Girly Pants

[StephenC]

So, I'm just getting in to women's attire and I have to say, I find this sizing system to be very confusing and frustrating.  I'm trying to buy women's pants (that sort of low-rise style, not really sure except to say I'll know it when I see it.) I was wondering if anyone could tell me what ranges of sizes I should be looking for.
I'm 5' 10", and my boy pants are 30-32 waist and 30 length.  I generally like to wear 'em tight, but that's usually not a problem as I have large calves and a medium-large butt.  I don't know if this is relevant or not, but I have no interest/concern with passing.
Also, for political reasons I don't like to shop for new clothing.  I don't mind links to commercial sites or whatever, but I buy from thrift shops.  Unfortunately this limits my selections so I'll need to figure out a range of wearable alternatives.
Thank you all so much.  I haven't been here long but you guys all seem awesome!

[Sarah Louise]

https://www.susans.org/reference/size.html

This is a link to a page at Susans Place that give sizes.


Sarah L.

[LynnER]

for jeans your looking at anything between a size 4/5- to a 7/8... maby higher or lower...  womens pant sizes seem to be a guideline not a rule....  soooooooooo
Rule #1 when shoping for womens clothes.... Try it before you buy it....
It all depends on the brand, the cut, the style.... it can get really consuising...  As a rule I start off with the 5's and work up or down from there accordingly....

[StephenC]

https://www.susans.org/reference/size.html

This page confuses me.  First of all, it doesn't make any explicit mention of pants/jeans so I don't know exactly what I'm looking for.  Second, this chart seems to show me as a size 18-20, which contradicts what LynnER said by a lot!  Also, I'm not sure if these are junior, or misses, or grand mistress of the tetons sizes.  Are they convertible?  What the hell is with all of these different standards anyway?    They all sound so bizarrely euphemistic.  I'm sorry if I'm coming off as flippant or hostile, I'm just super confused.  I do appreciate your time and input.

for jeans your looking at anything between a size 4/5- to a 7/8... maby higher or lower...  womens pant sizes seem to be a guideline not a rule....  soooooooooo
Rule #1 when shoping for womens clothes.... Try it before you buy it....
It all depends on the brand, the cut, the style.... it can get really consuising...  As a rule I start off with the 5's and work up or down from there accordingly....

Thanks so much, that's a great tip.  So, is there a specific category I should be looking at?  I have found a bunch of descriptions for what they all are, but it seems like women over 5' 8" get shafted when it comes to cloths, and don't have any standard of their own.

Thanks to both of you,
Stephen

[Dawn Labelle]

Im the same height as you although my waist is 33-35" and I wear 11 or 13 depending on the make and model.

Of course ive fit comfortably into some size 9 pants, and other times I haven't been able to get into size 16s

Then there is the question on how they size jeans..... dress sizes are as above, when its sized to the waist I wear anywhere from 31 to 37..... and I've also seen some other size conventions which I still haven't figured out

its confusing...... best bet is try before you buy, then try again at each new store / brand you try as the sizing could be vastly different

enjoy!
Dawn

[saraswatidevi]

Finding girly pants that fit well is a major problem for genetic girls as well. When I was wearing men's size 32 inch waist pants I was wearing a misses size 12 pants. Now the mens pants were too big in the waist and I had to have them altered but the hips fit.

Oprah has had several shows about finding jeans that fit and the fashion consultants recommend looking for a medium rise, dark wash, trouser jean with straight legs as a basic jean. These terms will be familiar to sales personnel. Fit is much harder because they don't come in different inseam lengths. Usually, I can find short, average and tall but the tall is not tall enough for me with a 32 inch inseam. Some manufacturers make an extra tall with a 34 or 35 inch inseam. These work for me but are hard to find. I agree with others that you have to try them on and try on a lot of different manufacturers because they will all have a different fit. In jeans or pants you will find that the equivalent size junior will be cut for someone less curvy than the corresponding misses size. The repeated trying on is a misery for everyone I know. You can expect to try on 20 or more pair to find one that fits right. Also, you may have to find a pair that fits the biggest part of your body and have the other parts altered if necessary. I know no one wants to have to do this. If you are doing thrift store shopping you should go to a good store and try on different brands and cuts and sizes to find what fits you. Then you have some information when you go looking in the thrift stores. Once you know a brand name and a size that fits you can often find good deals on ebay.

[LynnER]

Womens high waisted pants from back in the day would go about 2 to 3 inches above the bellybutton... I never understood the look and you wouldnt catch me dead in high waisted anything LoL

[StephenC]

Alright, well thanks everyone for your input, but it looks to me like it all boils down to this: show up and try on stuff that looks like it'd fit.  I'm just super nervous, and I was hoping that I would at least be able to have the confidence of knowing what size I was.
The thrift shop near my house is always busy.  I've tried twice to buy girl pants there, but chickened out.  It doesn't help that the cash register is so near to the fitting rooms; I always feel like the employees are watching me...
I'll just keep my eyes on what I'm doing, I guess.
Again, thanks everyone for your input/support.
Stephen

[Keira]

There's always 10-11 inch between the waist and hips measures in women's pant
and few men have that. These are the so called normal waisted classic cut pants,
at or just under the bellybutton.

Most pants though
are usually lower waisted
by various amount, which could help in your case since there's
less diff between the pant waisband and the hips.

I fit in norma classicl waist 4, but I don't think that would fit you too well,
since just above the male waist, the female waist really dips down.

I think a hip hugger 5 is probably what would fit you the best.

[StephenC]

Heya all.  I just wanted to tell y'all how it went.
I just got back and I successfully purchased 2 pairs of pants.  I tried on the first three that I picked up that looked like they might be within a couple of light-years and I rejected them all but they gave me a good impression of what I was shooting for so I went through everything they had at the thrift shop and picked out four pairs by eyeballing the waists.  2 of them ended up being good fits:
Mossimo straight size 10
GAP bootcut size 10XL
I wouldn't say that either are perfect, in fact I think both are slightly too long, but it feels really nice wearing them.  The GAP pair is tighter, but feels more feminine, and I think it shows off parts of my body I want to show off, so that's what I'll wear when clubbing, but the mossimo pair is more gender ambigious (other than the frilly pattern on the back) so I'll wear them to work, etc..
Again, thanks so much to all of you.