My quest for the perfect pair of slacks was treacherous, so I’m sure there are a lot of you with similar problems. For me, my biggest problem is that I’m short, but I still have curves, so some of the petit pants looked weird on me. Anyone who has even the smallest amount of curve to their hips can agree with me that those diagonal side pockets are the devil, pooching out weird and making hips look ten times their size.
My most important piece of advice is to try on a lot of options, and once you find a style that works for you, buy a few pair. Black, white, and grey are always safe options that will never go out of style. After trying on what seemed like millions of styles of pants, I lucked out with the “columnist” style from express, and ended up buying one full length pair in black, (surprise, surprise) and 2 more cropped pair in black and white. This was actually about 2 years ago, and I still wear them all the time! Getting a classic style that is not too skinny, and not too wide ensures that you’ll be able to keep your favorite beauties for the long haul.
Try to get away from what’s “trendy” and really focus on what looks the best on you. A shape that is flattering ALWAYS trumps trend. Also, don’t count any stores out. Funny enough I’ve found that the $20 slacks from H&M fit me really well too. I tried them on expecting the result to be comical, but was so pleasantly surprised that such an inexpensive item fit me sans alterations! So the moral of the story is to take some time to find options that work for you and are figure flattering, because once you find that golden style, you can stock up, or continue to buy different colors or prints without having to try them on.