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Men's Pants Buying Guide
For a gift, or for that man in your life, or if you're looking for pants for yourself, you might need some suggestions to help you on your way to a great pair of britches. A few things to remember: your budget is important. It's very easy to spend a few hundred dollars on tastefully ripped jeans that will last six months before disintegrating. If that's your thing, then by all means go for it. But when considering a budget, remember that most pants are around $40, but obviously, there are less expensive and more expensive, but $40 is the average price. It just depends on what you need, and what you can spend. But when buying pants, always try them on, you want to make sure that they will fit and just think of new pants like preparing for a long trip; you want to pack your junk well. There are probably prettier ways to say that. But with men's pants, there are a lot of styles available to you, and it really depends on your personal taste, along with your budget. Don't stray from the budget. New pants are great, but paying for groceries and electricity are great too, enjoy all three together. So, if you stick to the budget, you might even be able to get some new
shoes
Fit First
Most men's pants are sized with two numbers: waist and inseam measurement, in that order.
- Measure your waist by wrapping a tape measure around your torso wherever you want your pants to fall. Keep a finger or two between the tape measure and you, so that you have a bit of breathing room and space to tuck your shirt in.
- If you're going the classic and respectable route, measure at your proper waist, where your body creases when you lean to the side. Tip: find your belly button. That's your waist level.
-
Younger and trendier men often wear their
pants
- A smart man will never leave his gut hanging out over his pants. Don't give into to pride and insist that you wear the same size jean you wore in college-- let go of your delusions and buy pants that fit.
- Measure your inseam by taking a tape measure up your leg (or letting someone else do it) and running it to where you want the crotch of your pants to lie. That height is your inseam. Make sure to measure along your leg and directly perpendicular to the floor on up.
- If you're squeamish or wimpy about being measured, take the pair of pants that fit you best and measure the inseam (and waist) there. It's just the seam that runs on the inside of the leg.
- Better to purchase pants that are a little too long, rather than a little too short. A tailor can shorten anything, but said tailor can make very few things longer.
- You should end up with dimensions, in inches, that look something like 30x32. That is your pant size.
-
To get fancier, if you want to calculate the
rise
of your pants, it's the distance from the crotch to the waist. It will dictate how high your pants sit. Many pants will come in
low-
, medium-
The rare exception of casual pant will be sized
S
Style
- Pant bottoms should hit your shoes and "break" once. This means that they should crease slightly (due to their manly length) once before terminating on top of your lovely shoe.
-
You should never be able to see your
socks
-
Your pants should look good on you. Look in a
mirror
. Try to find a 3-way mirror
-
When buying pants, check for
comfort
. Sit in them. Walk in them. Still feel good? Good.
- If they are too long, take them to a tailor.
-
Make sure pants coordinate with the clothes already hanging in your closet. Your pants should work with your
belts
, shoes
, and shirts
.
-
How do you want to keep your pants up? You can have
suspenders
-
Your shoes and belt should complement your pants.
Black
. Brown
, khaki
, and navy
.
- Your socks should be in the color scheme of your pants, not your shoes.
-
Cuffs
-
Straight legs
. Flared pants
- Are you happy in them? That counts. Is your girlfriend or boyfriend happy when you wear them? That counts too.
- Want to know more? Read the Men's Guide To Getting Dressed .
What Are the Basic Types?
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Slightly Less Common Trousers
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More Options
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Related Guides
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Related Products
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External Links
- Ask Men -- Clear instructions on how to measure every aspect of your pants, just in case you need to report.
- GQ -- Style Guy knows everything about how you should wear your pants.
- The Morning News -- A simple and funny guide to how to wear jeans, chinos, corduroys, slacks and shorts.
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