Mel, my jeans are like yours too (I think b/c of the spandex!). They go into the wash when they are totally falling off and come out of the dryer too tight for the first couple days, then they stretch out again!
I usually take sizes 6 and 8 into the dressing room. Depending on the store and brand, I wear anywhere from 6 to 10. Needless to say I prefer to shop at the stores where I'm a six!
Diaper butt! That's too funny. I've got a whole drawer full of them. Trying to be patient for DH to get a job so I can go clothes shopping. I only have 2 pairs of pants and 1 pair of shorts to wear...
Ah, Carolyn, it's a nice problem to have - but still a problem. that something comes through for DH ASAP.
Paperclippy, clothing sizes are totally insane. I can't tell whether I'm a XS, S, or medium unless I try it on. And pants are worse ... I don't know how people can mail order clothes, unless they 'know' a brand and how it fits.
I need new jeans and I like low rise. I have narrow hips and big thighs. Any suggestions on brands/styles for a good fit?
When I first started buying jeans with stretch material in them, I thought it was great. Gain a little and you could still wear them. Now, I try to avoid any that have stretch. I put them on fresh and have a perect fit but after a few hrs. they are sagging. I get the ones now without stretch that fit snug and after an hr. or so they loosen a tiny bit and fit perfect.
I'm having a lot of trouble finding shorts to buy. I know that the mid-rise fits best for me in jeans. But, all the shorts I find are higher waisted and too baggy in the butt or too tight in the waist. Does anyone know where to get shorts that are mid-rise?
Hubby was just doing a load of laundry right now (he does all the laundry!) and came out holding a new pair of my pants. He said "Did we shrink these? Aren't they too small?"
My DH always says my jeans out of the dryer look like kids clothes (size 2). They fit me fine although a bit snug when just washed. I prefer em that way and I hate jeans with any spandex so mine are all 'non-stretch'. In an hour or two they lose any snugness and fit perfectly where a bigger size would give me the baggy butt.
Lily ~ Try Old Navy for low rise shorts. I've seen commercials where they look like what you're interested in. Of course, they might be too short for us ladies...Hip hugger, micro mini skirts seem to be in style too.
I like shorts from outdoor sports stores. My sister tells me that shorts are inappropriate for ladies my age, and I need to wear capris. But I don't like carpris. The Columbia type shorts are comfortable without trying to be sexy.
For jeans, I get no more than 1% spandex, and I try to get 100% cotton if I can. I like them snug right out of the dryer, but they're perfect an hour later. It's hard to find anything without spandex in it now!
Meg, I used to be rather curvey (didn't we all ), and I liked Lee Jeans. But once I ran my butt right off, I started to find that Eddie Bauer jeans work well for me. They have three different fits, the difference being the rise and roominess in the thighs, as much as I can tell. I like all three fits - depends on the style of the pants. I can sometimes find 100% cotton there. We have an outlet center nearby, so I stock up there when I can.
Meg, maybe "skinny" jeans would be a good fit for you. I usually buy "curvy" cuts because I have an hourglass figure (my hips/butt are much bigger than my waist) and the "skinny" kind are usually built for narrower hips. I hear the Gap has some pretty nice skinny jeans.
Personally, my current jeans are Levi's that I bought at a department store, but other than that I've had pretty good luck with Express jeans (when they carry my size, which is never!) and Old Navy (although they need to be replaced after six months or so because they fall apart). I find that a lot of department store brands make what I usually call "mom jeans" -- you know the type -- high waist, tapered leg? I don't think they're really flattering on anyone. I usually look for something that says either low-rise or medium-rise (not ultra-low rise, then my butt hangs out!), straight leg, bootcut, and either "regular" or "curvy" fits.
Carolyn, I'm definitely too old for the mini-skirt. LOL. I did look at old navy for shorts last summer and didn't find any that I liked.
Jessica, my SD gave me a pair of khaki pants that were super low-rise. Yep, my butt was hanging out when I tried them on. LOL.
Miss Dee, I think maybe the shorts from a sports store might work best for me. I'll go look and see.
I didn't return the size 6 levi's that my son bought me for my b-day. I washed them twice in very hot water. I just now put them on and they are baggy straight from the dryer. Yuck.
I thought of this thread at the weekend. I was in Germany for the weekend and ended up going shopping (I never used to go into clothes shops on city breaks, but seem to be doing it more and more often now). Anyway, I found a skirt I really liked, and wanted to try it on, but couldn't remember how German sizes work. I can do English, US and Spanish, but I haven't bought German clothes for a while. I had a feeling that the sizes weren't the same as Spanish, even though the number range is similar. Anyway, I usually wear 38 or 40 in Spain, but picked up a 38, looked at it and thought that it would be too big. I picked up a 36, tried it on, and it fit perfectly. I was so proud of myself for being able to pick out the right size by eye rather than knowing the conversions!
OMG, Helen, your story has just made me realize that the next time I travel to far-flung locations I COULD GO CLOTHES SHOPPING.
I've always been so heavy that I could never even THINK of buying clothes in Europe or Asia (maybe they sold my size, but I never even bothered to look). But NOW.... WOW!!!!!
- but still a problem. 
that something comes through for DH ASAP.
