With all the serious issues in the world today, why am I writing about pants? Maybe it’s frivolous, but my lifelong search for comfortable, well-fitting pants has finally come to an end. Throughout my life, I have sought two things: shoes that look good and in which I can walk … and perfectly fitted slacks I can throw into the washer and dryer.
My feet are happy since discovering Uggs for winter, FitFlop clogs, and Clark’s sandals for warm weather. Perfect pants eluded me. Jeans, the iconic garment of my generation, look better than they feel. As soon as I sit, they pull down in the back, ride up in the front, and dig into my waistline all the way around. The better they look standing, the more uncomfortable they are sitting. Stretch denim improves the comfort factor, but my body has never been shaped right for jeans. I’ve been thin, not-so-thin, fat, and all sizes in between. Never found a pair which fit quite right.
Too loose or tight, waist too high or low enough to slide off my hips. I could wear a belt, but I hate belts. Add them to brassieres with steel bones for garment-based misery. Complete the picture with spike heels and a thong and you have head-to-toe discomfort.
I can’t be happy if I’m uncomfortable. If my shoes pinch, if underwear is up my butt, the waistband of the jeans is sawing its way through my mid-section, I’m not going to be my scintillating self. I will twitch, pull, and rearrange garments in a never-ending and increasingly desperate attempt to get comfortable. Eventually, I will look as if I have a weird nervous disorder.
Some years back, an end of season clearance on Land’s End featured yoga pants. I’ve owned stretch pants. They’re okay, but never looked quite right. But yoga pants. From the moment I slid into them, I knew I’d found it. Boot cut, so my short legs appear long and graceful. Forgiving fabric which stretches every which way, but bounces back to its original shape without a saggy butt or droopy knees. They wash like a dream, have no issues with the dryer.
Gradually, I stopped wearing anything else. My size hasn’t changed in years, so I have a lot of clothing, much more than I need. All of it fits.
Fortune has smiled on me. My best friend and I wear exactly the same size, right down to shoes. When my wardrobe threatens to explode, I can pass the goodies to the one person on earth I know will appreciate and like them. Did I mention we also have the same taste?
I need to visit her very soon.
Yesterday, I slipped into jeans. They fit well, even a bit loose. I wore them for almost two hours before I changed back into yoga pants. I guess there’s no turning back. Yoga pants forever.
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Categories: Fashion, Humor, Shopping
TOO LONG WERE THE JEANS 
CASABLANCA IN MASSACHUSETTS 
SERENDIPITY - SEEKING INTELLIGENT LIFE ON EARTH 
I can’t wear 3/4 of the clothes in my closet. If I ever lose 40 pounds I have the potential to dress retro.
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I can’t lose weight. I can’t gain it. I can’t afford to replace my wardrobe! They don’t charge less for small clothing.
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I’m with you. Comfort over looks any day. Jeans are just too uncomfortable and hard to pull up the zip sometimes. I found a great sewing pattern which only takes 15 minutes to sew. I don’t care what I look like – I am comfortable. That is what counts.
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With each passing year, I become more focused on comfort and less concerned with what anyone else thinks. Possibly that is the only true gift of getting older!
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Ok I am with you all the way. I have three pairs of jeans for the last six years. I mean I only wear them when they let me out and that is not often, but they fit. I have a home dress – you know what I don’t think I will continue, this will make a blog. Just one question, can you let me know the name and address of the Swiss supplier of yoga pants, they sound very interesting and do they make them for tall people where everything has gone South on the body proportions?
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I don’t know if Land’s End of LL Bean has sales outlets in Europe. I’m betting they do, since they have them in Japan and the Phillipines. They may use a different name there. Google yoga pants. They are crazy popular and fit even those of use who used to have a waistline (mine is now fused with my rib cage), for those of us whose butt fell off and is now part of our thighs (not a pretty sight). It’s what makes these pants so great. They are SO forgiving. With a tunic on top? You can face the world. Just no horizontal strips, is all 🙂 I share your pain. So many of us do!
You can also find them on Amazon. And Roots. There are many manufacturers. MANY and many of them are Europe-based.
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This is the address for Swiss shipping from Land’s End, prices in Swiss Francs.
http://www.landsend.com/ I set it for Swiss francs and appropriate prices. And too my name off it!
FYI: Yoga pants medium weight. Starfish have small pocket, beautiful fit and rather heavier fabric. Dressier. Come in many colors. Sports knit. Loose, comfortable, very lightweight. Spring, summer, fall. Probably a little light for winter. Don’t even think about anything but the stretch pants. Their other pants just don’t fit our bodies.
In the tops department, tunics. You can get them as big as you want and with the stretch pants? It’s a whole new world of comfort and attractive, comfortable clothing. They make them for both summer and winter, with various fabrics and sleeve lengths.
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Am thinking about it, but my figure is not so stretch friendly. I weigh 84 Kg and have lumps and bumps in all the wrong places, which would probably show.
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And that’s what the tunic is for.
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Finally, something the world can agree on! Women love wearing yoga pants, and guys love looking at women wearing them! 😉
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Well, thank the lord. Finally. It has always troubled me that there are but two sexes and they are blatantly incompatible.
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I live in sweat pants, or track pants (trackies) as we usually call them. I’d rather be comfortable and as I’m usually either spilling food or cleaning products over myself or getting covered in dog hair I’d rather wear something cheap and easily replaced but I don’t like to wear them out except to the local shops. The yoga pants look smarter but still comfy. I’ll have to think about getting some. Ugg boots are great for keeping your feet warm in cold weather too.
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Leggings ( with looong tunics) and yoga pants… perfect for me 🙂
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Tunics forever, too. Tunics with everything, I might add. Yoga pants, jeans, sweats, whatever. They cover such a multitude of sins.
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Hear , hear… I wouldn’t be without them. And I empathise with your quest for shoes 🙂
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FitFlops, Clarks, and Uggs. Birkenstocks too, but even for me, they are a bit clumsy and also, a bit loose. They fall off my feet. I don’t know what I’d do without Clarks!
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These days I wear flat pumps and the occasional boots… and look longingly…sometimes… at the heels.
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Ah yes. I remember a particular pair of high stacked heals in racing green leather. I felt downright tall and elegant. I was young, so young. These days, my feet hurt just looking at them.
I have clogs, sandals, and Uggs. I have one pair of dressier shoes with maybe 1-1/2 inch heels, and they don’t exactly hurt, but since I pretty much never wear heels anymore, I can’t balance on them and am likely to break an ankle if I try.
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The shoes of my dreams were red patent… tall, tall heels… and a gold buckle. It was the 70s, I have an excuse 🙂
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Yes, the 70s. Our peak years 🙂
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Oh no… I’m a late starter… mine are now 🙂
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Good for you!
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😀
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Do you remember Candies? I had a few pairs of those.
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Stretch pants with stirrups?
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Wooden high heels with leather.
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Ah. Not a brand I remember, but I don’t remember many things. I don’t even remember what brand were my favorite heels when I was still wearing them. I remember their color, shape, heel type … but not who made them. Selective memory?
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Could be. I loved the wooden shoes. And clogs. I loved clogs. I don’t know why. I probably couldn’t wear them now. But I have fond memories of clomping around in them back when.
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Levia used to make a line of pants known as action slacks many years ago. They were made of a double knit material that felt like a well worn T-shirt that is so comfortable. I haven’t seen them or sought them out since Omar The tentmaker makes all my clothes now. 😦
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Garry wear PJ bottoms. They come in EVERY size, including one that would fit Omar AND his larger brother.
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I wear 42×30 pants and 2x shirts. I know there are bigger, much bigger out there.
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That is not so huge. Not huge at all. You can get those sizes anywhere. I’ve been a LOT bigger than that. I’m not now, but I was.
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Sadly Americans have gotten heavier to where now 42″ waist sizes are available just about anywhere. I used to have to go to Big Men’s shops.
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Men are also taller. So are women. Everything is too long for both Garry AND me. Tall people, like my son, complain everything is too short.
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I’m short and rotund so finding my waist size with only a 30″ inseam can be difficult. I used to have to get 33″ versions and chop off the pant legs. The problem with that is that my pant pockets were close to my kneecaps. 😦
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Pretend they are cargo pants 🙂
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We too love yoga pants! And just pants in general. We actually wrote about a pair of pants that can do literally all things awhile back. They weren’t yoga pants but you may find the piece an interesting read now that you’ve joined the elite ranks of pants writers around the wooden globe!
https://brownandwooden.wordpress.com/2015/01/09/these-pants-can-do-your-job-better-than-you-can/
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Thank you. I need to belong to an elite group! I will go take a look at the post. I just love these pants. After I wrote this, I went and by golly, they were on sale, so I bought a couple more pair in tan and gray. Even though they don’t have pockets, they are the best-looking comfortable pants available. I would not object to a pocket, but I can do without one if I must.
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I’m glad you’ve found the perfect pants for you!
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And affordable! Don’t forget that. Not a minor detail😃
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I kinda like yoga pants… except they have no pockets. I wear men’s sweat pants around the house and when walking the dogs. I have a comfortable few pair of jeans that I wear when I want to look like I’m actually trying to look like a give a care…
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I agree about the pockets, but yoga pants look and feel so good, I forgive them. Most women’s pants don’t have pockets. If I’m going to rant about fashion, that’s one of my pet peeves. Why can’t we have pockets? Everyone needs pockets.
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Sweatpants. That’s all I ever where when I’m inside my place. If I have to go out, I will put on jeans, although I sometimes am too lazy to change into my jeans and just wear my sweatpants outside. I don’t know, because I’ve never considered yoga pants, but I imagine sweatpants are also cheaper.
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And pockets! Men’s sweats have pockets! Yoga pants do not. Neither do women’s sweats.
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Yes, my sweatpants have pockets. I’d be lost without pockets in my sweatpants.
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I miss pockets, but I’ve gotten used to it. I carry a bag anyway and women’s pants, other than jean, rarely have pockets. I don’t like it, but I’ve given up fighting about it.
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Well, I suppose it’s because most women carry bags and most men don’t that men’s sweatpants have pockets and women’s don’t!
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Nah. It’s because designers don’t like bulgy pockets messing up the line and drape of the garment. It’s a fashion thing. Apparently men don’t mind lumpy hips.
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That’s exactly it. Form over function! Screw that noise. I need function. I don’t like to carry bags around with me all of the time and I need a place to put my keys and wallet. I’ll take pockets any day of the week. Too bad I have these childbearing hips, or I’d wear nothing but men’s clothes. They’re made stronger and have more function than most women’s clothes.
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I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again: Men wouldn’t put up with this kind of nonsense.
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Some of my yoga pants (depends on the year of manufacture) have a small pocket with a zipper on one side. Right under the waistband. I appreciate the thought. I gather it’s a so you have someplace to put your locker key while you’re exercising.
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Bless their hearts. Give them an E for effort. ^_^
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Actually, at least for women, yoga pants and sweat pants are the same price. Exactly. To the dollar. I have sweat pants too … for when it’s cold. Garry wears pajama pants or lounge pants. I swear in all the years he worked, I never saw him wear his shirt out of his pants or anything with elastic at the waist. Now? It’s all about comfort.
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