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High Rise Jeans

Cyber Lip

Practically Family
Messages
760
Location
Seattle
Will someone please explain something to me? I read on a lot of jeans forums and threads, and sometimes on here, people talking about higher rise jeans and wearing their jeans up high. I've never really gotten this as my jeans, no matter how high, low, or medium the rise measurement is, want to rest at the same spot on my waist, which is just below my little paunch. I can't pull them up any higher than that because of my fat shelf/muffin top/love handles. If I wanted to pull them up over that I'd need a size 50 LOL. Are the guys telling people to wear them up higher 0% body fat guys or something, with no chub around the middle whatsoever? btw - I'm a relatively slim guy but with just a little jelly roll under my navel that goes all the way around (spare tire), like most guys.

I just read a post from someone on another site, schooling people that the way to buy jeans online is to take the 'rise' measurement and measure that on your body to determine where the waist of that particular pair will hit you, and then measure around that part of your body to determine what waist size you need in that particular pair. To me this seems nuts because I'm not wearing any pants with the waist up over the navel. It would be impossible, they'd just slide off, regardless of how tight my belt is. It would only work with suspenders, or with a rise so high that it would need to be at my rib cage (like Fred Mertz on I love Lucy) lol. And like I said, I'd need a crazy large size like a 50 to wear them like that anyway, at the thickest spot on my body, even if they could somehow magically stay up.

I always buy the same waist measurement and wear them all at the same spot on my waist, and if they're higher rise jeans then they fit me with a little more room at my undercarriage than a lower rise pair. But apparently this is the wrong way to wear higher-rise pants according to some people, and I'm a rube and doing it all wrong. What am I missing?
 
Last edited:

dudewuttheheck

I'll Lock Up
Messages
4,361
I think it depends on how heavy you are and where your weight is.

I used to be much heavier and higher rise trousers and jeans definitely sat higher on me than low rise jeans.

For example:
In this first photo you can see my belly pretty easily due to the lower rise chinos.
Screenshot_20240929_173216_Adblock Browser.jpg



In this next photo, the belly is a bit less visible thanks to the higher rise trousers. Additionally, I found higher rise trousers to be much more comfortable. In fairness, even when I was obese here, my weight was quite evenly distributed throughout my body which probably helped. They also definitely did not sit at the same spot even when I was bigger.
Screenshot_20240929_173230_Adblock Browser.jpg



Even now after getting in shape, I'm certainly not at 0% body fat and I find higher rises to be more comfortable and much more flattering.

I'm not saying you have to, but maybe give the larger size a shot in a store and see how they look and feel. They may look and feel great.
Screenshot_20240929_173514_Gallery.jpg

Screenshot_20240929_173539_Gallery.jpg
 

MrProper

I'll Lock Up
Messages
4,143
Location
Europe
Will someone please explain something to me? I read on a lot of jeans forums and threads, and sometimes on here, people talking about higher rise jeans and wearing their jeans up high. I've never really gotten this as my jeans, no matter how high, low, or medium the rise measurement is, want to rest at the same spot on my waist, which is just below my little paunch. I can't pull them up any higher than that because of my fat shelf/muffin top/love handles. If I wanted to pull them up over that I'd need a size 50 LOL. Are the guys telling people to wear them up higher 0% body fat guys or something, with no chub around the middle whatsoever? btw - I'm a relatively slim guy but with just a little jelly roll under my navel that goes all the way around (spare tire), like most guys.

I just read a post from someone on another site, schooling people that the way to buy jeans online is to take the 'rise' measurement and measure that on your body to determine where the waist of that particular pair will hit you, and then measure around that part of your body to determine what waist size you need in that particular pair. To me this seems nuts because I'm not wearing any pants with the waist up over the navel. It would be impossible, they'd just slide off, regardless of how tight my belt is. It would only work with suspenders, or with a rise so high that it would need to be at my rib cage (like Fred Mertz on I love Lucy) lol. And like I said, I'd need a crazy large size like a 50 to wear them like that anyway, at the thickest spot on my body, even if they could somehow magically stay up.

I always buy the same waist measurement and wear them all at the same spot on my waist, and if they're higher rise jeans then they fit me with a little more room at my undercarriage than a lower rise pair. But apparently this is the wrong way to wear higher-rise pants according to some people, and I'm a rube and doing it all wrong. What am I missing?
That's something I always ask myself. For me, it's always the same place where the trousers hang. It's on the hip bone well below the navel. My only explanation as to how this could work with highrise is that it hangs so high up that I tighten the belt above the hip bone, i.e. the natural waist, so tightly that it can no longer slip. But then I would feel like I was wearing a corset.
Fortunately, I like low- or normalrise trousers better anyway. I think they proportion the body better. The only exception might be if someone has extremely short legs/long torso.
 

Bennarion

Call Me a Cab
Messages
2,005
Indeed, jeans always sit in one place at the waist, regardless of the physique. High-rise jeans are more comfortable in the groin area.
 

Cyber Lip

Practically Family
Messages
760
Location
Seattle
Indeed, jeans always sit in one place at the waist, regardless of the physique. High-rise jeans are more comfortable in the groin area.

yeah, that's the reason I just recently switched from low-ish rise jeans, because I really started to hate how tight they were in the crotch when sitting lol. So I've gotten a few pairs of vintage-cut style jeans with like a 12 inch rise and really like the extra room in the undercarriage. But according to some denim heads I'm wearing them wrong, because I don't pull them up over my speedbump.
 

Cyber Lip

Practically Family
Messages
760
Location
Seattle
I think it depends on how heavy you are and where your weight is.

I used to be much heavier and higher rise trousers and jeans definitely sat higher on me than low rise jeans.

For example:
In this first photo you can see my belly pretty easily due to the lower rise chinos.

In this next photo, the belly is a bit less visible thanks to the higher rise trousers. Additionally, I found higher rise trousers to be much more comfortable. In fairness, even when I was obese here, my weight was quite evenly distributed throughout my body which probably helped. They also definitely did not sit at the same spot even when I was bigger.

Even now after getting in shape, I'm certainly not at 0% body fat and I find higher rises to be more comfortable and much more flattering

I'm not saying you have to, but maybe give the larger size a shot in a store and see how they look and feel. They may look and feel great.
Looks like in some of those shots you have them pulled up over your navel?
 

Bennarion

Call Me a Cab
Messages
2,005
Wear jeans as you feel comfortable and don't listen to anyone. I only wear high-rise jeans and I'm very comfortable in them, it's important to me.
 

Bennarion

Call Me a Cab
Messages
2,005
I don't know how you guys can wear it like that. No matter how hard I tried to keep my jeans at navel level, the jeans slipped lower. Of course, it depends on the physique, but as it was correctly noted, jeans can only be held with suspenders
 

MrProper

I'll Lock Up
Messages
4,143
Location
Europe
Then I guess you've never worn proper (pun intended) high rise pants.

View attachment 643556 View attachment 643557
;)
In the 80s/90s I wore higher-waisted trousers, but it wasn't really my thing. They hold up naturally when I fix them at the height of my natural waist. They make the lower body look far too bulky for my taste. But as always, it's just a question of personal taste.
 

jchance

One of the Regulars
Messages
272
Location
Los Angeles
Asides from comfort, high rise pants/jeans works really well in the rule of thirds (2:1 proportion for bottom:top), especially when paired with relatively short-length leather jacket. 2:1 looks very flattering
 

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