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I’m looking into women’s jeans for the first time. I looking at slim and skinny styles. But I’m not sure of how to handle sizing, and I’m hoping that you girls with more experience can give me some assistance.
For example, I’m looking at a Levi’s product. Their sizing chart shows about a 9” difference between waist and hip sizes (no surprise, since they are designed for women’s bodies). My measurements are 36” hips, 33-34” waist — only a 2” to 3” difference. So, there are no sizes that match me.
I don’t plan to wear butt or hip enhancers (I’m an underdresser/stealth dresser). If I buy based on waist measurement, it seems that hips and thighs would be ridiculously baggy. On the other hand, if I buy based on hip size, I probably couldn’t even button the waist.
How should I approach this? Pick a size in between? Am I forever doomed in my quest to wear women’s skinny jeans if I don’t wear enhancers?
i went first to a second hand shop , you can hold then up to waist n then use the fitting room, to check fit n se if you need to go up or down in size.
@gienne I haven't looked for jeans specifically, but you might try petite sizes. They may fit better.
@gienne This is an interesting problem, but not all women have narrow waists, so you may just have to keep looking. Somebody makes jeans for these women. Old Navy, Urban Planet, and a few other stores, have Mom styles. They have been good to me, especially if they stretch.
I always carry a tape measure and my well proven measurements around with me and check what the actual size is. No messing around. For pants, including all jeans, so far, waist and inseam have been enough. I haven't noticed baggy seats or legs yet partly because I try to avoid wide-leg pants in the first place. There are a lot of them out there. Check the measurements of whatever current jeans that fit you well and go off of them. Across the waist, across the hips, inseam should do it.
There is one pair of skinny jeans with a control tummy that is a real struggle to wiggle into when wearing pads, but I would hate to lose this tightness. These things look and feel amazing, too. Stretch is your friend.
It may pay to check no-name branded jeans, too. Jeans in particular are a commodity with lots of variety.
@gienne Go by waist size. The hips will of course be bigger than you are because few of us have the same shape to fill out women's pants.
If you buy according to your hips the waist will be much too small.
I'd have to guess that you are about a 10, maybe an 8 depending on the cut of the jeans. I think I'd start trying on a 10 and see how they feel. Don't forget that the style will affect things too. Look at where the waist sits. Women's jeans can be at the natural waist, high waisted or below the waist.
One additional thing is women measure a couple of inches above the navel for their waist line. Men measure at the navel for waist line.
As stated by others the waist measurements will fit you better then the hip measurements.
Also clothing makers very alot. One maker will fit and one won't both being the same size! Still best to try on if can.
Fran 🥰
Hello Gienne,
First, skinny jeans are not as fashionable now, you may consider it.
i think a size 10 or 12 may be a good fit for you, best of luck
@gienne As others have said, stretch is your friend. I think most brands have some stretch styles. I have found that if a size 10 in one brand is perfect a size 10 some brand but different style won't fit. Myself I love my tight jeans and leggings, but I also have a few pairs of loose fitting pants. Depends on the event or mood.
There is so much to evaluate being out in fem.
Cassie
@gienne I've had good luck with Old Navy Jeans, particular the Rockstar model. As for size, you can go into a store and just try a few pair on until you get something that fits. I've done this in both boy and girl modes and nobody ever batted an eyelash.
@gienne wow, this is a tough one for sure. I’ll give you what I do and hope it helps. I only buy stretchy jeans. Usually skinny legs only. Must have belt loops. I love the four button front with fancy rear pocket designs. Put your hands in the pockets to see if the pocket can hold more than some change. Most women’s jeans have small pockets. Now, you have low rise, regular fit, and high rise. Best to buy one of each and return two later. Lastly, size. I wear a man’s 32 leg,38 waist last I recall.I haven’t bought any men’s jeans in years. I wear a women’s 12 -16. Just depends on the jeans themselves. Best just to buy a bunch and try them out. Good luck.
@gienne Hi Gienne, From someone who has been wearing women's jeans exclusively since their late teens, and please forgive me if someone has mentioned this already, you may want to look at girls junior sizes as well. They are usually, at least int the US, sized in odd numbers. I would try on a size larger and smaller then the corresponding women's size for fit. Say for example if a women's size 10 fits your waist but the hips are a bit loose, give a girls junior size 9 and 11 a try and se how they feel. The primary difference between juniors and women's sizes is the hip size. Younger women generally have a smaller waist to hip ratio then women do, or so the manufactures of women's clothing believe. Juniors jeans will generally not be loose around the hips or certainly less so then a corresponding women's pair. Because of some freaky weird genetics I've always fit nicely into women's jeans. I was borne with an extremely feminine appearing lower body, that is small waist and wide hips and prominent tush. This caused a good bit of ridicule from insensitive cruel kids growing up. Fortunately, a girlfriend who eventually became my wife, surreptitiously got me wearing women's jeans and I haven't looked back since.
@gienne My first pair of woman’s jeans came from a second hand shop. They were a pair of Guess jeans with the tag still on at $129 which I got for $18. I prefer the jeans that have a lot of stretch to them. They fit perfect. Now that I loved the way they fit and felt on I started looking g for more jeans , new and used . So I just started trying them on. No one cares in any of these shops. I love my woman’s Levi’s 711 straight leg. The 311’s are skinny and very tight at ankles but still fit nice but do kinda scream in wearing women’s jeans. Your best bet is to try some on to figure what works for you.
@gienne try subtracting 21 from your male pants waist size.
but definitely try on ( pants can be tricky)
Abigail
Unfortunately, the only advice I can give you is to try it on. As a general rule with women's clothing, I find that the only real way to get it to fit right, is to try different sizes until it fits right. The same size in two different styles from the same brand can fit and look differently.
I know that's not very helpful, but the bright side is that trying stuff on is part of the fun.
Hi Giénne,
As I recall the Levi’s haven’t elastic in the waist so there won’t be any stretch. Let me suggest that you take a tape measure with you to a store along with your inseam and thigh measurements. If you have an athletic build your thighs and calves might be wider than the womens jeans. The skinny jeans fabric is likely to have more stretch in the fabric so you’ll want to size by your waist.
It’s best to try on the jeans. It’s possible that you arrive in drab the associate might request you use the mens changing facility. You might not be ready for that. If not I’d suggest trying jeggings or leggings. Either will have loads of stretch to fit snugly.
Alice
Gienne,The best way is to go in person,possibly underdressed,unless you can dress as a lady,and try the jeans on at the store to see what fits you best.And sizes are all over the map from one brand to another.Some stores have employees that will help you find what fits you best,do some research,call ahead for an appointment.Explain your situation on the phone while making your appointment,dont worry ,the sales associates have seen it all before,Have a great time and be the lady that you are.I have done this at Macys and my shopping trip was fabulous.I showed up as Michelle,met the personal shopper,and was very well pleased.Enjoy your shopping trip,Sincerely Michelle Brown.
@heels234 thanks Michelle. I have to admit I’m a little reluctant to go to the store and shop in the ladies department. I was hoping to be able to buy online. But you make good suggestions, and I guess, yeah, sales associates have seen it all, lol! And a sale is a sale. Calling ahead might ease my discomfort. I’ve shopped for panties for myself at VS, and said right upfront that I was shopping for me, and it was no big deal.
@gienne Dont worry,call ahead and make your appointment.If you wear enhancers bring them with you.No need to be bashful,these sales associated have seen it all.If in doubt,ask for the help of the manager,after all a sale is a sale and you can pick up some very good tips with the help of a female associate.If all goes well she may find some accessories for you .Relax ,persavere and enjoy.
@gienne don’t be nervous shopping in the woman’s departments. I do it almost daily. Women couldn’t care less. Women are in the men’s dept. all the time.
I too would say try them on at the store. I've tried on blouses at Walmart and actually found something of moderately good quality. It's a good experience to pick some out and ask for a changing room. Also there are other posts here on CDH that talk about the best brands for us girls.
Dani
Hi Gienne, Everyone here has given great advice. The suggestions of using a tape measure are empirical. I always have one in my car or a small one on my key chain and bring it along with me to check actual measurements on a proposed purchase right in the store. Sizes really are all over the place and you can't go by the label number. That is just like an area code. It's an approximation. If you looked at my jeans, you would see labels from 3 to 10 and they all fit well with some much more form fitting than others. I don't wear any padding. I buy jeans exclusively from thrift stores. The selection is much larger there and they are arranged by sizes, also they have both new and aged jeans. It's easy to see the length and condition there. If I want to look hot and look like my jeans are painted on, then I will tug on the material and see how much stretch thread has been added (the label inside will also say stretch and/or spandex content) and buy those. If you have no butt, have a boy butt or are skinny (like me) then look for labels saying girl, slim, skinny, tall, or junior. Junior labels are usually odd numbers like 1,3, 5, 7 etc. I also look in the separate racks marked girls or juniors (I'm only 5.5). I will sometimes buy jeans that fit perfectly and sew some extra material from another pair of jeans to the cuff to make them long enough (plus then they are stylized). I only pay about $2 for my jeans so I can afford to play around and have extra pairs. I hope this helps. May the fit be with you, Marg
@margprodue Your point about sizes being an approximation is a good one. For example, my standard men’s Levi’s size has for years been 32” waist. I arrived at that by trial and error, and just assumed that my waist was 32”. As part of this process, I actually measured my waist for the first time, and found that my it actually measures 34”! Go figure…
Hi, I am in love with my Gloria Vanderbilt “Amanda” jeans. I have 5 pair that I wear all the time. Good for the “soccer mom” look, or when going androgynous, or when drab.
For sizing, my waist is in the 32-33 range and the Amanda’s size 12 to 14 fit great. The 12 is a snug, the 14 a looser fit.
I know you mentioned Levi’s, but take a look at the Amanda.
Kohl's, Costco, Amazon has them as well as others I suppose.
Enjoy your crossdressing…. Staci
@sf Thanks Staci! I’ve read other recommendations for GV Amanda on CDH so I’ll check them out. I started with Levi’s because it’s a familiar brand, and their detailing is gender neutral, and I’m looking for a subtle “stealth” look.
@sf I agree that GV Amanda jeans are great, and as a plus they have decent pockets which a lot of feminine clothes do not. Best, Marlene.
@marleneroberts Marlene.... Righto, I love my Amanda pants... All purpose, dressed, androgynous, or drab....
Amazon has an easy return if they don’t fit you can always send them back for an exchange or money back is more time consuming then the outlet stores always seem women clothes can be a hit or miss depending on brands also herd from many ladys here Torrid has always been supportive they go down to size 10 I do believe
Obviously the best way to size jeans is to try them on. That is how I got the best size and it was not an issue at all. I just grabed a couple of sizes and headed to the changing rooms.
That said, we are similar in size and I found I can wear a size 10 or 12. The 10 is snug and shows my butt well, but a 12 is a little looser and more comfortable fit. Women's Levis have quite a bit of stretch in the fabric, much more then mens jeans. Surprisingly, both the size 10 and 12 are loose in my waist and I have to wear a belt to keep them in the best place on my hips.
I read somewhere that some brands put smaller size numbers on their products to get their customers to feel better about wearing their brand. If you are a size 14 and try on a 14 you feel good when you realize you need a size 12. Makes you feel mentally slimmer.
@augustvaliant Semi off topic, but I’ve read the same thing about panties. Katie and Laura’s satin panties website refers to this as “vanity sizing,” and claim that their products are closer to “real” sizing, and thus you should size up from your normal size for their products, which for me, I have found to be true.
Would ladies' jeans be long enough in the leg? For example I need jeans with a 34" leg.
@annaredhead I’m still learning, but I have read that if you need long inseams, it can be a bit of a challenge to find Ladies jeans. I guess some companies have “tall” sizes, which are more suitable for some men.
Follow-up question: Any opinions on whether high rise, regular rise, or low rise works best for male bodies? I’m guessing that low rise might just slide down, since I have almost no hips.
@gienne I prefer to have the waistband around my waist. It is a comfort thing more than a safety thing.
However, I haven't encountered any real issues yet with lower waistbands. Again, stretch is your friend, here, plus there are belts.
I prefer high rise since it fits my body best but can wear mid and low rise too. It all depends on where your real waist is. I do have a few low rise jeans but can only wear them if I haven't gained any weight (like I do at Thanksgiving or Christmas, otherwise I'd have an inner tube showing). Summer is when I have my best body and about the only time that I'll wear a low rise jean. I hope that helps. Marg
Since the subject was raised, short rant… don’t know who came up with how women’s clothing sizes are defined or applied, but I assure you it was not an engineer. Being tall (6’4”) and let’s say curvy 🙄 at 260#, I have a hard time finding anything that fits lengthwise. I have recently started doing some subtle dressing for my forays in public and women’s jeans and subtle flats are my first baby steps. I purchased a pair if skinny leg butt lift jeans with a subtle but clearly femme design on the back pockets and found that a size 24L plus was perfect. Emboldened, I ordered a pair from the same maker in a more feminine style with high waist, wide belt loops and a brass button fly (i have figured out that standing to pee in womens jeans is pretty much impossible because the fly is just long enough to loosen the waist to get them on or off but NOT long enough to open low enough to get my man tackle out for that purpose), butt lift stretch and skinny legs and went through several order / return cycles to find that in those a size 18L plus fits perfectly. What insanity is that? I now have a greater understanding of why I can walk in a store and come out with a perfect fit pair of men’s jeans (and the maker or style will not impact what size I need) in 15 minutes and a woman spends 2 hours to accomplish the same task! Rant ends here🙄🙄
@sailor2000 I sympathize! 32” is 32”. Period. Why can’t every manufacturer simply make their 32” waists so that they actually measure 32”?
@sailor2000 There have been a few attempts at trying to legislate standard sizes, but that only lasts for so long before the manufacturers go on their own again, like herding cats. Then there is the practice of vanity sizing. The one that drives me crazy is arbitrary sizing. What does a size 9 or 00 really mean? Whatever a manufacturer says that it is.
The only ways to know for sure if something fits or not is to try something on or to very carefully measure an item and refer to your thorough notes.
