Hey y'all, I'm back from a shopping trip wherein I tried on a ton of jeans. I've got pretty big hips/thighs/butt, and basically was down to one pair of jeans and some shorts. But I think I did pretty good this round, so if any other guys are looking for some pants here's my two cents. For comparison, I'm around a 30 waist size. In some brands I get larger (31 or 2 waist) because I prefer a looser fit. Basically I've given up on the skinny jeans life and am now about feeling like I'm wearing comfy sweatpants 24/7. I don't care so much about height since I can roll up the hems. I tend to start with a 30/30 and go from there. I was also looking for something with a "straight" silhouette, that didn't have my hips or thighs sticking out. A few years ago I'd gotten some Old Navy jeans (slim fit, I think?) which fit well and had a nice silhouette. Sadly they don't fit any more and when I went to find them, the Old Navy store had closed. After that I tried Arizona jeans, Gap jeans, and Dockers pants. Nothing from those stuck out to me, they didn't seem to fit me well. I was disappointed since I'd heard good things about Dockers in particular... However, I ended up getting results with Levi's brand as well as at American Eagle. Levi's results: Spoiler 501 Original Fit seemed a little similar to how my Old Navy jeans used to fit. My thighs fit fine, and I thought my butt looked nicest in these, but sadly my hips were squashed-- not too comfy. Could possibly work for someone with smaller hips and bigger thighs. 541 Athletic Fit is meant for someone with larger (muscular?) thighs. The waist was a bit too tight for my tastes, but this could be a good pair. The silhouette wasn't as straight up and down as I wanted, but that was expected due to the cut. There's room for the thighs but it gets tighter around the calf. 508 Regular Taper seems like a similar, but less drastic, cut as the 541. I thought the silhouette on this one was much better, it still 'tapered' at the calf but less than the 541. They were comfortable standing but a bit tight sitting, so I moved up a size. I ended up getting a pair of these for work. Since I mostly stand at work I think these will be comfortable. I also tried the Chino Joggers on a whim, since I'd tried just about everything else at that point. But these were the favorite Levi's pants I tried. Super comfy, I would be fine wearing them instead of my sweatpants. The silhouette on these is weird, however, it looks like a result of the cut of the pants. They have elastic at the bottom which I think looks a little silly. However in this case, the comfort level trumps my questionable fashion sense. American Eagle Outfitters: Spoiler For the Straight Cut, I tried both "2" and "3 flex." I think this indicates the stretchiness/softness of the fabric; the "1" was stiff while the "3" was soft and stretchier. The thigh area seemed alright but the waist was very tight on me. Similar to the Levi's 501, this could work for someone with smaller hips and bigger thighs. The last jeans I tried were the Slim Straight cut. I liked the "3 flex" which seems to be the softest kind. They fit in both thigh and hips, it seemed like somehow they make my hips look thinner. And the silhouette is very straight up-and-down, especially if I stand with my legs a tiny bit wider than I normally stand. They weren't as comfy as sweatpants (or the Chino Joggers), but very comfy for jeans. I ended up getting these since they were the best pair I tried on. My only complaint is that they didn't come in black. :icon_wink And that was my pants shopping experience. Other than the frustrating start it was surprisingly pleasant, and I found not one but three kinds I liked! Hopefully this is helpful for some of you other guys (and nonbinary kids), I know pants shopping can be horrible.
It's even worse when the only place you're brave enough to look at men's trousers in is charity shops and all the trousers could fit all of me in one leg. Apparently short guys don't donate trousers often.
