I'm sorry you had such a bad day! I haven't been in a gap in a while but a unisex dressing room would have me out the door!
You might try looking for pants that are called trouser style, those are usually straight legged and professional looking.

Oh, Lpink, I feel your pain. Clothes shopping is such a nightmare. I have a horrible time getting pants that fit. I've given up finding anything that is flattering in the tummy area. All the pants are flat as pancakes and my stomach is not. I just wear things that hang out and cover it all.

If I buy pants in the size that fit my hips, then the waist is way too large. Once I find something that comes close to fitting, they are inevitably a foot too long. That means another $15 to the tailor to have them shortened. I don't mind the flared pants but I can't wear the skinny ones at all.

It's just something you have to grit your teeth and do once in awhile! Sorry you had have this battle now.

I think it also makes a difference where you shop. Kim and I both had way too much fun last week on a quick trip into Dillard's. Kim was looking for work pants w/straight legs. She is 5'6" and usually has her best luck in the petite dept.....hardest part is matching up jackets or tops as then she needs a different dept. We got lucky and had a sales person who did all the running around. We were especially glad that it was before Thanksgiving, when the store was quiet.

I haven't been into a Gap store in years, wouldn't like the fitting rooms you describe. Also, if you shop a store that caters to the younger crowd, you have a much harder time finding conservative clothing...

Nancy

On jeans, I cheat and get the WalMart special - Faded Glory Classic, petite. I am 5'1" and a little chubby. Every other jeans or pants I get are like lpinkmountain describes and I wind up looking like a cartoon character in them. These, however, fit everywhere and the pant legs are not like hip waders, they're nice and slim. Another plus is that they are stretch. You'd never tell by looking at them, they look like any other jeans. I know WM is a dirty word to a lot of people, but I'll continue going there for these jeans as long as they carry them. Oh, and they still have the separate dressing rooms for male and female. Another plus.

Oh yes, I feel all of your pain! I too have pants about five years old that I'm wearing threadbare because I haven't been able to find anything to fit since then.

And while we are talking pants, have you tried buying pants for little girls? I've bought pants for a 3 and a 5 year old. I had to return them because the thigh areas were too small for them. Now I admit the 2-1/2 year old is a little chubby, but not the 5 year old. Besides, how many thin 2-1/2 year olds do you see these days. Most of the ones I know still have some of their baby fat left. I just can't believe the way they are making all the pants these days, both adults and childrens!

I love The Gap....I shop there for my grand kids. But it's sure not the place I would look for "professional" looking pants to wear to work.
Try Dillards or another main line departments tore....or even TJ Maxx or Marshalls...but go into the "carear" department.
Linda C

LOL, carear... good one.

I feel your pain, lpink. We all do. I know a lot of women and not a single one has an easy time shopping for pants. Which is why I'm usually in a skirt. Much easier. I don't have to deal with brutally cold weather, though. Every few years it's a new thing to deal with. Patience is key, I guess. I just don't have much of that!

My favorite store to buy jeans in is Express. Have you tried them?

Geez!!!! I am still trying to figure out how DH and I have 2 boys that are wearing the next size up (height) and "slim" cut... if you saw the parents, you would be surprised too. I thought they were cutting kids clothes loose to fit the style (or maybe it is just boys) but both my kids are "normal weight" (according to the kid Dr) and wear slim cut quite comfortably..

Anyway, unless it is jeans, I am buying all my clothes from Chico's... OMG they have the BEST fit and styles for me... and the price and quality are reasonable. I have ever bought anything that I didn't love there. And, yes, they are online too.

Alexa

I absolutely hate shopping for clothes. I always come out aggravated and headachy.

So, I don't shop at stores anymore, I shop on line. A couple of my favorite websites are SierraTradingPost.com and Silhouettes (which has sizes starting at 12).

They both have good quality, attractive clothing for adult women. Sierra Trading Post is on the lines of LLBean or REI, and they have a "Clearance Barn" where one can get great deals. Come to think of it, LLBean is awfully good too. All three of these companies are very good about returns and prompt to send the merchandise. I've never had any trouble with any of them. The styles tend to be classic, and sizing seems consistent.

I can sit at my desk, sip a glass of wine or a cup of tea, listen to nice music, and browse through clothing. Much more enjoyable than slogging through a mall!

Here is a link that might be useful: Silhouettes

Chicos' rocks!!
Try eBay for chicos....choose NWT..

Rachel, if you like Silhouetts, then you might like Cj Banks. They have some mall stores and just this summer added internet shopping.

Nancy

Here is a link that might be useful: CJ Banks

L, I know exactly how you feel. I don't know what rocket scientist decided that 50+ year old women should wear hip huggers (Oh excuse me, that would be "low rise". Ahem).

I've never bought anything at the Gap, although Amanda has. I figure if they fit my 5'7, 120 lb. daughter they ain't gonna fit me, and I'd hate that uni-sex dressing room thing. Pah.

I've gotten a couple of things from Chico's, and it must just be a matter of perception but I think they're pretty expensive. My boss shops there, but she makes 3 times my wages and she complains they're expensive too!

Of course, I have two pairs of size six jeans from Burlington Coat Factory that I bought for $9.99 a pair, LOL. I need another pair of black dress pants but I'm not going to go buy one until the single pair I have falls apart.

I HATE shopping. Ewwww.......

And so, I'm sincerely sympathetic.

Annie

I like Eddie Bauer online a lot. They have good sales, the clothes are well made and the cut descriptions are accurate.
But nothing beats a department store. I usually head to the Liz and Jones of NY area first.

See, the pants shopping has me so verklempt that I posted this in the wrong section! Sorry!

I should have known to check here first. Actually, I didn't initially intend on doing a pants shopping marathon, and I guess I didn't pick the best shops. I am no shopper, that's for sure. I just had to get something a Kohls and while I was there I tried on a few pairs, then I had to return something to Pennys and tried on a few pairs there, and then something just snapped and I became a woman on a mission--I guess the hunter gatherer instinct just set in, and I was at the mall at the time. I have not shopped the GAP since high school, it was never much my style, but I was desperate, I went into all kinds of strange stores I hardly ever shop at. I used to order all my clothes online, but that's getting kind of expensive, especially if I have to return something. Last time I went on a pants marathon I went to the outlet malls in Reading. But all those pants I bought then are size 10, which I think I'm going to have to say goodbye to forever. I'm having enough trouble trying to hold it at size 12!

This "low rise" trend is hilarious, IMHO. I cannot tell you how ridiculous some of the kids at school look. And I grew up with the generation that invented far out clothing. But having your rear end sticking out of your pants that are falling down is just plain silly. Being a straight woman I'm not sure who it is aimed at attracting, but the kids look like nerds to me. Save something for the imagination for heavans sake! And then there's the pajama bottom craze! For years my standard outfit was Lee jeans, plaid shirt, wool sweater, hiking boots. But I just cannot wear that kind of thing to work anymore. Plus that may explain why I've never married, lol! I'd like to feel like I still had a teeny bit going on, but my patience and pocketbook are both pretty thin. I like the idea of shopping online, but for some of the trendier things, I feel like I need to try a lot of things on--you just never can tell with some of the more detailed stuff.

I went to Chicos too, but everything there was kinda sparkly, (I guess for the holiday season), and the pants were mostly polyester. That stuff makes my legs itch!

What brought this all on is my coworker teased me last week and told me I looked "Sarah Palinesque." Now it was just good natured teasing, but all politics aside, the last thing I want to look like is a Republican governor from Alaska. I don't think he was referring to her former beauty queen status either, I think he meant that I looked ready to go out and shoot a moose, with my plaid shirt and wide wale LLBean cords!

I feel your pain. ClothesÂs shopping is a nightmare. I have a horrible time getting pants that fit. I am a jeans and t shirt stay at home house wife who would rather clean the kitchen floor on my hands and knees that go shopping. The last time I found a pair of pants that fit I bought two pairs each in black, brown, navy and one in white for the rare occasion I have to put something on besides jeans. At my age and if I donÂt gain weight they should last me the rest of my life.

Jeans I can usually find at TJÂs, Ross or Marshals but the size can be anything from a 6 to 12 depending on who makes them. Drives me crazy how can I be a 6 in one brand and a 12 in another. I can go into any store and buy DH a size 34/34 in any brand and they fit him just fine. ItÂs a conspiracy to keep us shopping. And why all of a sudden do blouses look like overstock from the 60Âs? Did someone find a big warehouse full of leftovers? They were great when I was in my 20Âs but would look ridiculous on an old lady or should I say mature woman. I ask a salesgirl at Macys where I could find a blouse suitable for a woman my age and she just got the deer in the headlights kinda look on her face and pointed across the store. I never did find a blouse that day and finally gave up.

Claudia

It's become very hard to find pants that fit at the waist, not sitting on the hips. I look ridiculous in those. I'm happy to look Sarah Palinesque if that's what fits me and is flattering. My grown daughter was with me recently and "encouraged" me to try on the lower cut pants - even she agreed they looked silly. I've pretty much given up, even Nordstrom's has crap now. And I'm certainly not going to spend 5 hours at the mall.

I buy all my dress/work pants online now, I know what fits and I know where to get it. Lands End, Talbots, L.L. Bean, and a few other online sites have pants that fit me at the waist, look good, come in fabrics I like and I can afford them.

Good luck.

I am going to have to brave the stores soon and shop for jeans. I am down to one pair I can wear with a boot heel. My last favorite pair came from Nordstrom and were Jag. I wore the heck out of them and Alice announced from behind me the last time I had them on that I would need to change. The fabric split along the pocket stitching revealing my backside. I'm okay in the trouser department because I don't wear them that often. I rarely need to be in something other than jeans for my work. My current one pair of jeans that works is from Gap. They are "Classic" and have straight legs with a rise that permits real underwear. I do like a bit of boot cut but not a flair. Please, no faded places on the thighs!

I will probably end up at Nordstrom again on a trip into San Francisco and hunt down some more jeans/pants there. The petite department there usually is my best bet. Expensive but a rare enough occurrence that I bite the bullet from time to time. The sales rack is my friend.

My complaint is petite clothing makers that think petite means "sans breasts!"

Long ago I used to do dressmaking and alterations for a bit of cash. I had a client who had me make the taper the legs of every pair of pants she bought. Do you sew or have a friend to trade services with? Not possible with a lot of jeans because of seam construction but easily done with trousers. I did do this with a pair of jeans a few years back with a plain seam.

The younger set in my family (meaning those age 40 and under) have good luck finding jeans at Banana Republic. Their men's clothes are very nice for casual, I think.

Talbot's makes clothes to fit a woman's body. I have my best luck there and Lord & Taylor and Bloomingdales as well as Nordstrom. Macy's now sells carp.

I never wear jeans any more. I found some black stretchy pants from LL Bean that work better for me. The ones I like have a zip on the side.

Here is a link that might be useful: LL Bean pants that I like

Okay a few "cheaper" options that I find fit well..

Lee Jeans now makes a no gap waist jean..I get them at Walmart for about $20.
I also have a pair of Faded Glory from Walmart that I love in black wash.
And there is one style at Maurices (not sure where other stores are around the country) that I really love!
I have an interesting hard to fit shape..I'm a bottom heavy hour glass..with extra belly(emergency C section DAMAGE!)..I'm a smidge over 5'4".. I can't wear petite..probably for the same reason Barnmom says "sans breasts". I think they often forget that short women are often voluptious!!!
I'm also having a bit of trouble as my body changes with the dietary changes I've made..I can wear a smaller size in W, but 1 size up in M...I'm in the tweener stage now..LOL

so did you get inducted? Your plight shouldn't be hilarious, but your manner is. Great focus. :)

No, but I inspected, rejected, collected and selected a lot of pants!

I've had good luck finding professional-looking yet stylish pants at the GAP (the ones around here do NOT have unisex dressing rooms), JJill and Coldwater Canyon. The GAP offers short, regular and tall.

I love wide-straights, but I'm all legs and they look good on me. The stores above do carry "traditional" straight cuts too.

I got some polyester-blend soft tweedy pants at JJill this season that are wonderful. Comfortable and machine-washable. Pants with a little stretch are nice too. Polyester-blends wash better, don't shrink and last longer than all-cottons.

I don't iron or dry-clean anymore, so clothing has got to stand up to machine wash and either tumble-dry or hang-dry. I do use a steamer for touching up nicer stuff.

As a guy I have my own issues. Why do men's sizes have to go in 2" increments? I am always an in-between size, which equates to one size being painfully tight and the other too loose. I hate shopping for jeans. It usually involves trying on about 30 pair before something fits ok. And being short (well..not really..the earth is just to close to my butt!) is a challenge as well. I can't be the only short guy in the world but it is almost impossible to find 29" length. It didn't used to be a problem years ago, and I know people are getting bigger...especially teens..but hey there are old guys like me that wear jeans too! Give me a 36" by 29" and I'll be happy!

Duane

Shoot me when I get to this stage

Here is a link that might be useful: mom jeans

LOL Jessy...that's sooo funny..
Duane, I have ordered to "hem" for my husband jeans at LLBean. He's a 31" inseam...But yes off the shelf jeans are always just a touch to long because he gets 32". There are a few I've rolled the hem seam up and "hemmed" them..just that smidge..others I make him suffer with. LOL

Oh Duane you just brought back the most wonderful memory of when I used shop for jeans in a place called "Urban Outfitters" in Lansing when I was in college. The whole basement was devoted to denim, and you could get pants of every inseam, length and waist size imaginable. And mostly made in the USA. Wranglers, Levis, Lee, Farrah. They had tape measures all over the store because a lot of people had no idea what to buy.

Oh if only I could go back to wearing my standard issue outfits. But jeans are frowned upon where I work now. So I'm trying to find pants that fit like jeans but are made of other cotton type material. What we used to call "chinos." But today's chinos are not the same as they used to be. I used to buy mine from Eddie Bauer and a store called "Casual Corner" which seems to have gone out of business. Frankly unless they start making clothes for real people, I think a lot of these clothing stores are going under.

Jessy, you evil woman, that video sums up my whole rotten attitude . . .
Just shoot me.

Duane, my DH is an odd size, too. He's also really picky about his jeans. I get his jeans at LL Bean where he can find the 31 length and odd waist.

Pink, I'm sorry it was a bad trip, but the way you wrote your post had me in stitches. I agree completely with your whole tirade. Some of these so-called designers should be shot.

A couple of years ago I bought some causal pants from Land's End's business line. I needed black ones, but they had navy, green and two shades of tan. They were a little dressier than the ones they show on the website now. Maybe the business catalog is different from the regular catalog? Anyway, they fit great and lasted quite a while.

When Lee's quality went to heck and Chico's became impossible to find in the stores, Annie talked me into tryigng LLBean jeans. They still make a straight leg with the waist where it should be...at the waist. They seem to last longer, too. I was buying from Lands End, but the last two pair I got form them fit weird and the material was like sandpaper even after washing.

Now what I want to know is why, in larger sizes, there are so many petitte options, but "Tall" is practically non-existant. You need an 18 P? No problem! You need an 18 Tall? Forget it.

Take a look at this ad, from LLBean, the "new" pants style. And 50 bucks to boot! That's what I was up agains. In what universe is that an attractive style? It even looks dorky on the model!

Some people must like them though, they are very highly rated. So just my HO.

Here is a link that might be useful: Camden pants, stretch twill

LOL, Laurie, my all time favorite jeans came from LLBean when I stopped at the outlet during a trip to Maine. I wore those jeans until they fell apart, which took several years. I also have a pair of flannel lined jeans from LLBean, they're wonderful but very, very warm. Strictly "outside in the winter" type jeans and definitely not sleek, LOL.

Of course, they don't make that style anymore, another of my peeves. Still, I can usually find well made and well fitting jeans at LLBean, I just haven't tried any of their other pants.

Annie

LOL Jess - love it.

Pant Rant Part Two:

Ok, so yesterday I wear my NEW, snazzy, bought at Macy's "Charter Club" black jeans. They have some spandex in them and look pretty good--I got some compliments on how "stylish" I looked, (which I'm sure for some of my friends and colleagues was a shocker). BUTT, the first thing I notice is the waist dips down in the back. Just low enough for someone to catch a glimpse of the tops of my underwear, or, as one of my colleagues said when I mentioned my annoyance in the faculty lounge, "That's to display your tattoo." Ya know I would like to regulate for myself who gets to see my underwear, and if I'm going to show someone my underwear they at least have to buy me dinner first!

Then, all throughout the day when I washed my hands I was noticing how dirty the rinse water looked. "Boy my office must be might dusty" I thought. Well, this morning when I'm taking a shower I notice that my thighs are also kinda grey looking. Seems my 36 dollar pants musta had their dye spray painted on or some such thing, because it is rubbing off on everything. Even today when I spilled some water on my pants and went to dry it off with a paper towel, it turned grey. And I haven't even washed them yet! Who knows how they will turn out in the wash. If they fade out I am taking them back! G-d knows what substance they used to dye them with back in China too!!

I can't win for loosing.

That's exactly why I don't wear stuff without washing it first! I just picture it in the hands of some poor factory worker in China. I'm so sorry you are going through this! I don't think it matters your size/shape, pants shopping is a PIA! I hate it with a passion. I personally don't like stretch jeans because they get lower and lower throughout the day, but that's about all I can find now. Good luck!

I'm glad you found something you like though! Washing dark clothing, particularly jeans and such is very common and not a flaw. I recently bought some jeans that had a tag about washing before wearing. I think with the newer fabric techniques this is expected. I would prefer it weren't this way, of course, but I've come to accept it.

Well, since I fell off the wagon and put my weight all back on, I can't wear much of anything.
I also like the LL Bean stretchy pants. I bought them in black , gray, and navy. I also hate stovepipe legs, and boot cut, and bells. They look awful. and for being a big girl, my legs are slim. So I certainly don't want those wide wide legs that make you look like you are 3X as big as you are. These LL Bean pants come in a straight leg that isn't so wide. And they look surprisingly dressy when worn with jackets. the first pair I bought in Maine at their outlet store for $10. The next 2 I had to pay full catalog price at $30. But it was worth it cause they actually do fit nicely. They are elastic waist, no zip. that works best for me. The biggest part of me is my waist. (Well, next to my boobs)
I can't wear zip pants cause if I get them to fit my waist, they are humongous everywhere else. If I get them to fit the everywhere else, they are too tight in the waist.
Guess it had better be back to Weight Watchers for me!

My pant rant is that every time I finally find jeans that fit they are discontinued.

Lately I've been getting Victoria's Secret jeans. For work I get Old Navy trousers, when I can find straight legs or a mild boot cut. Or JCPenney's cords if I know I have to crawl under computer desks. I'm short waisted so some low rise jeans are just right.

I just hate trying on clothes. And those three-sided mirrors.....ugh. I like buying clothes at Costco...no trying on and easy to return.

Tried LLBean pants...have never found a pair that fit :(

And yesterday I was wearing another of my mall finds, not too much dye wearing off, but when I went to put my keys in the pockets, I realize the pockets are about one inch deep. Just "show pockets" I guess.

Re: the link to those Candem pants. Um...no, that's not what I had in mind a bit. LOL! Those are awful! These were just a nice tailored pants. As I said, it's been a couple years. Guess I better hang onto the ones I have.

I never wear anything I haven't washed first. Part of the reason is some things shrink. Most of the reason is I know what lurks in warehouses as well as the conditions in some factories.

What is so bad about those Camden pants? They look up-to-date to me.

We have a BonWorth store in town which sells straight leg, regular waist type pants in every color variation of the rainbow. Good quality at a reasonable price. The company has just gone on-line, www.BonWorth.com. Their sizing takes getting used to. For instance, a regular size 12 should order the 12 petite size. The sizing is confusing, but worth figuring out.