Susan's Place Transgender Resources

I am trying to find some men's pants that actually have some stretch to them.  Either jeans, cargo pants, or khakis are fine (but no skinny jeans!).  I live in a decent-sized metropolitan area, so most national brands are available to me (I have to try them on - ordering online is painfully fruitless!), but I have yet to find any men's pants with that 1-5% spandex/lycra content that makes them not feel like a restrictive torture device.  The women's clothing world has caught on... there has to be a brand of men's pants with some give... right?

Faded Glory makes a loose fit jean that is very comfortable. There are some Khakis with elastic in the waist as well. Sometimes Goodwill has decent loose fitting jeans and work pants and the price is super low.
I think Wrangler might have a stretchy jean too, but I could be wrong.

sam1234

I wouldn't say that any of my jeans feel like restrictive torture devices, but I don't think any of them have any spandex or lycra. What specifically is feeling tight to you? You may just need to try a different cut of pants depending on which area feels tightest.

I've tried many, many brands.  My body shape makes it difficult.  I do well with the cut of Old Navy's clothing, and have been using a pair of their cargo pants for the last few months, but I have lost some weight (top surgery prep!) and need to go down in size.  My waist is disproportionately round in comparison to my non-existant hips and relatively thin thighs.  So if the waist is big enough to not dig in when sitting down, the legs are so baggy I look like I'm wearing several diapers.  If the legs are remotely not baggy, I can't breathe because the waistband is digging in too much.  This is why the pants containing some spandex/lycra (in my days in women's clothing) worked so well.

I say get a smaller size of Old Navy cargo pants. Or get a belt for the loose ones. Old Navy cargo pants for life. People should buy them so they never stop making them.

I wear a belt every day - my pants wouldn't stay up without one!  (Again... that fantastic shape of mine!)  :)  The Old Navy cargos are what I will go with again if I have to, but I am hoping for something with some stretch so I don't have to keep buying smaller sizes every time I lose a little more weight!

Google "men's trousers stretch" and you'll find many alternatives, depending on what style you're looking for.

Eddie Bauer is a good source -- they have stretch jeans and guide pants and elastic waist chinos, and their stuff is good quality.

If you are willing to fork out a bit of cash, look at Gramicci.  Their 'Redford' is a clean looking twill that has a nice feel and some stretch, but pretty pricey for a pair of pants.  Very, very nice, though.  I have once in a while found a good deal at a thrift store on some well crafted pants, but it takes persistence.

I second faded glory (cheaper $) and eddie bauer (more $). Old navy usually stretch a lot too. If u have an "against all odds" store they have jogger pants that have elastic waist bands too.


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Faded glory worked pretty well for me. I miss them, actually. If you live in a place that has a Uniqlo (there are only a few outside of Japan) their pants are really comfortable and have some give if you get the standard style.

Uniqlo has a website, so you can order online; they ship from the US, so it's fast and fairly inexpensive -- standard shipping is $7.00.

It looks like their sizes run small, which might be a plus for some here. (https://www.susans.org/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fthefiringline.com%2Fforums%2Fimages%2Fsmilies%2Fsmile.gif&hash=2c5a4907e2673dfa63557696254abe82f5c9641e)

Quote from: ridleysw on February 11, 2015, 01:41:01 PM
I've tried many, many brands.  My body shape makes it difficult.  I do well with the cut of Old Navy's clothing, and have been using a pair of their cargo pants for the last few months, but I have lost some weight (top surgery prep!) and need to go down in size.  My waist is disproportionately round in comparison to my non-existant hips and relatively thin thighs.  So if the waist is big enough to not dig in when sitting down, the legs are so baggy I look like I'm wearing several diapers.  If the legs are remotely not baggy, I can't breathe because the waistband is digging in too much.  This is why the pants containing some spandex/lycra (in my days in women's clothing) worked so well.

If it's just your waist that's the problem, how far up do you wear your pants? Try pants that sit on your hips.

Most places (even department stores like Target etc.) that I've seen offer men's stretch jeans (usually in classic cut or skinny jeans). Chinos I've found to be fairly stretchy and comfortable, and I've seen plenty with elastic waistbands too. Skinny jeans actually work well for me without them being too tight, because the size I wear for my wide hips ends up being snug-but-not-tight on my relatively thinner legs (whereas classic jeans are often too baggy on my legs).

Quote from: Tysilio on February 11, 2015, 08:35:45 PM
Uniqlo has a website, so you can order online; they ship from the US, so it's fast and fairly inexpensive -- standard shipping is $7.00.

It looks like their sizes run small, which might be a plus for some here. (https://www.susans.org/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fthefiringline.com%2Fforums%2Fimages%2Fsmilies%2Fsmile.gif&hash=2c5a4907e2673dfa63557696254abe82f5c9641e)

You just made my day. As someone who has shopped at Uniqlo for the last three years in person I can say they have American sizes. I go a size up as a rule if its the wind proof winter pants. The summer pants are spot on and they will tailor the length. I checked the website and length tailoring is supposed to be included in the price of the pants. I'll double check this weekend when I go. I need new pants anyway.

hmm... you may just be attempting to buy your pants too small..........

i always wear joggers because my body is changing a lot (in between 3 and 4 months on t at the moment)

i bought a pair of levi's 541, which is the athletic fit. i can get them on, but they display my curves too much because i didn't want to size up. anyway they definitely give you room in the butt/thigh area.. worth checking them out :)

http://us.levi.com/family/index.jsp;jsessionid=ZDczJcwfT5VQnJ84JCrSn0JRVG0YpQWSx0Hs2l9GmLvVnW8dnYQY!-1831267368?ab=Men_megaNav_Jeans+By+Style_541%99athleticfit&cp=3146842.3146854&categoryId=41316896

Quote from: palexander on February 12, 2015, 12:28:34 PM
i always wear joggers because my body is changing a lot (in between 3 and 4 months on t at the moment)

i bought a pair of levi's 541, which is the athletic fit. i can get them on, but they display my curves too much because i didn't want to size up. anyway they definitely give you room in the butt/thigh area.. worth checking them out :)

http://us.levi.com/family/index.jsp;jsessionid=ZDczJcwfT5VQnJ84JCrSn0JRVG0YpQWSx0Hs2l9GmLvVnW8dnYQY!-1831267368?ab=Men_megaNav_Jeans+By+Style_541%99athleticfit&cp=3146842.3146854&categoryId=41316896

I needed a pair of jeans badly.  I looked for the 541, but didn't see them.  So, I got a pair of 501s.  1.5 sizes bigger than usual!  Even with that they fit "just right".  The next size up was too big, though.

Have you heard of pajama jeans for women? They make them for men as well...
http://www.pajamajeans.com/category/all-mens-pajamajeans.aspx

Wrangler makes men's jeans with some lycra in them. They still don't actually "fit" me in that they don't look very good, but they are comfortable. Got them at Target for under $20.

I also have fallen in love with these for dressier pants. They're spendy, but they're good about exchanging for sizes, actually fit me once I hemmed them and really comfortable (I'm also autistic spectrum, so fabrics are a problem).
http://www.betabrand.com/mens/pants/gray-dress-pant-sweatpants.html

i love lululemon clothes, i have over 20 pairs of lulu's in my closet, then again they are all womens with one pair of mens pants, my sisters bought me a pair of mens lulu pants for christmas a couple years ago before they new about my being mtf but i still do this day love the mens pants just as much when i want to just lye around the house, they are made of really stretchy yoga pants material and they have some styles that really look like dressy trousers,

maybe something like this might be what your looking for, also they are expensive but mine are so worth the price
http://shop.lululemon.com/products/clothes-accessories/mens-pants-to-and-from/ABC-Pant-Regular?cc=17966&skuId=3591561&catId=mens-pants-to-and-from

None of these seem to have a waist size over 40, what if you are a tad larger or need room for....colostomy stuff.

Have you tried golf pants? Performance type fabrics usually have some stretch to them, and some you can find with elastic waist. I just looked on Kohl's website and they have up to a 54" waist. They are always running done sort of sale too. Good luck!!

Stretch jeans are kind of a women's thing. I have a good few pairs of men's jeans and they are just denim and no spandex. When I started wearing women's, I immediately noticed that they were quite different. Even the one pair of skinny men's jeans I have is pretty stiff.

My male friends say that they consider stretch jeans to be "gay" or women's styles. If that's what you're going for, okay, but if you want a traditional men's style you need something baggy.

Probably get a size or two larger and use a belt?

I don't fit my men's pants properly now either. They just feel funny.

I'd agree that the "pajama jeans" kind of thing is more of a women's thing. I'd think a company like Eddie Bauer could pull off this sort of thing. I can't really wear men's pants and end up with boy's.

If you are overweight or just a big guy, blair clothes might be an option. The legs are too stocky for me, but the summer pants are so comfortable. They make a lot of elastic waist bands and hidden waist bands, also for guy's with medical issues  and so on. I think this is more of an adult type store, not young guys. Also have short inseams.
http://www.blair.com/s/mens/1468.uts

--Jay

Quote from: ImagineKate on February 16, 2015, 10:23:46 AM
Stretch jeans are kind of a women's thing. I have a good few pairs of men's jeans and they are just denim and no spandex. When I started wearing women's, I immediately noticed that they were quite different. Even the one pair of skinny men's jeans I have is pretty stiff.

My male friends say that they consider stretch jeans to be "gay" or women's styles. If that's what you're going for, okay, but if you want a traditional men's style you need something baggy.

Probably get a size or two larger and use a belt?

I don't fit my men's pants properly now either. They just feel funny.

Gonna be totally honest and up front, I've only found these types of pants in goodwill for some reason.

Thank you all for your suggestions!  I made another trip to the thrift store this weekend and finally found a couple great pairs of pants in my size!  I think it helps that my waist is now at 40 instead of 42... this seems to be the break between "regular" and "big" in the men's pants world (much like 14 vs 16 is in women's clothing).  I finally have a pair of men's pants that are REALLY comfortable!  (It's the little things in life!)

Bear in mind that most men's styles are loose and relaxed unless it's metro or hipster style. If you want the rough and rugged look you want loose. Even if you want the gentlemanly look you want loose. You want to look hipster or metro you get tighter pants. In fact me wearing skinny (men's) jeans promoted comments from a coworker which led to me outing myself to him. I don't wear men's jeans anymore now lol.

As a MTF I found that sizing for women's clothing is far more difficult and exact whereas with men's I could get away with 2 or even 3 sizes too big. I used to also wear larger sizes for concealed carry but I lost weight... They had still fit though before I started HRT, now they kinda fit but not comfy.

Wearing pants too tight is not the only reason to prefer a little give though. Men's styles are loose and relaxed on male born bodies, which is not necessarily the same ratios we need. Many people have told me that my pants look too big on me, in a sloppy goofy way, and not in a manly way. But the hip and butt is still tight to be comfortable moving around, and then they end up looking tight in the butt and loose in the waist and calf. My hips are pretty damn wide for the rest of my body and a little bit of stretch means that I can wear pants that are a little closer to fitting without obviously or uncomfortably being tight in the hip. When I'm just standing around, they look loose and when I work or move around a lot, they give a little bit in the hip and thigh so they don't look like they're too small. Most of my pants don't have it, but the ones that do, I like.

I experience that a little now. When I wear my old pants (to do dirty work around the house for example) the butt/hips are tight and the legs are loose and kinda float a little.

But yeah it can be a bit difficult with female body proportions. I never realized just how much clothing fit was different between both sexes until I began dressing more or less full time (outside of work).

Costco makes awesome jeans. Brand is urban star or something? Their jeans are like...stretch jeans? Like jeggings but for men. Not tight at all I think they come in relaxed fit. I love them have 4 pairs!

I don't even try to wear jeans anymore. I've got a 28 inch waist and 30 hips, so while thinner, I'm in a similar boat. I pretty much live wearing straight-legged slacks or cargo pants. They're supposed to be loose in the legs and they look good with a belt. I have to buy all my pants from Asia though because the men's sizes here are just too big. Sigh.