Author Topic: I bought men's pants  (Read 6312 times)

Mtngrl

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I bought men's pants
« on: July 26, 2017, 08:42:49 PM »
I am a petite (5'3" woman). I have been looking for trekking/hiking pants for a while, but balking at the $60-$80 price tags I was seeing. Last week I had a $10 Kohl's coupon and was looking at hiking pants again. I found a pair on sale for $54 -- but I didn't love them, and I still didn't want to pay $44 (price with coupon). On impulse, I browsed the men's section and found a pair on sale for $22. They looked like exactly what I wanted. Really curious now, I went into our closet and grabbed a pair of my husband's hiking pants. I don't know what it says about us that my husband's pants fit me (except for length) but fit they did -- quite well, actually. So I ordered the men's pants from Kohl's, figuring if I hated them, my husband could have them. They arrived yesterday, fit great, and as soon as I hem them (I sew, so this is no big deal) I will have the pants I wanted -- for $12. I'm going to be looking in the men's section of the store more often now.

marty998

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Re: I bought men's pants
« Reply #1 on: July 27, 2017, 05:56:18 AM »
Is there not ... umm... excess space down the front where... umm... because of design... space is allowed for male bits and pieces?

anotherAlias

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Re: I bought men's pants
« Reply #2 on: July 27, 2017, 09:07:56 AM »
Is there not ... umm... excess space down the front where... umm... because of design... space is allowed for male bits and pieces?

I can't speak for the OP's pants, but the men's jeans that I've bought haven't had a lot of extra space there.   They aren't as form fitting through the crotch as women's pants but it's not excessive and they are much less binding when you sit down.

rockstache

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Re: I bought men's pants
« Reply #3 on: July 27, 2017, 10:14:28 AM »
Is there not ... umm... excess space down the front where... umm... because of design... space is allowed for male bits and pieces?

I can't speak for the OP's pants, but the men's jeans that I've bought haven't had a lot of extra space there.   They aren't as form fitting through the crotch as women's pants but it's not excessive and they are much less binding when you sit down.

+1, especially with the recent styles of men's pants which have available options that are much slimmer than one would see when I was growing up. I have some men's pants and they are great. Better fabric quality too.

Mtngrl

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Re: I bought men's pants
« Reply #4 on: July 27, 2017, 12:06:19 PM »
Is there not ... umm... excess space down the front where... umm... because of design... space is allowed for male bits and pieces?

Not really. These are slim-fitting pants. And, as my husband pointed out, a men's 30 will be a men's 30 no matter what the manufacturer -- you can't say that about women's clothing. I have several different sizes in my closet that all fit -- it depends on the designer/maker. Makes shopping frustrating.

Inaya

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Re: I bought men's pants
« Reply #5 on: July 27, 2017, 12:24:54 PM »
Nice job! I wish I could do this. I largely hate women's pants (looking at you awful pockets). But for the most part, men's pants are incompatible with my build. My husband and I are ostensibly the same waist size and nearly the same height, but his pants simply won't fit because my hips get in the way. And I don't think have particularly large hips compared to my waist.

topshot

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Re: I bought men's pants
« Reply #6 on: July 27, 2017, 01:26:32 PM »
I've contemplated buying women's hiking pants before but I fail to understand why they make such shallow pockets on ALL women's clothing so never have. I do buy women's hiking socks though since I have fairly small feet and proper sock fit is key to preventing blisters.

Inaya

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Re: I bought men's pants
« Reply #7 on: July 27, 2017, 02:22:57 PM »
I've contemplated buying women's hiking pants before but I fail to understand why they make such shallow pockets on ALL women's clothing so never have. I do buy women's hiking socks though since I have fairly small feet and proper sock fit is key to preventing blisters.
I'm convinced of a conspiracy with the handbag industry. No pockets (or useless pockets) means we have to buy purses.

Goldielocks

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Re: I bought men's pants
« Reply #8 on: July 27, 2017, 02:26:30 PM »
Is there not ... umm... excess space down the front where... umm... because of design... space is allowed for male bits and pieces?

I have a funny story about this!

I was hanging up my French Dressing Jeans to dry, you know, then $120 pair of jeans that fit me, that I was so excited to get from the thrift store ($15) a month ago, and was missing from my closet for the past 2 weeks?

I was very happy to have found them!  I had looked in my laundry but did not see them previously, and thought they were lost for good.

Then I noticed a huge tear / hole / strain area near the front crotch.   I realized my DH had been wearing my new to me jeans!  And ruined them with his upfront package.     He is NOT an observant fellow, and we share a closet, so he just grabbed from my shelf in error and never really noticed.

Yes, we are almost the same size in pants, but women's jeans with stretch that are tight fitting do NOT fit men the same.  Trust me on this one!

-------------------
For the note, dont stop at pants for hiking, I have bought mens cotton hiking shirts, and just curve in the side seams to allow for waist / hip ratios and they work great for casual wear.

mustachepungoeshere

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Re: I bought men's pants
« Reply #9 on: July 27, 2017, 02:27:11 PM »
Love it.

I wore boys jeans for a few years as a teenager because girls jeans suddenly had all this extra room for hips where I was straight up and down.

Still have no hips to speak of but Levi's Curve ID is a thing now.
« Last Edit: July 27, 2017, 03:37:51 PM by mustachepungoeshere »

Inaya

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Re: I bought men's pants
« Reply #10 on: July 27, 2017, 02:34:07 PM »
Love it.

I wore boys jeans for a few years as a teenager because girls jeans suddenly had all this extra room for hips where I was straight up and down.

Still have no hips to speak of but Levis Curve ID is a thing now.
I got excited and looked this up. No products match my Curve ID apparently. Thanks Levi's.

Mtngrl

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Re: I bought men's pants
« Reply #11 on: July 27, 2017, 03:15:11 PM »
Love it.

I wore boys jeans for a few years as a teenager because girls jeans suddenly had all this extra room for hips where I was straight up and down.

Still have no hips to speak of but Levis Curve ID is a thing now.

My absolute fave pair of jeans are Levis Curve ID.
And I was so glad to hear someone else's husband wears the same size pants -- so sorry about the crotch damage, though!

Rural

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Re: I bought men's pants
« Reply #12 on: July 27, 2017, 04:31:16 PM »
I've been wearing men's dockers for business casual for a number of years, and I just bought a pair of men's dress pants at the thrift store. They have actual pockets, you guys.

Fire2025

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Re: I bought men's pants
« Reply #13 on: July 27, 2017, 06:29:30 PM »
I've contemplated buying women's hiking pants before but I fail to understand why they make such shallow pockets on ALL women's clothing so never have. I do buy women's hiking socks though since I have fairly small feet and proper sock fit is key to preventing blisters.
I'm convinced of a conspiracy with the handbag industry. No pockets (or useless pockets) means we have to buy purses.

This is why I love and wear men's pants, POCKETS.  Who thinks woman don't need pockets.  And their pockets are so deep, you can have a cell phone in your front pocket comfortably

Goldielocks

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Re: I bought men's pants
« Reply #14 on: July 27, 2017, 06:33:54 PM »
Heh,  I bought a pair of woman's tilley travel pants.   Wow.  pockets.   DEEP pockets are amazing.  It can hold a phone on one side and a passport on the other, safely...  and no ugly cargo pockets either.   Why don't more woman's pants have pockets?  It is not like most of my pants are tight,  most are just as loose-ish as the tilley pants.
« Last Edit: July 28, 2017, 10:24:54 AM by Goldielocks »

stashgrower

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Re: I bought men's pants
« Reply #15 on: July 27, 2017, 11:03:08 PM »
OMG why have I not done this already?? Mustachians win again!

falcondisruptor

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Re: I bought men's pants
« Reply #16 on: July 28, 2017, 10:22:22 AM »
I've read so many articles about pocket conspiracies, but never thought men's pants would work for me.  I'm going to try on a pair next time I'm out shopping.  Super badass!  So excited for your pockets!

dycker1978

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Re: I bought men's pants
« Reply #17 on: July 28, 2017, 10:38:24 AM »
Ok, I get that hips in woman's pants may need to be wider, but why the price difference? 

This is one thing that has always bugged me.  I can get jeans for $20 or $30 regularly at Costco, Wal-Mart etc. My Wife's are always more.  I don't get it.

The pocket thing too, arg...

Fire2025

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Re: I bought men's pants
« Reply #18 on: July 28, 2017, 11:20:04 AM »
Ok, I get that hips in woman's pants may need to be wider, but why the price difference? 

This is one thing that has always bugged me.  I can get jeans for $20 or $30 regularly at Costco, Wal-Mart etc. My Wife's are always more.  I don't get it.

The pocket thing too, arg...

The pink tax.  Why are small leather glove 3 dollars more than large at HomeDepot, pink tax.

Imma

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Re: I bought men's pants
« Reply #19 on: July 29, 2017, 04:26:41 AM »
Ok, I get that hips in woman's pants may need to be wider, but why the price difference? 

This is one thing that has always bugged me.  I can get jeans for $20 or $30 regularly at Costco, Wal-Mart etc. My Wife's are always more.  I don't get it.

The pocket thing too, arg...

The pink tax.  Why are small leather glove 3 dollars more than large at HomeDepot, pink tax.

They know men aren't going to pay more than that, and women will (eventually).

I was looking for a pair of winter slippers a while back, because as frugal people we put on slippers before we turn up the heat. The women's pairs were all €20+ and they all had extremely slippery soles which would make them dangerous walking off a wooden staircase. They were also all pink.

Then I went to the men's department and found the type of slippers I was looking for, with proper soles, for €10. I was at least offered the choice between blue and black and went for a blue flannel. The smallest size was slightly too big for me, but in winter I often wear bulky hand knit socks so it's not a huge problem.

People think I'm joking sometimes, but generally everything targeted at women is pink, double the price and half the quality. I too wear men's jeans sometimes. It works perfectly if you can find a pair that's not too bulky up front. I find that women's jeans are generally too tight up front and that's not comfortable either. As long as women are still buying all the pink crap because they feel they don't have a choice, nothing is going to change. So just go into the men's department and browse there. It's not strange at all, in fact, you'll find the majority of customers there will be women too :D

prognastat

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Re: I bought men's pants
« Reply #20 on: July 31, 2017, 08:07:25 AM »
I suspect with many women's clothing more money goes in to design and marketing which raises the price, yet this seems to come at a cost in regard to the quality of materials. Men's pants don't change very little from season to season or even year to year. Many men will simply find a type of jeans they like and stick with them till they wear out, then replace them with a similar pair.

Also supply vs demand. Men on average care less about their clothing than women on average do. When you have higher demand companies will be able to raise the price.

Good job on finding a way cheaper alternative btw.

Car Jack

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Re: I bought men's pants
« Reply #21 on: July 31, 2017, 01:52:41 PM »
Pro Tip.  I haven't paid more than $12 for years.  This isn't even on sale.  Full price at K-Mart.  Name brand as well.

The manufacturers make all their money on making you think that you're buying something special.  I don't need to have special jeans....I'll take the K-Mart ones and spend my money on other things.

marielle

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Re: I bought men's pants
« Reply #22 on: August 01, 2017, 02:20:37 PM »
I've seriously considered buying men's jeans. Though my jeggings are super comfy and look exactly like jeans, the front pockets are 100% fake.

Problem: I rarely buy clothes and will have to wait for one of my 3 pairs to wear out.

PoutineLover

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Re: I bought men's pants
« Reply #23 on: August 01, 2017, 02:39:07 PM »
I want real pockets and cheaper jeans! But I don't think I have the shape for men's clothes. My ex and I wore the same waist size, but his pants were way too tight around my hips. I have yet to find a perfect pair of jeans that fits properly around my calves, thighs, hips and waist simultaneously. I don't think it exists.

ptobest

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Re: I bought men's pants
« Reply #24 on: August 01, 2017, 04:04:24 PM »
I love men's jeans! My 2 most recently acquired pairs were men's jeans abandoned on my building's laundry room - they fit great & the pockets are spacious. I'm also lucky(?) to have a small waist/hip ratio, so unless women's jeans are low-rise, they're generally too tight on the waist (or too large in the hips) for me anyhow.

For anyone who is sewing-inclined, men's pants and shorts are really great for altering into skirts with pockets. I did this with a pair of North Face men's hiking shorts (also a laundry room find) and made a skirt with the best pockets.

Also, my theory as to why leggings (& jeggings) have gotten so popular: if your jeans are going to be skin-right and have completely useless pockets, you might as well wear leggings instead since at least they're more comfortable.

BrightFIRE

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Re: I bought men's pants
« Reply #25 on: August 01, 2017, 04:49:03 PM »
I am a petite (5'3" woman). I have been looking for trekking/hiking pants for a while, but balking at the $60-$80 price tags I was seeing. Last week I had a $10 Kohl's coupon and was looking at hiking pants again. I found a pair on sale for $54 -- but I didn't love them, and I still didn't want to pay $44 (price with coupon). On impulse, I browsed the men's section and found a pair on sale for $22. They looked like exactly what I wanted. Really curious now, I went into our closet and grabbed a pair of my husband's hiking pants. I don't know what it says about us that my husband's pants fit me (except for length) but fit they did -- quite well, actually. So I ordered the men's pants from Kohl's, figuring if I hated them, my husband could have them. They arrived yesterday, fit great, and as soon as I hem them (I sew, so this is no big deal) I will have the pants I wanted -- for $12. I'm going to be looking in the men's section of the store more often now.

Based on your height, you might also check the boys department. My SO is 5'6" with a 28" waist - he had been wearing slightly-too-big pants with a belt, but I made him buy a pair that fit for casual Fridays at work. We had no luck at the thrift store, so went to Target. Couldn't find anything narrow enough in the men's department (plenty of 40"+ though), so we checked boys - turns out a size 16 pair of Levis fit him perfectly (apparently, there is an age wear they transition from numbers to actual measurements?).

Bonus, boys' pants have interior waist expansion options. Bonus, bonus, they were $7.83 on sale! I would copy this suggestion, except for the fact that I have hips.

GuitarStv

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Re: I bought men's pants
« Reply #26 on: August 02, 2017, 11:25:14 AM »
I've often wondered why more women don't do this.  The clothing that my wife buys seems to last significantly shorter periods, and is made of noticeably flimsy material.

Inaya

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Re: I bought men's pants
« Reply #27 on: August 02, 2017, 11:40:07 AM »
I've often wondered why more women don't do this.  The clothing that my wife buys seems to last significantly shorter periods, and is made of noticeably flimsy material.


Hips, I'd wager.

Rubyvroom

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Re: I bought men's pants
« Reply #28 on: August 02, 2017, 11:57:30 AM »
My husband laughs at me that I still try to shop in the women's section first before getting fired up and huffing off to the men's section, muttering profanities under my breath, to shop for pants.

First off, men's sizing is based on actual real life measurements, not arbitrary, make you feel good or bad about yourself sizing that differs between every brand on the planet. It's great not having to take 3 sizes of each article of clothing you want to try into the fitting room, because who the hell knows what this sizing even MEANS. All while the store employees are giving you the side eye because you're taking 15 articles of clothing into the fitting room and muttering angrily, I'm only trying on FIVE THINGS (of varying sizes)... your limit is FIVE, I am following the rules!

Second, men's clothing is generally (not always) organized in stores by CATEGORY and SIZE not by BRAND, so I don't have to go to 12 different little brand-specific staging areas to look at each pair of pants. When I go to the men's section and all the pants are in one place, the clouds part and I hear angels singing.

Lastly, as stated many times, HELLO POCKETS.

I also go for men's athletic shoes... the women's athletic shoe neon color schemes are generally awful. Can a girl just get a flat black skate shoe every once in a while please?!

I also will admit I reverted to men's wallets, because, I'm not even sure what all the damn compartments are for in women's clutches/purses when all I need is a place to put cash and plastic and I never have enough of those slots! I know some people carry their lives in their purses, but I am not those people...
« Last Edit: August 02, 2017, 12:01:01 PM by Rubyvroom »

Inaya

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Re: I bought men's pants
« Reply #29 on: August 02, 2017, 12:06:06 PM »
I also go for men's athletic shoes... the women's athletic shoe neon color schemes are generally awful. Can a girl just get a flat black skate shoe every once in a while please?!
Man I wish I could do this. Women's shoes are usually too narrow, and few brands offer a Wide option. Alas, I've yet to find a small enough pair of men's shoes in a store.

When I was a kid I could and did wear boys shoes fairly often. I rocked those boys LA Lights.

HildaCorners

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Re: I bought men's pants
« Reply #30 on: August 02, 2017, 02:22:01 PM »
Clothing ... sigh.

I'm far too hourglass to wear boys/mens clothing, but I want my stuff to be functional. And I don't mind paying twice as much if I can get at least three times the wear.

My latest store find is Duluth Trading Company. They opened a store in my area (and do a lot of mail order). They are mostly "work" clothing — as in physical work. Their woman's clothing is well made, with lots of huge pockets, sunglasses  loops, etc. And their fit models have a figure! [I tried on a pair of North Face hiking pants ... if they fit in the hips I could pull them off while closed. The Duluth pants have only a small gap in the waist.]

Shoes ... I'm a woman's 7EE. I've had expensive shoe stores apologize to me that they couldn't fit my feet ... for casual shoes I can wear boys shoes. However, I work in a downtown skyscraper and need *woman's* shoes for work. There is one company that makes them (Munro), but they're expen$ive.

Don't get me started about underwear. Please.

Rural

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Re: I bought men's pants
« Reply #31 on: August 02, 2017, 09:05:38 PM »
Those of you with hips, just try on a pair of men's pants with pleats and see what you think. They give some extra room for hips and don't really look like women's pleated pants. I have, erm, ample hip and rear regions, and I do fine with pleats and a willingness to wear a belt (but not to bunch fabric around the waist).

ptobest

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Re: I bought men's pants
« Reply #32 on: August 03, 2017, 09:53:35 AM »
First off, men's sizing is based on actual real life measurements

I've had the confusing experience of a pair of men's 31 waist jeans being looser on my waist than a pair of 33 waist jeans. So, they can vary between brands - which in a way is even more frustrating than when women's pants vary in size, since men's are actually measurement-based.

Also I love your screen name, that is an amazing album.

Fire2025

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Re: I bought men's pants
« Reply #33 on: August 03, 2017, 10:02:43 AM »
First off, men's sizing is based on actual real life measurements

I've had the confusing experience of a pair of men's 31 waist jeans being looser on my waist than a pair of 33 waist jeans. So, they can vary between brands - which in a way is even more frustrating than when women's pants vary in size, since men's are actually measurement-based.

Also I love your screen name, that is an amazing album.

This is no longer true.  They don't use "true" measurements any longer, they also use "vanity" sizing.  Sense this is arbitrary, it becomes arbitrary across brands.