I’m still on the quest to get the StyleARC Elle pants to fit me “perfectly” – although I think that this is a never-ending quest because each time they’re made they’re in a different fabric with slightly different properties and usually I am at a slightly different weight!  Here is version #3, in textured navy stretch woven something from the Darn Cheap $2 per metre table.  This is a heavier weight fabric than stretch bengaline, but it still had loads of stretch in it.  Must be a fairly high lycra content. From the front:

and from the back:

Hmmm. Quite a few folds and wrinkles across the back leg –  but they’re fitted tapered pants with a narrow leg. And you still have to be able to move. Is this a problem, or isn’t it?  And do remember that other than on this blog in these photos, no-one will EVER see the stomach and waist area of these pants – I will always wear tops out with them. And they are comfortable. And they balance out large tops nicely.

So here’s another pair! This time in a lighter weight dark brown stretch woven, which still seemed to have a significant lycra content because there was plenty of stretch. From the front:

and from the back (mirror shot, so it’s a little blurry I’m sorry):

and finally, from the side (and that IS sucking in my gut – horror!):

I’ve worn both pairs of pants a few times, and they are both comfortable and look good (I think!) with long tops over them. I do love a skinny pant. But they make me wonder about the definition of “good fit”. Sewing blogs are full of discussions about fit, and fitting yourself well is I think one of the most difficult things to do when sewing. There is fit in terms of having things actually get onto you comfortably, and there is fit in terms of flattery. In terms of fit, when is a wrinkle okay for wearing ease, and when is it not okay because it’s not flattering? I really have been ruminating on this a lot, and I’m not sure of the answers. I tend to figure that if something I make is more comfortable and fits at least as well as something I’d consider buying, then the fit is fine. But maybe this is wrong? And I don’t want to fit clothing until the style ease is eliminated and most clothes have the same silhouette. That said, at the moment I have too many wrinkles across the back of my clothes, which mean that the fit across the back is too tight – but I think that is my weight at the moment more than my shape. You can tell what I’m thinking about when I lie awake in bed at night, can’t you!  This is why I don’t sew my own jeans or most styles of pants – because although they technical side of sewing them isn’t difficult, getting the fit right is a completely different story.

Maybe it’s time for me to sew some bags or do some quilting for a little while – something that doesn’t require any fit.