31: Curvy Petite Pants: Avoid the Waist Gap and Find a Better Fit

Curvy and petite? Think it's impossible to find pants that fit the waist AND hips?

Not anymore. Not once you know what to look for.

In this listener Q&A episode, Petite Style Coach Angela Foster breaks down why the waist gap happens, the styles that flatter your curves, and the brands that curvy private coaching clients have the best luck with.

You'll also discover:

👖What to look for when comfort matter

👖Stylling tips for YOUR body shape

👖What to do with the pants you already have hanging in your closet

👖And so much more

By the end, you'll have a clear plan for finding pants that fit your waist AND your hips.

Resources Mentioned:

Petite Body Shape Quiz

Ann Taylor - Curvy Petite

Madewell - Petite Pants

Banana Republic - Curvy Petite Pants

The Frankie Shop

Aritzia

Veronica Beard

Democracy

Wit & Wisdom

Discount codes / current sales

Hollywood Fashion Secrets Hip Hugger

Pant Clips

Transcript

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

This is a listener QA episode. What happens when you're curvy and petite? Are pants just a pipe dream? And is there any way to get rid of that annoying waist gap? Absolutely. You just need to know what to look for. So in this episode, we're going to cover the four styles that are best for you. What to pair those styles with so you can create the most flattering outfits? And be sure to hang around until the end when we're going to talk about the brands my private coaching clients with curves have the very best luck with. By the end, you'll have outfits ready to be put together from items already in your closet. Or you'll know exactly what to look for next time you're shopping. Talk about easy. I'm Angela, your petite style coach, and when you're ready, let's dive in. Welcome to Inside Petite Style, the only podcast created exclusively for women, 5'3, and under. You've built an incredible career. You've navigated all the crazy life changes. And somewhere along the way, getting dressed stopped being easy. Maybe your body's different or your role is different. And your closet, it just has not kept up. I'm Angela Foster, Petite Style Coach since 2018, and creator of the Spark Petite Style Method. And together, you and I will get your wardrobe back in shape. Every week we'll talk about why petite proportions require a different approach. Discover what actually flatters your body shape and works with your lifestyle. And get all the insider shortcuts on where to shop so you're not wasting hours scrolling or even worse, settling for good enough. This is about more than looking good. It's about walking into any room, whether it's a big presentation or client meeting, a family event, or heck, just Tuesday. And feeling confident, polished, with a style as smart and savvy as you are. Let's get the style party started. Thank you, June, for sending in the question and then for allowing me to share it, because I know a lot of women run into this very same problem. I'm gonna read it because I want to get it exactly right. What do I need to look for when purchasing dress pants and jeans? If it fits my waist, it's too baggy in the hips, or if it fits my hip and thighs, then it's too loose in the waist. What should I do? First of all, why does this happen? When you have a curvy figure, there's a bigger difference between your waist and your hip measurement. And not all brands take that into account. But when you know what causes the problem, then you know that there's a solution. Now, the second step in Spark, the petite style method, is pants. And while it's the second step, pants are the number one problem for petites. Now, we've had episodes before with the three-part perfect petite pant formula. For our purposes today, though, we're going to focus on rise. This is super important because when you're a curvy petite, you want the waistband to hit you right at your natural waist. Rise is the measurement from the crotch of your pants to the top of the waistband. And them hitting lower than your natural waist is often what causes the waist gap in the back. The rise being too long for your petite frame is what also causes them to look saggy in the crotch, which neither is awesome. On a side note, don't get too hung up on whether the brand or the retailer says it's a high rise or a mid-rise or a classic or whatever, because every brand is a special little snowflake and they'll call their rise something different. The most important thing is for you to figure out what your ideal rise is. The easiest way to do that is to take a pair of pants that you have in your closet already. Now, you don't have to love everything about them, but it is important that they hit at the right spot. And then you want to measure them. Once you know your ideal rise, then what we want to do is figure out what your actual waistline measurement is. The easiest way to do that is to stand up and without moving your legs, bend your torso left and right. And wherever that breaks, that's where your actual waistline is. And once you have those two numbers, your ideal rise and your actual waist measurement, you'll want to compare and contrast your measurements with the pants you're looking to add to your closet. Don't be surprised when you go online and can't find any information about the rise. It could quite possibly be the least reported measurement with online retailers. Now, it is getting better, but when you consider how critical the rise is to comfort and fit, you would think they would be more transparent about it. Having said that, this is when we want to play fast and loose with the chat feature. If they don't share the rise with us, we need to ask. And I always think the more we keep asking, they'll eventually catch on and make the measurement easier to find. Okay, we're ready for the next step, and that is which styles will be best for you. And there's four in particular. We talk about wide leg styles a lot, and in this instance, they're a brilliant choice because they're fitted at the waist until the hip, and then they loosen up from the hip straight down to the floor. Wearing the same style all the time is a great way to get bored. So here are some additional styles to look at: barrel leg, balloon pants, and joggers. The reason they work is because they're designed to mimic your curvy shape, narrow at the waist and then more relaxed in the hip area. When those styles are bigger in the hip area, it looks very intentional. The other thing that makes them great for petites is that they're tailored at the hem. So we're less likely to have to have them altered because they're too long. Now, in case you're thinking, those are just denim styles, not anymore. While they may have started out mostly that way, the last couple seasons there have been oodles of dressier versions. So you'll absolutely be able to find options that are perfect for the office. There's a couple of other things to keep an eye out for. First of all, look for some material with some stretch. And stretch is such a blessing. It allows the pants to be comfortable while still hugging your waist. The other thing is look for a lighter weight material, one that is soft enough to have some movement, like a jersey or a ponte or a linen. The reason why is, and you've probably noticed this yourself, when you try on a pair of pants made from a thicker, more rigid material that has no movement and stays exactly in its shape, it can often feel overwhelming. Those wide leg pants stay exactly where they're at and don't allow there to be any hint of body shape underneath. So congratulations, you found an amazing pair of pants that fits in the waist and is intentionally roomy in the hip and thigh area. But now, what do we wear them with? That all depends on your body shape. For signature body shapes, number three and number four, when you add volume to the bottom or from the waist down, you want to keep the volume to a minimum on top or from the waist up. So partner your pants with more tailored tops, sweaters, blouses, or softer, less structured blazers. In case you're new here and aren't familiar with signature body shape three, four, or six, first of all, thank you for stopping by. I'm so glad that you're here. And as soon as this episode wraps, you'll want to hop on over to insidepetityle.com and take the petite body shape quiz. Because knowing the styles and the silhouettes that flatter your shape best and the ones that don't is the very first step towards getting dressed, being fast and easy. In case you're thinking, I already know my body shape, I'm gonna skip the quiz. You may want to reconsider because we look at body shape differently around here. First of all, you are not an apple, a pear, or anything else that belongs in a fruit salad. You're also not a circle, square, or a triangle. The Petite Style quiz is only seven questions and takes less than two minutes. Afterward, you'll know your very best styles and even more importantly, the ones to run away from screaming. I'll also add the link to the show notes so you don't have to hunt it down. Okay, back to signature body shape three and fours for just a moment. Because we all have tops that we love but may not be ideal for those pants. There's a couple of workarounds. You can also tuck your top, or if it's too long or bulky for that, you can pop a belt on over top. For signature body shape sixes, the goal is to add a bit of volume on top to balance out a more voluptuous bottom half. So pair your pants with cropped sweaters and blazers with some structure, or blouses in a stiffer or thicker material like a cotton button-down, or a blouse that has details around the collar like a ruffle or shoulders with a more military detail. Okay, so you know exactly what kind of pants to look for. You know what to pair them with when you get them, but where the heck are you gonna find them? So for moderate price career wear, try and tailor, madewell, or banana republic. They all have a line for curvy petites. When you want to level up your career wear, check out the Frankie shop. Especially when you're looking for balloon or barrel styles. The quality, the cut, the material, it is blissful. Aritia is another great place to check. My clients have great luck at Veronica Beard. One word of caution though, and that is for their matching blazers. They're often way too long and boxy on us. Then for denim options, look at Democracy or Wit and Wisdom. The amount of stretch in their compression denim makes them not only comfortable, but super flattering. Now, in case you're in the car driving and you're like, oh my gosh, I can't write this down, no worries. I will put the links to all of these brands in the show notes, along with a couple of discount codes and sale promotions that they have going on right now. What to do with pants that you already own that you either like or need to wear until you have time to look for replacements? There are several options. You can always take them to the tailor. We call it the yoke. It's the V seam underneath the waistband. And a talented tailor can add some darts for a better fit. There's also some temporary fixes. Hollywood Fashion Secrets has what they call a hip hugger. It's a small piece of elastic with clips on either end that you can hook on to the belt loops in back for a smoother fit. There are also pant clips. My description isn't gonna sound very sexy, but they do work. They're like an oversized decorative safety pin that you can use to scrunch a minimal amount of excess material at the waistline. The hip huggers are better if you have a lot of material, whereas the pant clips are great if you have an inch or so. Okay, are you ready for this week's style challenge? Because listening to the episode is great. And the real change happens when we put it into practice. So grab a pair of pants in your closet that gapes at the waist and let's figure out why. Does the waist hit you too low? Or is it a lack of stretch in the material? Or is the material too thick and lack movement? Or is the waist just flat out too big for your actual waist? Because understanding the problem and having the solution is where the style magic really happens. Be sure to come back next week when we're going to talk about petite proportions. Without question, proportion is the single biggest aha moments clients have. Because once you have that nailed down, it changes the way you look at every item that you own. Plus, it's the easiest way to know how to put successful outfits together. Not to be cliche, but it really is a game changer. And that, my friend, is a wrap. Thank you so much for hanging out, and I will see you back here next week. Till then, have fun and stay stylish. Thanks for tuning in to Inside Petite Style. When you're ready to create a wardrobe that fits your hype, flatters your body shape, and makes getting dressed fun and easy, head over to insidepetitstyle.com and take my free Petite Style quiz. You'll get personalized tips and strategies made just for your proportion and your height. And hey, you know that girlfriend who's always rolling up her sleeves and hemming her pants? Share this episode with her. She needs to know she's not alone and that there are real solutions. See you next week. Until then, have fun and stay stylish.