Overweight gentlemen, give me your insights in regards to pants.

[MikeHaggarSSBM]

For the sake off this post, i will define waist heights as this:
Low waist (what most retailers claim to be regular): below the belly
Medium waist: on the belly, below the belly button
High waist: on the belly button or above

Problems I have with each:

Low waist:
#1 Unavoidable showing off asscrack when you sit , if the circumference off your midsection is bigger the pants will get drug down further. A solution is pants with lots off elastane partially solves this, but those lose shape fast and gets stretched out unevenly, causing unsightly wrinkles. Won't last long, won't buy unless it's a bargain.
#2 Belly hangs over beltline which is unflattering

Medium waist:
Since my body is shaped like a cone downwards from my belly button, pants unavoidably slide down, ballooning or untucking the shirt, making the waistline look sloppy uness I constantly adjust it. Suspenders mostly counteract this, so I find medium rise with suspenders to be a good option.

High rise:
IMO the king off comfort for overweight men, works with both suspenders and a belt. My preference. Only disadvantage is that they are an unwanted fashion statement as they are rarer nowadays.

How other XL gentlemen deal with pants and what you choose would be great to hear!

 

[Pulpo]

Hey there, I've been reading up on dressing for a larger frame myself as a Gentleman of Moderate Size. I found this recent piece in Put This On and some older interviews with Ethan Newton of Brycelands (who is just an all-around style inspiration) to be pretty helpful. My preference is high rise, especially in the back, with a relaxed fit down through the thigh and a moderately large leg opening. Have I succeeded in finding a pair of trousers that fits just right? Absolutely not.

Real People: Building a Holistic Wardrobe

The Hungerford Building in Rochester, New York is a sprawling, four-story industrial center that overlooks a train yard. A hundred...

putthison.com

"For bigger guys building a wardrobe, I think the most common mistake is settling. There aren’t many good ready-to-wear options for our build, so when you find something cool that’s close to fitting well, it’s easy to feel like you should buy it. But eventually, you’ll find you’re not comfortable in the item or don’t look good in it, so you sell it for a loss."

Permanent Style

Best-dressed man 2018: Ethan Newton (or, how to dress the larger man)

www.permanentstyle.com

"Few tailors, particularly in Japan, can fathom how much extra room a man like me needs in my stride – my walking thigh. Twenty-nine inch thighs probably get up to 33 inches when I lift my leg.

Then you need a back rise that’s high enough, because you lose inches of it when you lift your leg. That’s the only way to avoid what we call in Australia a ‘tradesman’s cleavage’."

Should You Wear High-Waisted Pants?

Learn all about pants rise and what sort of rise is best for you.

www.gentlemansgazette.com

"The shape of your body also tends to change with your number of years, and pants rise is also a part of dressing appropriately to your age. While younger men have a wider range of possibilities when considering rise, an older man wearing low-rise pants risks looking like he is trying to recapture his lost youth. However, for younger men too, low rise will maintain a perception of youthfulness, but a strong motive for wearing tailoring and classic menswear is to avoid dressing like a boy."

 

[MikeHaggarSSBM]

Thanks for the links! Enjoyed the articles.

Finding good pants OTR is nearly impossible with current low rise & slim leg trends. I've also made the mistake off buying pants that are "good enough", only to find them uncomfortable, never use them, and donate them after a year off gathering dust. What a waste off money!
My next will be MTM, I won't deal with the headache off trying on 12 pairs and sending them back. Pants that look like they have a nice fit are not available in my size. I've given up.

MTM recommendations for someone in Europe (sweden to be exact) are appreciated!

My favourite pairs, and my only quality pairs, are thrifted. Old suit pants can work great to wear on their own if the fabric is right.
I bought this horrendously boxy, oversized 90s three button light gray flannel suit for 20 dollars just for the pants. Best purchase ever.
It requires alot off luck to find our sizes and some time, but if you like looking around i thrift stores I can recommend it.

 

[BPL Esq]

Not exactly an 'XL gentleman,' but I have to take this sort of thing into consideration because my hips and relatively muscular thighs necessitate extra seat and leg room even when my stomach is basically flat. I've liked how the pants I've recently purchased from O'Connell's worked out (linen trousers and some chinos so far). Medium-high waist, comfortable seat/thigh with some taper to the legs, but not remotely 'slim fit.' They come with buttons for suspenders as well.

 

[adrianvo]

I'd say high waist is the king of comfort for men of all sizes. Trousers should sit at your natural waistline.

 

[TheIronDandy]

My next will be MTM, I won't deal with the headache off trying on 12 pairs and sending them back. Pants that look like they have a nice fit are not available in my size. I've given up.

MTM recommendations for someone in Europe (sweden to be exact) are appreciated!

MTM: Blugiallo, has a store in Stockholm, will do trunk shows in Göteborg and Malmö sometimes. Good MTM by knowledgable people, made in Italy. Prices start at around 200 Euro. Had them make jeans for me before, and have some chinos coming in during May.

Bespoke: Götrich&Co in Stockholm does full bespoke at very reasonable (you know, as much as bespoke ever is reasonable) prices; starting at around 300 (mine usually land around 450) Euro for bespoke (most tailoring done in India through Cad&the Dandy). I find the full bespoke in casual wool (cavalry twill!) to be the best trousers out there - I'm not a classically large man, but I have thick legs, which means the current RTW trouser trend doesn't work for me. I've worn my cavalry twill bespoke trousers several times a week for a year, usually walking well over 10 000 steps a day, and they're still going strong. Among the best sartorial purchases I've made!

 

[MikeHaggarSSBM]

Thank you! I am situated in Gothenburg. I once ordered MTM trousers from Pari but they never arrived so I asked for my money back which I got. Not really planning on going back.
Do you know if Pelote in Gothenburg is any good? I fell in love with their "Sven Bertil Taube" buttont down collar walking by their store. Prizes seem very low, starting prize 1500 SEK for khakis & 2500 for wool trousers for example. I am personally OK with cheaper fabrics for trousers, but the cut has to be good.

 

[TheIronDandy]

Thank you! I am situated in Gothenburg. I once ordered MTM trousers from Pari but they never arrived so I asked for my money back which I got. Not really planning on going back.
Do you know if Pelote in Gothenburg is any good? I fell in love with their "Sven Bertil Taube" buttont down collar walking by their store. Prizes seem very low, starting prize 1500 SEK for khakis & 2500 fot wool trousers for example. I am personally OK with cheaper fabrics for trousers, but the cut has to be good.

Fraid I got into CM after I left Gbg, so I haven't tried them, nor have I heard of anyone using them. Considering their prices (and the claim that they do their work in France, traditionally a high-cost country) I think their claim of "tailor made" sound a bit off, but that doesn't mean they are bad, they could just have a liberal interpretation of the phrase. They wouldn't be the only ones.

I personally find that good fabrics is a major requirement for trousers to last, but I wear mine pretty hard, so you might be able to get away with cheaper fabrics.

I just checked, and it seems Blugiallo has a store in Borås as well. And they're running a trunk show in Gbg on the 28th-29th of May (booking required, booking is open now on their web site). Might be worth checking out?

 

[tenorjoseheredia]

For the sake off this post, i will define waist heights as this:
Low waist (what most retailers claim to be regular): below the belly
Medium waist: on the belly, below the belly button
High waist: on the belly button or above

Problems I have with each:

Low waist:
#1 Unavoidable showing off asscrack when you sit , if the circumference off your midsection is bigger the pants will get drug down further. A solution is pants with lots off elastane partially solves this, but those lose shape fast and gets stretched out unevenly, causing unsightly wrinkles. Won't last long, won't buy unless it's a bargain.
#2 Belly hangs over beltline which is unflattering

Medium waist:
Since my body is shaped like a cone downwards from my belly button, pants unavoidably slide down, ballooning or untucking the shirt, making the waistline look sloppy uness I constantly adjust it. Suspenders mostly counteract this, so I find medium rise with suspenders to be a good option.

High rise:
IMO the king off comfort for overweight men, works with both suspenders and a belt. My preference. Only disadvantage is that they are an unwanted fashion statement as they are rarer nowadays.

How other XL gentlemen deal with pants and what you choose would be great to hear!

I have found that belts hardly ever work, and are more of an accent or accessory to tie the outfit together. They aren't necessarily functional (for me) as my pants slide down with movement. I always wear suspenders, which truly helps. I agree with you that the medium waist pants seem to be the best/most practical option. I recently started a blog for plus size men's fashion, and am constantly looking for topics to post about. This seems like a great subject. check it out if you're interested. it's called SUITable (www.joseheredia.com/suitable-1).

 

[sho'nuff]

I haven't read all the replies here but I say high rise double pleated pants are the current style now. It was highly out of fashion when I last joined this forum around 20 years ago, back then flat front slim trousers were all the rage and no one touched double pleated with a 10foot pole.

Now you'll be laughed at if you wear flat front slim fitting trousers and post a pic here. I still do though. Just wear what you're personal preference leans towards. Being comfortable and confident owning your outfit is always in style.

 

[Concordia]

If you can't have a tailor work things out from scratch, there are a few more options these days. Ben Silver offers pleats and high rise for their khakis-- and perhaps other models if you ask for special order. And the Andover Shop and O'Connells play in the same general sandbox even if they might not use the same workshop.

 

[mhip]

I'm not overweight, but in regards to pants, I'm in favor of them.
Shorts are for the beach, or the spa.
Never in the city...

 

[Prof H]

I prefer a higher rise and over the last 20 years have consistently bought from Old Town Clothing (their High Rise, Vauxhall, and Dreadnought patterns sit well on the natural waist, while their Plains and Stovepipes are good medium rise alternatives). Sadly, they cease trading this year.

 

[Luftschiff]

I love high rise trousers. I’m short and have a slight belly so they serve a double function of being comfortable and elongating my legs.
I don’t have any dressier recommendations but have had look with buying vintage Polo chinos. Can usually had for cheap and imo look great.

 

[CanvasLaw]

For the sake off this post, i will define waist heights as this:
Low waist (what most retailers claim to be regular): below the belly
Medium waist: on the belly, below the belly button
High waist: on the belly button or above

Problems I have with each:

Low waist:
#1 Unavoidable showing off asscrack when you sit , if the circumference off your midsection is bigger the pants will get drug down further. A solution is pants with lots off elastane partially solves this, but those lose shape fast and gets stretched out unevenly, causing unsightly wrinkles. Won't last long, won't buy unless it's a bargain.
#2 Belly hangs over beltline which is unflattering

Medium waist:
Since my body is shaped like a cone downwards from my belly button, pants unavoidably slide down, ballooning or untucking the shirt, making the waistline look sloppy uness I constantly adjust it. Suspenders mostly counteract this, so I find medium rise with suspenders to be a good option.

High rise:
IMO the king off comfort for overweight men, works with both suspenders and a belt. My preference. Only disadvantage is that they are an unwanted fashion statement as they are rarer nowadays.

How other XL gentlemen deal with pants and what you choose would be great to hear!

For casual trousers, I wear the 5 pocket-pants from Sene Custom Tailor. If I'm not wearing a suit, I'm wearing their pants. I have all four colors. (Note: waist sizes run one-size large. I'm a 48 and wear a 46 in Sene.)