Relaxed thigh, yet slim chinos?

[Reuven]

Hi gents. I've been having trouble finding pants that fit as of late. My waist is about 35, but my thighs are about 26.5", making it difficult to find pants that fit my waist and my legs. My calves don't pose a problem.


Any ideas? My go to pair of pants are Levi's 501 STF, but even those are a little tight. I also have a couple pairs of BR Gavin's, but they're a little small, too. I'm considering sizing up since I bought them a little too tight, but per pair they are a bit expensive for me.


I'm considering LEC straight fit, but I prefer a higher rise. Any experience with Gap or Dockers D2?

[alan]

I have similar dimensions. I bought a pair of Dockers D3 chinos on my lunch break, and they fit well. It's their "classic" fit, but when I tried their slim fitting D1's in my size, I couldn't even close the button because of my thighs filling the whole thing up. I'm not slim in the legs so I'm no longer bothering to try to fit into slim pants.


I didn't try on the D2's, but those might be a happy medium. It's their "straight fit".

[jason_carreira]

Gap straight leg fits me well, but my favorite are Bonobos. I have pretty big thighs and that's what works for me.

[LesserBlackDog]

The LEC slim-fit chinos I just got work for my big thighs. They taper a bit but they are surprisingly not-tight in the seat/thigh area. I wore my regular size but I could probably even fit in a waist size smaller if I really wanted to. I got a pair of their straight fit cords and, weirdly, the straight fits are actually noticeably more fitted in the seat/thigh. Here are the slim fits (left) vs. the straight fits, both in 31x30:





I have no experience with Docker's D2s, but their D1s are an awfully strange fit IMO. Not really a true slim fit through the legs, but boy are they tight around the waist/seat.


A more long-term solution might be to size up to fit your legs, then have your pants taken in at the waist.

[alan]

I'm STILL trying to find the perfect pair so let me know what works for you.


(I'm also too tall for 30" length, but too short for 32", but that's a whole other matter.)

[Reuven]

Thanks for all the responses. Looks like I need to make a trip to the mall and try on some Dockers, Gap, and LEC chinos. I hate to say it, but I think you're right, BenR. Don't want to size up, but it may be my only option. Hopefully the lower leg doesn't balloon out.

[alan]

Also, while I can't speak for their cut in chinos, I found some Lauren by Ralph Lauren wool pants in the slim fit at Marshalls the other day that actually fit me (and I've got thick legs). If they keep a similar cut in chinos, you may find some success there.

[greg_s]

Pants are the cheapest to alter for a lot of the fixes. Tapering the leg (from calf down) and hemming is really affordable. If possible find the best fit from waist to knee and let your tailor do the rest if OTR pants don't fit well. It certainly costs more, but I'd rather pay another $10-15 for a perfect fit than no extra cost for a pant to somewhat fit.


Alan if you find a good pair and hemming is all it needs, my tailor does that for $5. You could buy 32 length and get it hemmed.

[alan]

@greg:


Well I bought a pair of pants the other day that I now intend to just have hemmed. It's a practice I'm going to try to start getting into. I recently bought another pair of pants that's just a little short, and I'll continue to wear them, but I'm just not very happy with them.

[OnlyShawn]

Embrace the no break.


Also, cuffs are your friend.

[Reuven]

Well, I went to the mall today (ugh) to try a few things on. I went to Gap first and tried on the Classic Straight and Relaxed first. The Straight in 34 was too tight and in 36 was too big. I found that the Relaxed in 34 was loose enough to be comfortable, although below the knee they billowed out without a taper.


I then noticed the Tailored trousers, and tried Tailored Relaxed in 34. Didn't fit much different, maybe a little looser around the waist, ironically enough.


I headed over to Macy's and tried on a pair of D3 Soft Khakis in 34. The waist and thigh was a little too tight, while the calves ballooned even more than the Gap pair. Didn't bother trying the D2.


I went back to Gap to contemplate a purchase and realized that there is another style: Vintage Standard, that sits just below the waist, easy through the thigh, and straight leg opening. It matched the casual look I want, and was a little more slim than the other Gap pairs. They were the best I tried on today, but I didn't make a purchase since they weren't on sale (normally $50).


I think my next move from here will be to wait for a sale, and depending on the price, size up in the Gavins I got from BR (because other than the size I like the a lot), or get the Gap Vintage Standards.


(I tried on the LEC Heritage Straight trousers a little while ago, and they sit too low for me and were still a little tight. I didn't try the relaxed fit, but from the online picture, they looked huge.)


Thanks for the help, gents.

[Joe G.]

Try Old Navy's cords. The fit is superb IMO.

[Joe G.]

^ Sorry, I think I confused with this the corduroy thread. I still vouch for Old Navy, but I haven't tried their chinos so I can't recommend them specifically.


I saw another thread here that showed Target was selling a nice, slim fitting chino (Merona brand I think).