Wide waistband pants: is it serious? – CDL#93

Cover photo credit: Borasification

This is a subject regularly mentioned in messages sent to us.

The one with pants that don't fit perfectly at the waist.

It yawns, tends to fall a little low on your hips.

Is that bad ?

What can we do ?

Here is my opinion in one sentence:

If your pants are a little loose at the waist, it's not ideal... but it's not necessarily dramatic either.

Let's be clear: I don't question the idea that pants are your size when you are well supported at the waist.

This is what you should aim for, ideally.

But the reality is different from the ideal. All our clothes and pants don't fit us exactly.

As such, I believe that it is not because a pair of pants has a little room at the waist that they are necessarily unwearable , that it is a lost cause in advance.

Pants are more than just a waistline

You shouldn't just focus on your waistline. This is not the only criterion that matters when choosing pants.

It is particularly important to distinguish between:

• The size that determines the belt size
• The cut that determines leg width

Here are two jeans. We understand at first glance that the one on the left is fitted and that the one on the right is looser:

Nudie Jeans

At the same size, the waistband of these two pants is identical. On the other hand, the leg width (thigh, knee, calf) is different because the cut is different:

Here's where I'm going with this explanation:

Considering that only the waist size matters on pants is to overlook the importance of the cut and the width of the leg.

Pants that fit you are not simply pants that give you good support at the waist. They are also (and above all) pants whose aesthetic rendering of the leg appeals to you.

So, it can sometimes be interesting to choose your pants a little wider at the waist , if the visual effect is better on you that way, or if the lower size hugs your leg a little too much.

In this case, we make a compromise : we agree to have a little margin on the waistband in exchange for a better leg line or more comfort .

Here is an example that illustrates this idea. This person wears two different sizes, for two different results, which can correspond to different tastes and desires:

This compromise must be made in particular for people who have a thin waist, muscular legs and who wear fitted cuts.

In this specific case, I do not advise you to choose a pants size that holds your waist very well because your legs risk not fitting through, being too compressed.

"I'm secure in the belt, so everything's fine. Right?"

Trousers that are a little wide at the waist can make up for it

If the cut of a pair of pants suits you at the leg level but the waistline is a little wide, there are several ways to improve support.

1. Tighten using the belting of the pants

I'll start by stating the obvious. If your slightly wide pants have:

• Loops = wear a belt
• A drawstring = tighten it as needed
• Side clamping tabs = tighten them, even if it means pulling as much as possible

So far, I haven't told you anything.

To go further, I have a little tip to give you:

If your pants have loops or a drawstring, place the excess material on the sides of the waistband.

When you tighten pants that are a little wide for you, there will be excess material.

If you put it at the front or at the back, it might be visible, it's not very aesthetic. The idea here is to distribute this additional fabric on both sides for a more discreet look.

I exaggerated a little for the photo but you get the idea. Cadot pants, NN07 sweater

In fact, it is exactly the same concept as the side clamping tabs , which pinch the fabric at the sides:

Benevento pants, henley Seagale

2. Tuck the top into the pants

Another little technique that we don't necessarily think about: tucking an item of clothing into your pants allows you to fill it out a little better at the waist.

You can of course tuck a shirt into your pants but also a t-shirt or, a little thicker, a sweatshirt or a sweater.

3. Wear suspenders

I'm not going to dwell on this accessory because I wrote an article on it .

You can, however, remember that properly adjusted suspenders will effectively hold the pants in place at a certain height, preventing them from falling down.

4. Perform a touch-up

In case the pants are really too wide, or if you want a firmer support, there is finally the alteration.

You can remember that it is generally possible to alter pants to tighten them at the waist .

This operation is carried out at the back of the pants.

Here are the few subtleties to keep in mind when retouching:

The level of difficulty of the alteration varies depending on the pants

And more precisely, it varies depending on the mounting of the belt.

The waistband of trousers can be fitted in one or two parts.

To see the difference, you have to look at the back of the pants, in the middle:

If there is a vertical center seam, the belt is sewn in two parts . We find this construction in particular on dress pants.

It is rather easy to retouch in this case: the craftsman works using this seam.

BonneGueule pants

If there is no central seam, the belt is sewn in one part . This construction is particularly found on jeans.

It is a little more difficult to alter pants where the waistband is fitted in part because the craftsman will have to cut into the fabric and create a central back seam.

Jean Momotaro

Pay attention to the back pockets

Altering pants at the waist means bringing the two buttocks together.

Doing this will also bring the back pockets closer together.

So, be careful not to alter the belt too much, otherwise you risk having pockets that are too close.

Here is an example.

The back of unaltered jeans looks like this, with the pockets straight and reasonably spaced apart:

Jean Norse Projects

Here is the rendering of two jeans which have been narrowed a lot in size .

You can see the difference quite clearly: the pockets are inclined and come closer to the central seam.

The pockets are getting closer

The pockets are directly touching