Why do I fit so well in size 36 pants, but my waist is low 40s?

[TyroneFig]

So I never measured my waisted before,
all my pants are usually size 36 (sometimes 34 in jeans but they stretch out to fit which I like) and they fit great. Size 38 pants are actually too big a little bit. But I measured my waist tonight and it's in the low 40s.. what's going on?

 

[JibranK]

Two possibilities.

1. You're wearing American clothes, which are too big.
2. You're mismeasuring.

 

[laphroaig]

Q. Do you know where your waist is?

A. It's an inch or two above your belly button.

 

[TyroneFig]

Originally Posted by JibranK

Two possibilities.

1. You're wearing American clothes, which are too big.
2. You're mismeasuring.

Well I doubt that I am holding thing too loose that's for sure.
So they're making clothes that make fat people feel less fat than they really are?
Shame really. I need more motivation to lose weight.

An inch or two above my belly button? Sheesh I barely wear it an inch below the belly button (usually I wear on the hips or below the belly button like in between)

Well I remeasured, it got smaller but it's still in the 40ish area..

 

[Nicola]

Vanity sizing is real. Some companies are worse then others.

Bend over at your side. You'll feel a bone above your hips. Your waist is the area above that bone. Most pants [almost all jeans] are some sort of low rise.

Your pant size should be 1" or so bigger then your actual waist. At least that used to be the way to measure. The 1" lets you eat lunch/dinner and not pop any buttons.

 

[laphroaig]

Trousers are tagged based on waist size but these days are worn just above the hips or lower, so the actual measurement will be usually around 2 inches larger, but it may be more for larger sizes. Sometimes, usually on some fashion brands, tagged sizing is a complete joke, called vanity sizing.

 

[Bartolo]

Originally Posted by TyroneFig

Well I doubt that I am holding thing too loose that's for sure.
So they're making clothes that make fat people feel less fat than they really are?
Shame really. I need more motivation to lose weight.

An inch or two above my belly button? Sheesh I barely wear it an inch below the belly button (usually I wear on the hips or below the belly button like in between)

Well I remeasured, it got smaller but it's still in the 40ish area..

Does your belly hang over the waist of the pants? That's what it's sounding like if you wear your pants relatively low. Otherwise, it's the "vanity sizing" thing.

 

[ChicagoJohn]

I agree with vanity sizing. I'm a 33" waist but buy all my pants in 31s. Even Diesel jeans which I'd expect to run narrow I have to buy an inch or two smaller than my waist.

It's sad that menswear has come to this.

 

[Despos]

Everyone has 2 waist measurements. One, higher up at the fullest part of your stomach and over the love handles. This is your coat waist and this measure is used to determine the jacket girth at the buttoning waist of the jacket. This has nothing to do with the waist size of your trouser.
Trouser waist is taken several inches lower on your torso and very, very snug. Trouser waist could easily be 36 with a 40-42 coat waist. Everyone is a bit fleshy and the trouser will not feel tight until you feel pressure on the hip bone. Fleshy men wear the trouser rather snug, thin men need a little room over the hip bones.
I have a 7" difference between my coat waist and trouser waist and my trouser does not feel tight.
All this is normal except for guys without love handles or a bit of a stomach.

 

[bmulford]

Pickup a pair of Borrelli or Barba trousers NOT made for the US market. You'll be sizing up in no time.

 

[Gameknight88]

So I never measured my waisted before,
all my pants are usually size 36 (sometimes 34 in jeans but they stretch out to fit which I like) and they fit great. Size 38 pants are actually too big a little bit. But I measured my waist tonight and it's in the low 40s.. what's going on?

I am right there with you TyroneFig I am a size 36 and measure a 42 waist and 42 hip. And yes I was measured properly. I am definitely in the short but bulky category. My issue is how can you tell what measurements to give someone you are trying to order a suit from. I usually go by the assumption that if they are asking me for anything more specific than s/m/l. Than I am going to assume they will give me a proper pant size if I tell them I'm a 42 waist.
This has caused some errors on their part but they are usually fast to correct if it's an online ordeal. Good luck my friend!

 

[SirNoble]

You always get that person who says "you measured wrong" or "you don't know where your waist is". But actually there is a significant difference between actual measurement and waist size. Minimum is about 3 in, value brands tend to have a bigger difference. I wish people would think before answering questions "do I really know the answer? have I ever actually measured the waistline of my pants?" things like that before pretending you know something.

 

[SirNoble]

I am right there with you TyroneFig I am a size 36 and measure a 42 waist and 42 hip. And yes I was measured properly. I am definitely in the short but bulky category. My issue is how can you tell what measurements to give someone you are trying to order a suit from. I usually go by the assumption that if they are asking me for anything more specific than s/m/l. Than I am going to assume they will give me a proper pant size if I tell them I'm a 42 waist.
This has caused some errors on their part but they are usually fast to correct if it's an online ordeal. Good luck my friend!

Don't tell them you're a 42 waist. If you typically wear 36 then look for a 36 even though your waist will measure significantly higher.

 

[Phileas Fogg]

I wish people would think before answering questions

I wish people would look at the date stamp on a thread before replying.

 

[SirNoble]

Everyone has 2 waist measurements. One, higher up at the fullest part of your stomach and over the love handles. This is your coat waist and this measure is used to determine the jacket girth at the buttoning waist of the jacket. This has nothing to do with the waist size of your trouser.
Trouser waist is taken several inches lower on your torso and very, very snug. Trouser waist could easily be 36 with a 40-42 coat waist. Everyone is a bit fleshy and the trouser will not feel tight until you feel pressure on the hip bone. Fleshy men wear the trouser rather snug, thin men need a little room over the hip bones.
I have a 7" difference between my coat waist and trouser waist and my trouser does not feel tight.
All this is normal except for guys without love handles or a bit of a stomach.

He's saying the opposite, that his actual pants waist is more, not less than the labeled size. I don't think he or any man is pulling their pants up around their belly button. He's talking about the difference (which is a few inches depending on brand) between the size on the label and your actual measurement, which is indeed about 3-6 in depending on brand.