After much tripping over hems and yanking my waistband up from its downward journey, it has come to my attention that I need smaller pants. Yay, smaller pants!

Now for advice.... When I try on pants, I tend to run into one of two situations: either they fit great in the hips and behind and would fit great in the waist if only my waist was somewhere down around my belly button instead of many inches above the waistband, or they fit great in the hips, great in the front and sides of the waistband and then have a big bubble in the waistband in the back. The bubble settles out after I wear them for a little while (I have a zero-tolerance policy on muffin-tops, so I err on the side of extra fabric) but generally it winds up that my pants droop in the front...I'm long-waisted, so I already have a hard time getting my pants and shirts to meet somewhere in the middle, and this has been more of a problem as the pants have gotten looser. I don't suppose anyone else has this problem....?

My body isn't all that oddly proportioned...I've got a long waist and long legs (I'm 5'9) but other than that I'm not unusually pear or apple-shaped. My butt sticks out, but it's not gigantic. I just want to find something flattering that will carry me through size transitioning a little bit better...any hot tips? I do have long legs, so generally I need either a long inseam or pants designed to be worn by shorter women wearing heels. My current (too large) pants are some 14's from Target and Dillard's (the Dillard's ones fit the best, but when I looked for 12's last weekend it looks like the style is no more).

I saw a commercial for Lee jeans last night and noticed that they touted their no-gap-in-back waistband. They do pants too, so maybe that'd be an option? I think Dockers also has a hidden tab to cinch in the waist and prevent gaps.

I buy pants and jeans that stretch. I flat-out won't buy 100% cotton anymore because the stretch is so much more comfortable. But I've noticed that you have to buy stretchy stuff one size smaller than your non-stretch size because they lose shape after half an hour or so if you don't. Are you buying stretchy stuff?

Just my opinion...........I prefer LEE stretch jeans! Even at my highest weight they would fit me best and don't cost a lot of money.

I have a long waist and have always been a little smaller at the waist band. I can't stand the bunched-up feeling in the back of my jeans if I bend over.

These are hopeless.

Can you sew a dart in the waistband?

This season's long tunic tops should work well for you since they have extra length.

Buy pants that fit the widest part of you and take them to a tailor to get rid of that extra "bubble" in the back. It's a really easy alteration and it should be cheap too!

I have all the same problems you describe. We must be close to the same shape.

I have tried the Lee pants (not jeans) and they fit reasonably well. I know they come in tall too, although I wear average.

Unfortunately most of the pants that are currently in style were not designed for women shaped like us.

I am an apple shape, i have a big waist and abdomen and hips, (my waist is only an inch or so smaller than my hips) but the bottom part of my butt on down is pretty small, so I have trouble finding pants that fit everywhere, and is able to button and zip without cutting me in half... I like jeans with a bit of spandex, becuase the pants fit well, and the waistband stretches out a bit... I bought mine at wal-mart for like $15 a pair...

If you're good at sewing, I would put darts in the waistband, but that can end up looking kinda fonky if you don't know what you're doing, or if you don't wear a shirt long enough to cover it up. So, Rockie86 had a good idea to buy jean that fit well everywhere else and have them tailored in the waist. That kind of alteration shouldn't cost too much, and would look smooth and professional....

Most of the pants currently in style were not deisigned for women of any shape!

I heard a quote recently that I liked.... I think it was on "What Not To Wear" on TLC lol. It went something like, "Your jeans should fit you, not the other way around."

I am also 5'9" and more an hourglass than a pear or apple, with a sticky-out butt. Although they are expensive (I think the last pair I bought, a dark stretch pair, was $88), I find that Tommy Hilfiger jeans fit me really well, and make me look a good deal thinner than most jeans. What's extra nice about them is that they rarely have annoying distressing or two-tone washes because those things just make you look worse, IMO.

From my experience, the Gap/Levi's/Pacific Sun has jeans with various fits (straight/slim/relaxed/loose/boot cut/etc.) and a relaxed 30/30 definitely looks different than a slim/straight of the same size ---

check them all out and I'm sure one or two fits will look better on you than the rest.

Hey Fiddler,

This is kinda off subject, but...

I was wondering, how did you get a picture of my cat on your avatar??? Looks exactly like my cat, Blizzard, he is snow white, with one blue eye one green eye.... and he is stone deaf...

Sorry off subject.... carry on..

I was looking for jeans this winter, and starting to feel like a complete mutant, because nothing in the jeans stores fit me. I mean NOTHING. They were all these low-cut styles. Well, I'm definitely a pear, with a relatively small waist, but ample butt. Every pair I tried on managed to give me muffin-top or gap at the back of the waist - sometimes both!

In desperation, I wandered into Sears, tried on a pair of Levis - relaxed fit boot-cuts, with 3% Spandex. OMG, they fit like a second skin, don't pinch or gap, don't give me muffin-top, they are just the greatest jeans ever!! As a bonus, they were on sale, but I would have happily paid twice the price for them.

Gap Curvy works really well for me, its a little counterintuitive because I'm the same size in my hips and where pants think my waist should be, I have a very high waist, but they are perfect for me. Worth a try!

My advice, is to go online at stores like Gap, Old Navy, etc. and read the desciptions of some of the different fits. Some will say "low rise" others "at the waist", some will say "roomy through hips and thighs" and others will say "slim through hips and thighs". Buying jeans that are cut more the way your body is shaped helps tremendously.

The recent phase of low rise/slim fit through the hips/thighs was exactly the OPPOSITE of my body. I long torsoed and high waisted, and I am fuller in the hips and legs. None of the low rise/slim fit jeans fit me...no matter what the size. They were always way too tight in the butt/thighs...and too loose and low at the top. I always ended up with them falling down about 2 inches and showing plumber crack, and then being super tight in the legs and butt. ACK.

I agree they don't look that great on apple figures either-especially with the tight baby tees. I am also against "muffin tops". It's not a good look. Apples should show off their FABULOUS legs (they always have them!!!) instead of the belly area. I'll show off my waistline, but I won't wear shorts even if you paid me.

Have you tried Gloria Vanderbilt jeans?

I have that goofy "sticks out in back at the waistband" problem too, but GV jeans fit me very nicely.

Otherwise, I say just try on EVERYTHING. I seemingly find the BEST pants when I'm in the mood to buy something that FITS & I have time to try on EVERYTHING.