What’s in your jeans?
Shoppers Guide to Appropriate Fitting Pants.
Finding pants that fit you right off the rack is virtually impossible unless you look like a mannequin. Women come in all shapes and sizes and they should be embraced and loved, not hated because “no jeans look good on you.”
This week we go into how to find pants for your body type. We will look at five different body shapes and break down what is going to look best for you, and we will also tell you the definition of each of the body shapes so you can figure out which one you are closest to. No woman is going to fit the body shape description to a “T”, you may be a combination of a few.
Tall: pretty self-explanatory, longer legs and torso, usually a tall woman is considered above 5’7”, the average woman is 5’5” – 5’6”.
Petite: Smaller than standard clothing sizes. If you walk into American Eagle and you go to the pants, do you go for a size 12 short? (I Do!) Therefore, you are petite. You are dainty, which is not a bad thing at all!
Plus: I tend to like to word “plus”, I think that it has a positive spin on it, because when you get your grades, you’re happier with an A+ than an A-! But in all honesty, if you are a little bigger in the waist, hips, thighs and bottom, you are plus.
Curvy: small waist, big hips and bottom? Join the club! But you’re not alone!
Boy: Yes, I promise there is such a thing as a “boy” shape, if your ribs, waist, hips and thighs all line up, there is no curve, you are most likely a boy shape, also, if you have no butt, that is a pretty good sign of a boy shape.
Ok so now you have one or two shapes from the above list that fit your perception of your body, so now what do you look for?
Tall: Straight leg pants are going to be your best friend; you can add a gentle flare or roll them up. Accentuate your long legs by adding colors and patterns to your shirts or blouses. Want to look even longer and leaner? Wear pinstripe pants. Because the pinstripes are vertical, the stripes will act as a guide to the eye bringing it up and down the whole outfit making you look like an amazon.
Petite: oh the horrors of being petite!! Always needing to have your pants hemmed unless you are wearing a three inch heel; I understand. Go for a skinny jean but NOTHING CROPPED. If your pants chop the length of your leg at your calve it will make you look shorter than you really are, plus it will offset the look of your hips making you look wider in the hips. Go for a medium short, therefore most of your leg will be showing making you look leggy. Bold colored pants make you look longer. Buy longer trousers and get them tailored to your shape and height.
Plus: Wide leg pants will make you look amazing! Wide leg and straight leg will even out from the hips to your shoes making you look longer, taller, and thinner. Accentuating bigger hips and things with skinny jeans? You are doing yourself a disservice by doing that. Buy pants with a crease in the front which will draw the eyes up, making you look thinner, and just like with the tall body shape, pinstripes will do a wonder of good for you.
Boy: To create the look of a waistline, go for pants that are nipped at the waist. High-waisted pants are in this season so go out and get a pair because you can pull them off! Sporty drawstrings will also create the illusion of a waist and hips. Lucky for you, you can wear slouchy pants with a tucked in shirt, but make sure the pants are not TOO slouchy; this can add bulk to the hips, things and butt unintentionally.
Curvy: As a curvy girl myself, I always have a problem finding jeans and pants that fit me and make me look long and lean. Look for a straight flare pant or a boot cut pant. Also look for a wide leg trouser or a trouser with a crease in the front. Curvy women can SOMETIMES pull off a skinny jean, but if you have a lot of junk in your trunk like I do, you might want to rethink the skinny jean.
All in all, whatever you decide to wear, own it and be confident in it. I challenge you to step out of your comfort zone when buying pants. Maybe go for a style that you might not have tried before. If it doesn’t work for you, then move on, and at least you know for the next time you are buying pants!