The 7 Pairs Of Pants That Will Actually Fit Your Butt AND Your Waist
by Audie Metcalf
If you clicked in from the title, I will assume you’ve had trouble with pants.
I’ve had trouble with pants for my entire life, so c’mon in. The water’s warm.
Invariably, they just don’t fit right. If you find something wide enough in the thigh, the waist is enormous. Or they’re insanely too tight all over. Or the fabric is weird and unflattering. It’s just always something with pants, isn’t it?
So I’ve spent what feels like a lifetime (maybe it has been?) searching for well-fitting pants. I’m sure I’ve wriggled into upwards of 200 pairs of pants this past year alone—and yes, it’s often in service of writing content for this very site, but my larger point is this: I’ve done all the sweaty, annoying, hateful work of trying, and discarding, so very many pants that are terrible, so that you don’t have to.
And so, like a phoenix from the ash, these 7 pants have revealed themselves as the best-fitting, most wearable, and by far the most flattering, for nearly everyone, and every body type.
Let’s dive right in, shall we?
1. The Only Leggings To Even Discuss
What: Beyond Yoga Spacedye Caught In The Midi High Waisted Legging
Why: They’re just…the best. They are by far the softest leggings that exist. They never give me a camel toe. They’re incredibly flattering and smoothing while never feeling tight. They run up to a 4x and come in the prettiest colors on earth. They’re ACTUALLY high-waisted. And one version comes with pockets. I had collected so many leggings throughout my life, and finally, I just had to admit all the cheapo Amazon ones were pilling and gross and had gross fabrics, and so now instead of having one drawer crammed with 14 leggings I hate, I own 3 pairs of leggings I love.
Price: $97
2. The Softest Joggers Known To Man
What: Cozy Earth Bamboo Jogger Pant
Why: We heard the hype about these joggers, namely from Oprah. And upon trying them ourselves, we had to instantly admit both the hype and Oprah (of course) were 100% correct. The bamboo material is softer than anything that’s ever touched our skin, and yet, it’s also breathable, so we can wear it through every season without feeling the slightest bit overheated. The quality is definitely a cut above, with zero pilling and a fit that looks excellent on every curve we have.
We loved these pants so much we reached out to Cozy Earth, and they were kind enough to offer us an exclusive code! Get 35% off using the code CANDIDLY.
Price: $165
3. The chic pants that feel like leggings
What: Maeve The Naomi Wide-Leg Flare Pants
Why: Continuing on on my quest to essentially wear lounge clothes at all hours of the day even to work and fancy events, these pants perfectly fit that bill. And since they’re wildly stretchy, you will 100% be able to find a size that fits over your butt but doesn’t gap in the waist. I’m wearing them in a size 10 in the photo, and I love the fit. And here they are from the side, A. so that you can see I have ample “junk” in my “trunk” which is truly impossible to fit and B. to witness how perfectly they come in at the waist.
4. Annnnnd the only jeans that have ever fit me
What: Abercrombie Curve Love Ultra High Rise Ankle Straight Jeans
Why: Did we single-handedly make these jeans go viral on TikTok? Well. Probably not. BUT. We have been crowing about their magic for 3 years. See HERE and HERE and HERE for proof. They just….fit. They’re supremely stretchy so they never feel constricting, and AF (that’s what they’re called now?!) has truly perfected the correct ratio of high rise/hip width/waist cinch. And because I would ask if I were you, here are the FLATS I’m wearing (which are walk-all-day comf, and are also machine washable).
Ok, here are the jeans from the front in another wash.
Don’t think. Just get.
Price: $75-$99
5. The Perfect Silhouette Cropped Pant
What: Everlane The Organic Kick Flare Pant
Why: Leave it to the leading brand in the world of flattering basics to make a gloriously stretchy cropped pant with possibly the single most flattering silhouette.
I bought these pants immediately after trying them on in store and being floored by how miraculously they fit. They have a way of sort of lifting your butt, gliding over the thigh, but then magically nipping in at the waist. With zero waist gap, as you can see.
The stretch makes them wildly comfortable, and the overall shape they create is pretty much a curvy girl’s dream.
Price: $98
6. The best “house pants” of all time
What: Lunya Organic Pima Wide Leg Pant
Why: First, let’s address ourselves to the price. They’re not cheap. And given that they’re glorified pajamas, the price feels even more annoying. But here’s what happened. I work from home, and I realized while I don’t want to just pig around in my actual pajamas all day, I also have zero interest in wearing anything with a (shudders) zipper. So these are sort of something in between bed and life. They actually fit my waist perfectly (I’m in a size L above), but then have plennnnnnnty of room in the butt and legs. And the incredibly flattering high waist means I feel chic every minute of every day, even if only my dog is there to witness it. They also have pockets which are not necessarily going to be used apart from admiring myself in the mirror, but that’s really all that pockets are for, right? The white version is subtly see-through, but again, as a house-pant, that’s no ish. It’s actually ideal in a marriage because I get to feel utterly, unequivocally comf and “he” gets a thrill.
Will I also be buying them in black and wearing them in the world? Yes, I will.
Price: $148
7. The high waisted, wide leg pants of our collective dreams
What: Maeve The Avery Pleated Wide-Leg Trousers
Why: I saved the best for last. To me, there is no more flattering, chic, sophisticated pant than these. They’re Katherine Hepburn. They’re Cate Blanchett. They’re timeless. They also flatter every single body type. Yes, petites. They flatter you. The endlessly long leg makes us all look taller, and even though the material is more on the crepe-side of life, because they’re so wide, they remain comfortable. I wear them with heels, platforms, or boots like in the photo above, tho you don’t even see them. And then I have ANOTHER pair which I hemmed in order to wear casually and with flip flops or sneakers like this:
The magic of these pants is that they are actually high-waisted, they are true to size, they are brilliantly cut so that your butt looks incredible, and while the legs are wide, you won’t feel swallowed up by them. You WILL however feel like some elegant gamine, perfectly dressed for any occasion. They come in tall and plus sizes, but they do sell out almost instantly. If they’re back in stock at time of reading, pounce.
Price: $148
Audie Metcalf is the Editor-in-chief of The Candidly, and lives in LA with her family. You can find more of her articles here.
At The Candidly, we try a lot of stuff so you don’t have to. We only recommend things we truly love, and that we think you’ll love, too. All products are chosen independently by our creative team, and all details reflect the price and availability of products at the time of publication. If you buy something we link to, The Candidly may earn a commission.
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