. We own both, and together, they are the only jeans we want to reach for pretty much every day which is how/ why we justified the cost. Although, we do have a code for you to at least help with that a bit.
Use the code CANDIDLY15 to get 15% off.
Price: $225
RUNNER UP: Quince Comfort Stretch High Rise Relaxed Straight Jeans
We have been nothing short of stunned by the comfort, quality, and wildly flattering fit of Quince jeans. They’re soft and stretchy and hold you in in the best way where you can still move and breath freely. Oh, and they’re only $50. Every. single. pair. Word to the wise. If they’re only available on preorder, order them! They sell out constantly and are worth the wait.
2. Best Fitting Pant For Almost Anyone
The Colette Cropped Wide-Leg Pants By Maeve
We’ve written articles that read like love letters to these pants. But they’re not exactly a secret. In fact, they’re a best seller for Anthropologie, which is doing incredible things in general with pants, but that’s all because the cut is exceptionally flattering on curves, and the material is stretchy while holding you in in all the right places. They size in plus, tall, and petite and come in an overwhelming number of excellent colors. We tell everyone we know about these pants, and not one person has reported back anything but pure love.
Price: $120
3. Best Trouser
Madewell The Harlow Wide-Leg Pant
We talked a bit above about pleating and how when it’s done really really well it makes your waist look nipped and your entire lower body just seems to be tailored into a perfect curvy shape. These pants are a dream if you’re curvy, and if you’re stick straight, they somehow give you curves.
Price: $70
RUNNER UP: Aritzia The Effortless Pant™
These pants were neck and neck with Madewell as ranking at the top of our trouser list. They cost just a bit more so we made them a runner up, but the quality is unmatched, and they are the kind of pants you feel actual joy putting on in the morning. The cut is smartly tailored to be deeply elongating and flattering on curves. Plus, they come in many variations (wide-leg, cropped). All of them are unbelievably reliable and good.
4. Best Flare Pant
The Junie High-Rise Wide-Leg Flare Pants By Maeve
Maybe it’s because we lived out our 20s in the age of skinny jeans but we forget about a flare pant, which is madness, because almost no cut is ever as balancing on curves, giving us our best proportions and prettiest silhouette. These pants are also made of Anthro’s sculpting “magic fabric.” And the high waist makes your legs look miles long.
Price: $128
5. Best Leggings
Beyond Yoga Spacedye Caught In The Midi High Waisted Legging
We’re not going to be able to convey to you in words the kind of silky buttery softness of these leggings, which are somehow also substantial enough to stay put yet light as air, thick enough to melt away bumps yet completely breathable. They are, without question the best leggings around. And we have tried dozens.
Price: $98
6. Best Jogger
Cozy Earth Rib-Knit Jogger Pants
No one is making joggers as soft and addictive as Cozy Earth. If you are a fellow “cozy person” who lives for comfort, you will die for this pair. They’re the sort of pants you live in every second you’re at home, yet somehow the waistband and ribbing make them flattering enough to wear out and about.
Use the code CANDIDLY to get 35% off.
Price: $160
7. Best Ponte
The Colette Cropped Wide-Leg Ponte Pants By Maeve
Do any of us actually know what ponte is? We always equated it with a pant that’s very practical and untrendy and a little bit nicer. But it’s actually just a type of fabric that is a bit heavier, more durable, more resistant to wrinkles, and yes, somewhat “nice” and therefore great for work and going out and times you want to look a swish more formal. So are these particular pants the same exact cut as the Anthro pair we seemingly will not shut up about and already mentioned above? Why yes. Yes, they are. But are they now available in the stretchiest, most breathable ponte material you can imagine? Also, yes.
Price: $120
RUNNER UP: Quince Ultra-Stretch Ponte Straight Leg Pants
Unbelievably stretchy and under $40, these run a very close second to our favorite ponte pants listed above. They’re also the more traditional straight leg shape but hit at the ankle in an oh-so-Audrey-Hepburn way.
8. Best Work Pant With A Million Options
Aritzia Babaton Agency Pant - (Re)ssential
We actually went so far as to call these the single most “perfect” work pants. Meaning they are without a single flaw. They come in more colors than we can afford (though we would buy them all if we could), and they’re machine washable so no heartbreaking dry cleaning bill that ends up costing us far more than the pants themselves. The fit is relaxed and skimming and matched every top we own. Makes it so easy to dress for work.
Price: $148
BONUS: The No-Show Underwear
Best Bikini: At last! The most flattering bikini cut with zero bikini lines.
Best Boyshort: Invisible and oh-so-comfortable.
Best Hiphugger: And they sizes up to 4XL.
Best Thong: The only one we can stand in fact.
At The Candidly, we try a lot of stuff so you don’t have to. We only recommend things we truly love, and that we think you’ll love, too. All products are chosen independently by our creative team, and all details reflect the price and availability of products at the time of publication. If you buy something we link to, The Candidly may earn a commission.
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