For most of my adult life, I’ve had major issues with pants. Everything pants. Length, rise, too much stretch, not enough stretch, saggy butt, etc. The struggle is real! I had a few years of luck with Express Editor dress pants. That ended a couple years ago. A combination of getting in better shape during the lockdown, some menopausal body changes (subtle, but enough for me to notice) and their product changes, has put me back to square one. I’ve resorted to skirts and dresses the last couple years (which I do love wearing) as my pant search goes on. But, to put on an amazing pair of dress pants and seize the day is a serious feeling of empowerment that I miss!
Am I too picky? I see women wearing pants that look awful. I’m not being mean, but the issue is that pants are difficult to find. I understand why so many women in our country wear leggings day after day. Who wants to wear pants that sag in the butt, ride too high or low, or too long? At least with leggings there’s no material sagging and are straight forward with length. But, there’s also the issue that leggings do not always flatter every body shape, again pointing to the problem with pants. Not everyone has access to a tailor (a good precise one), or can afford one, so why bother? Power to the atheleisure industry!
My search had me visit Ann Taylor. I ordered six different styles. One style worked. One! Of course it’s an ankle length pant, which is fine since my major issue with pants is the inseam. Even though I’m not that tall I need a 33.5 inseam. This may sound strange, but most 33 inseams are a tad too short and a 34 inseam is a tad too long. For me to have confidence in my pants, the length (in relation to my healed shoes) has to be perfect and porportioned. Ankle pants are forever chic and have the perfect inseam, but not practical in our cold weather months.
I hadn’t tried pants from Ann Taylor for years. I found some seriously good looking pants. The high waisted trouser pants with a 33in inseam were amazing and actually the perfect length. But, after an hour or so, the butt was sagging. This was my issue with most of the pants. The pants that fit perfect in the butt, were too high rise to the point of being ridiculous. I used to hate high rise pants but now find that since my hips seemingly widened a bit (thank you menopause!), a moderate high rise is more flattering (provided the leg is sleek and straight or flared). For now I am happy to have found The Flared Ankle Pant from Ann Taylor. This pant is styled with elegance, balance, enough stretch for movement, and most importantly retains its shape in the butt. It is high waited, but tastefully high waisted.
My search will continue. I’ve ordered a couple of the Flared Ankle Pants. They only come in navy, which , thank goodness, is my preference for pants. We’re heading into summer, so these will carry me through for a few months. I would love to see these in more colors and the same composition in a full length. As I’ve been in-between jobs I’ve been wearing them A Lot since no one sees me enough to notice, lol! They just look so prefect with everything.