Baggy knees on pants

No, not mine. (Well, let's not go there. If Nora Ephron feels bad about her neck, I feel bad about my knees!) 

Anyway, I'm talking about the knees of jeans and trousers. 

I was raised to do a little "hitch" to my trousers while sitting down to prevent bagged-out knees. So I tend to do it pretty consistently. 

But as the higher waist wider styles become more prevalent in my closet, I'm finding some of them get baggy in the knee no matter what! I would have thought it would be a bigger problem with slim jeans/ pants, but it seems to be happening more with the wide legs. And, if I'm honest, more with the wide jeans than the pants/ culottes. 

The Madewell high waist button fly jean is a good example -- I find I need to wash it more often (and air dry) just to deal with the bagging. 

What's up with that? 

I wondered if it might be due to fabric composition. These particular jeans have much less stretch than some others. 

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BR Crop High Rise denim -- thanks to Lisa P -- and questions!

Hi, everyone! I haven't been posting or even responding much to posts these days due to an insane work schedule, major family shifts and changes (including a move, and another move to come), and a recent bout of flu that has laid me awfully low and put me even more behind on the work. But I'm starting to get better now and need some fashion assistance! 

First, big shout out to Lisa P, who alerted us to these BR high rise jeans on her own thread. 

THESE ARE BRILLIANT!!! OMG. 

A few things to note. First off, there is the vanity sizing. Size down. I'm in my former BR/Gap/J. Crew size here and it feels generous...normally I am wearing a size or two up from that, these days. The good news: they have a bit of stretch but don't feel too stretchy...I think they will accommodate slight shifts in weight in either direction quite well. 

Also -- miracle -- they came in a SHORT (not petite) length, so I ordered them! I also ordered the regular length to compare. The short is almost NEVER available in Canada. 

Short is so much better for me than petite because I tend to need the length in the rise. These are super comfy there, no pinching. 

My question -- are the shorts short enough to look intentional, or do they need a chop? (Pics 1-10). They are probably just a hair over an inch above my ankle bone? Maybe between an inch and two inches. I am showing them here with several different footwear options so you can see the variation. Flat sneakers, Eliza booties, flat Aquatalias, Paul Greens, dressier heeled Aquatalias. 

I also tried the regular. (Pics 12, 13, 14). They are too short to work as full-length jeans. But do they work as that weird new trendy length? Or is that what the shorts are on me? ;)

Honestly, I like these jeans enough that I would keep two pair and if I take the regulars back, I am likely to order a second pair of the shorts! They are that good. I don't even mind the little self-belt, although I can also change it for other belts of course. 

Also up -- the BR sweater. (Pic 9/10) I tried a regular in the store (pic 11) a while back but felt it swamped me a bit. This is petite. I've been looking for a replacement for my horribly pilly Plenty sweater for ages. This is not a true duster length, so might not be "the one" - or maybe I should go back to the regular size? 

Final question: Do those BR cropped trousers that Angie showed fit like these jeans? Does anyone know? Has anyone compared? If so, if they are the same cut...I am ordering a pair in several colours because they are just fantastic!! 

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Go to the full post to see all of the pictures →

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