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4 Ways to Find a Pair of Dress Pants that Fit

Whether you’re shopping for a pair of dress pants to accompany a suit coat, a casual jacket, or a plain button-down shirt, you have much to gain by finding a pair that fits properly. While you can buy a pair off the rack and have it tailored, there’s not much a tailor can do if certain parts of the pants fall too far from your body’s actual dimensions.

For that reason, it’s essential you are able to identify a proper-fitting pair of pants when you see one. Not only will you look great, but you’ll also save yourself from an unnecessary visit to the tailor for custom modifications. Here’s what you need to know.

Know your waist size.

This whole process goes much more smoothly when you begin with the right waist size. While the actual sizes of dress pants don’t always translate perfectly from brand to brand, you should at least have a reference point of your own. The simplest way to do this is to pick out the pants that fit you best from your own wardrobe and check the tag for the size.

Bring along the shoes and belt.

If you want to get a sense of whether or not a pair of pants will fit, try them on with a few clothing articles you typically wear to work. This approach applies for casual pants as well. We recommend bringing complementary items like shoes and belts. Often, you’ll better spot conflicts with color, length, or seatsize before you buy when you add accessories.

Make sure the seat is snug.

One of the trickiest steps in finding dress pants that fit well is finding the appropriate seat. The back of your dress pants should wrap smoothly around the shape of your rear end. A well-fitted seat rests firmly against your underwear without pulling tightly against or draping too loosely down your thighs. You can tell a pair of pants is too tight when you see horizontal wrinkles just under the buttocks, or that they’re too loose if it sags along the back of your thighs.

This step is crucial because the seat is where a tailor is most constrained. While a tailor can "take in" a seat to reduce sagging, there’s a limit to how far they can go without having to move the pockets. On the other hand, most seats can’t be let out very far to make the fit looser. If you know you’re going to work with a tailor, it’s best to err on the side of too loose rather than too tight when buying because there’s usually more fabric to work with when a set is loose.

Get in the ballpark with length.

Length is one of the easiest things for a tailor to adjust, but if you want to avoid seeing a tailor, there’s one thing you need to look for: the break. The break is the small wrinkle that occurs when the top of your shoe makes contact with the cuff of your dress pant leg. A good break is defined as a cuff that rests lightly on the top of a shoe while the back extends to just above the heel. Any shorter and your pants will look like highwaters, any longer and you’ll be dragging the back of your cuffs under your heels.

A well-fitting pair of pants will improve the look of any ensemble. Taking the time to find a pair that fits may take time but the comfort, style, and longevity you’ll get in return will be well worth the investment.