Your Definitive Men’s Pant Fit Guide
The most important thing about clothes is how they fit on you. Let me say that again. The most important thing about clothes is how they fit on YOU. You could find the most amazing pair of jeans or sweater or flannel shirt that’s the perfect color, the right material, and from a brand you absolutely love. But if it doesn’t fit you, none of the rest matters. We’re all guilty of buying something that we know doesn’t fit quite right and hoping by some miracle that on some day in the future, it will end-up fitting us – somehow. But it never does. It just sits in your closet collecting dust (or worse, moths) until you eventually give-in and put it (hopefully) in the donation bin. Buying well-fitting clothes is an absolute must.
We’re all blessed with unique bodies of different shapes and sizes and we all have unique preferences in how we want to look. When you combine these two factors, you get an immense amount of variation in how clothes can and should fit. The bottom line is that you should feel comfortable and confident no matter what. And buying the right clothes in the right fit for you will help you do just that.
Arguably, pant fits are a bit more nuanced than shirt fits so in this brief guide, I want to help describe some of the major fits that you’ll see in the world of pants and denim. I should definitely caveat this by saying that each brand is of course different (that’s a good thing, we’re all different too), but generally, these are the top fits you’ll see out there. You know best what features you have (large thighs, small calves, whatever) so by using the guide as a rule of thumb, you’ll be better equipped to search and find the right fit for you.
Let’s start with the most common fits. Most major retailers will at least have one of these fits if not all of them. We’ll work our way up from the tightest fits to the loosest.
SKINNY
The perfect fit for guys who want to show-off the shape of their legs. Skinny fits aren’t as popular as they once where as guys opt for more comfortable, roomier fits.
Low to medium rise
Tight around the crotch and thigh area
Tight around the knee
Pant forms around and highlights your leg shape
Narrow leg opening around ankle
Look for medium to high stretch fabrics for more comfort
SLIM
The most popular fit on the market. Slim fits are comfortable, clean, widely available, and great for all body shapes.
Low or medium rise
Slight room in the crotch and thigh area
Extra fabric on the back of the knee when standing
Pant follows your leg shape without hugging it
Fabric doesn’t touch your ankle at the leg opening
Low, medium, or high stretch fabrics provide extra comfort
SLIM TAPER
The best of two worlds – slim taper fits give you the comfort in the thigh of a slim fit while getting rid of the excess fabric in the leg opening.
Low or medium rise
Slight room in the crotch and thigh area
Pant starts to taper at the knee
Pant is slimmer around the calves than the thigh
Narrow leg opening similar to a skinny fit
Low, medium, or high stretch fabrics provide extra comfort
STRAIGHT
Yes, it’s true, straight fits are making a comeback! Straight fits give you extra room for extra comfort and aren’t just for ‘dads’ anymore.
Low, medium, or high rise
Roomy in the seat and thigh area
Measurement at the knee is the same as at the thigh
The shape of the pant is similar to a column or pipe
Extra room at the leg opening
Low stretch or rigid fabrics work well
ATHLETIC
One of the newest fits out there - the athletic fit is for guys with larger butts and thighs but features a modern, narrow leg opening.
Low, medium, or high rise
Extra room in the seat and thigh area to accommodate larger thighs and glutes
Pant starts to taper at the knee
T
he shape of the pant is similar to an inverted triangle
Narrow leg opening similar to a skinny fit
Stretch fabrics make getting your foot into the leg opening easier
RELAXED
The relaxed fit used to be a more fashion forward fit for guys who wanted to play with proportion. Now relaxed fits are becoming more mainstream.
Medium or high rise
Extra room in the seat and thigh area
Fabric only touches your knee when sitting
The pant shape gets slightly wider below the waistband
Wide leg opening
Low stretch or rigid fabrics work well here
We didn’t talk a whole lot about rise in this guide. What is rise, you ask? The rise is the distance between the waistband (where you snap or button your pants) to the bottom of the crotch, or where the two legs come together. Rise is extremely important in how pants fit and usually comes down to a personal preference. The rise of a pant is somewhat distinct from the leg-shape (what we’ve discussed in this guide), but generally speaking, lower rise pants go with skinnier fits, while higher rise pants usually feature on straighter or relaxed fits. Most brands will stick with a certain rise expression and build their fits from that.
And that’s it! Now you know about some of the major pant fits and hopefully have a better idea of which ones will be right for you. By the way, it’s definitely OK to own some pants in one fit, and some in another!
Of course, if you want someone else to do the actual work of shopping and curating for you, that’s where we come in. Sign-up for an always free account with On Brand and we’ll scour the internet to find the best clothes and brands for YOU!