Some thoughts about elastic waists

[Chokkii]

It was a welcome variation after almost 2 decades of skinny fit dominance.

Trouble is, there's no variation from the v v v high waists now, so in a similar vein, we still have little choice. I wasn't a skinny trouser/jeans fan, so the relaxed styles were a godsend, but it is the waist heights that puzzle me.

Worst of all, for me, is how it has taken over pyjama bottoms. I prefer how they used to sit, straight legs with flat mid high waistbands that just didn't pull on the skin. Now they are all super high rise with scratchy exposed elastic, so bunch up around me with tons of waist fabric when I sit down.

And they seem to have taken over everything, growing higher by the year. Now I can't find a sensible middle (what used to be high!) rise anywhere apart from young teen stores, and as someone who used to buy a lot of stuff from Toast, I can't get past the inordinately massive wide legs on everything and enormous elastic waistbands that sit like a rolled up carpet against my ribs. They don't even sell anything tapered anymore.

What do others think? Is it going too far? A high waist used to look neat and decent, but they have really gone nuts now.
I do believe the stores are stuffed full of elastic waists to minimise customer returns. Also probably connected to higher BMI's and are easier/cheaper to manufacture, without having to worry about shaping or higher standards of tailoring.

Most of these offerings are in the £145 mark, and if you go higher, it seems to get worse - consider brands like Oska for instance, over £200/300 for a drawstring sack. Even if there are nice shapes and fabrics, the 'duffle bag' style waists look cheap.

If they don't want to put buttons on things (it's a fair enough idea) then why not create more flat, elastic waistbands that streamline the belly and hip area without the dreadful pull string bunching?

Thank you for listening to my grump

What tops do you wear with them? Do you not find the fabric adds lumpy volume to the waist and hips?

I got annoyed a few months ago looking for work trousers on the high street. Lots of them had a smart looking front and then elastic all around the back.

Whilst I don’t mind an elastic waist on casual trousers, I don’t want to look like I’m wearing kids school trousers when I want to look tailored.

I wear the Hollister Livvy and have just ordered the Z1975 from Zara so will see how they go. Both are a bit elasticated but mostly a rigid waistband

Is it the fabric that is leading to the bunching. Toast will be a decent weight cotton so won’t drape in the same way as something like viscose. For me it looks worse when it is a self colour, especially a drab colour, as it increases the danger of looking boxy. I would love to find some normal height waist, elasticated or half elasticated which are tapered in towards the ankle and fall softly. If I was better at dressmaking I would be cloning some of my old favourites!

I’ve completely given up on Toast. In the last month I’ve returned a dress that looked wonderful on the website but arrived creased to buggery and was £195 for a garment manufactured in China, I didn’t even try it on. The latest order was a linen Tshirt and trousers in the same size. The Tshirt was too small and the trousers were too big and stuck out on the hips. I think they’ve lost the plot.

Whilst I fully agree that Toast use superior fabrics, it would seem that isn't helping them currently. The fabric might pass the quality test, the tailoring and design is shockingly bad.
I have always loved Toast, did some art projects with them a few years ago, and I am very much their intended market. Something has definitely changed.

Oversized might be the current fashion, and they do offer occasionally better tailored trousers, but these (pictured) are not so easily excused. If they look this appalling on the model....

I often think it's the Emperors New Clothes: We all shuddered at the idea of such awful designs only a few years ago. You could only find a design this terrible at a cheap market. Even Pyjama's are a better fit than these.

I honestly believe that after accounting for the fabric, it can't have cost them more than a few quid to knock those trousers up.

EDITED TO ADD: I don't believe women should wear clothes that 'flatter' or conform to a particular template. What bothers me about these current offerings (and it isn't just the likes of Toast by any means) is that I feel we are being laughed at. We are being subtly trained to accept poor craftsmanship and quality.
Toast are, of course, positioned towards a particular kind of customer. And they do a very good job maintaining their aesthetic. And those of us who have loved Toast may still be unable to see through the fairy dust, so to speak.

Spot on. £145 and made in India. They look so cheap.

I've also been a Toast fan for years, in fact I'm wearing some cotton twill wide leg trousers today that I must have bought around 2016 and that still get admired. I was really pleased with myself last month when I thought I'd landed some cotton-linen trousers in the sales with that elusive thing - a fixed waistband. But they were such an odd shape with loads of excess fabric around the hips and thigh. They weren't a barrel or balloon leg - I still like that style - they were just badly cut.

I can't bring myself to give up on them entirely and I'm already eyeing up their skirts, although I probably can't afford them in the sales much less at full price. But they're in the last chance saloon.

I can't bring myself to give up on them entirely
Just to be clear, I'm talking about Toast here, not those trousers - they went back the next day.

I feel your pain OP. I think the drawstring waistband possibly suits those who are long in the body. I’m slim but I have a very short body and this type of pull on pant just looks awful, even if made of quality fabric.

My solution was to resurrect my sewing machine and learn to make casual, pull on trousers with a short rise and a flat, wide waistband. I’ve now made few from a nice, thick ponte, works with both casual and smarter looks.

My solution with Toast now will be to go to a bricks and mortar shop and give up online shopping.

This type of pull on trouser is super easy to make. You could buy very nice linen at £20 p/m and it’ll be still fraction of the cost. It is a shame basic sewing skills has been lost.

They don't seem to suit the models though, which makes it even worse. I think it's sad that we don't have better options, especially considering the price point of much of this stuff.

I'm long in the body and slim in the waist and most drawstring or elasticated waist trousers look shit on me because there is just far too much fabric around the belly and crotch and it all bunches up, especially (as someone said upthread) when I sit down. I honestly don't know what body shape shops are cutting for.

In the last few years I gained a lot of weight (which I have now thankfully lost again) and was wearing elastic waists out of desperation but found that they were just never quite right and the waist always sat in a really awkward place.

Funny enough I've also decided I need to take up sewing again and properly learn how to alter trousers.

I loved them circa 2010, that was my favourite time period for Toast stuff. I had a long tweed coat, easy style but not oversized. A gorgeous silk dress, embroidered dressing gown, etc. I have so many wonderful things from many years ago, still going strong.

Most offering these days are cut to a VERY simple pattern that a novice home seamstress could knock up in a few days, from the v neck sack dresses to the PJ style trousers. I think they've lost their edge since trying to capture a far wider market - nothing new of course.

I'm long in the body and slim in the waist and most drawstring or elasticated waist trousers look shit on me because there is just far too much fabric around the belly and crotch and it all bunches up, especially (as someone said upthread) when I sit down. I honestly don't know what body shape shops are cutting for.

Absolutely this.
Also an issue I have with M&S. Purchased some linen trousers last summer and looked like I was holding a pile of laundry in my lap when sat down

I can sew a bit, I’m not great at it but I can knock out a reasonably decent pair of elasticated waist trousers. But I make lots of mistakes and I probably complete and wear about 50% of my efforts so there’s quite a high wastage.

My biggest mistakes are usually to do with picking the wrong fabric for the project. I’ve learned the hard way that there are few bargains in the world of fabrics.

When I do get something right, it’s immensely satisfying but it’s incredibly time consuming, not cheap and definitely no silver bullet.

Ok, I was wrong about them suiting for long bodies

I agree the fabric quality and the cuts are awful now. Interesting thought about elastic waists being pushed at us is because of the retailers want to minimise returns. I guess the same goes to all those shirred tops and dresses. I think previously shirring used to be used only for girl’s clothing?

Having said all that, there also must be a demand for those horrible drawstring bottoms. There seems to be many on MN who won’t wear anything that isn’t comfy (god I hate that word) and apparently don’t give a shiny shit at how awful they may look.

I think a major factor is the rise of online shopping. Wide margins for fit with elastic waists. Fewer returns. Lazy retailers.
That & wfh/'secret pj's'/comfy etc.
I like a proper waistband.

Yip I am comfy every time

I do give a shiny shit as you put it - but I have very different ideas probably to you about what looks good

anything that looks the slightest bit uncomfy to me looks silly

each to their own and if fashion wasn’t so fashionable maybes companies would have a greater diversity of styles

@Chokkii
The reason you don't see linen trousers cut like the yoga pants you showed is simple: linen has nowhere near as much give as whatever fabric those are made from. It doesn't explain why they have curtain-top gathered waists instead of attaching the gathered fabric neatly to a separate waistband (which can be elasticated to cope with reasonable variation in size). The trouble is that without all the give and stretch from jersey-type fabrics, elastane and elasticated waists, garments, especially trousers do actually have to fit properly and the diversity of women's shapes and sizes becomes a problem.

I do not look back nostalgically to the pre-elastane and viscose era of high waists, because nothing fitted me at both waist and hips. I'm sure I wasn't alone in this. Tucked in shirts or blouses never looked smart because there was a huge gape at the waist or a bunch of wrinkles ruining the flat front because I'd used a belt to cinch the waist. Women with a tummy and anyone who wanted to breathe or eat probably needed pleats at the front because the fabric didn't have much give. The lower waist styles that saved me presumably don't work as well for women who are a different shape and can't rely on waistbands getting comfortably and securely marooned on their hips.

In theory styles that only have to fit closely at the waist should be easy enough - hence the pushing of wide-leg and barrel shapes. Elasticated waists aren't needed if the waist sits low enough or the wearer is prepared to sacrifice range of movement and some breathing room. Acres of surplus fabric shouldn't be needed either. The only reasons I can suggest are a quality control problem such that the dimensions of the garments are inconsistent (really shouldn't apply at Toast prices) and/or that customers aren't good at measuring themselves accurately and using size guides (as opposed to lazily assuming that they know what size they are with a given manufacturer).

I'm still trying to replace my two pairs of ancient linen trousers, one tapered and one slimmish (by 2025 standards) straight-leg. With my budget it's almost hopeless. There were some promising styles at Poetry, but they were only just in budget at sale price and - of course - the colours that would work for me sold out before then. Not even the collective wisdom of S&B turned up anything else approximating what I want. Sigh. For that kind of money I expect technical fabric and features! Poetry isn't even a B-Corp. Fatface have one style that might do, but their quality control is poor and I've missed the size I suspect I may need. It's been years since I actually bought anything from them.

I always expect good clothes to be comfortable. As far as I’m concerned, it’s a basic, minimum requirement and I refuse to lavish praise on a garment just for doing its job. However I don’t think it’s unreasonable to expect them to also fit properly and look the way I want them to look (not necessarily flattering) especially if I’m paying Toastesque prices.

I am all for comfy! It just shouldn't have to be badly constructed or ugly

For me, it's the drawstring of thicker elastic styles that are offputting. I understand what you mean about the construction (having its limits), but I do recall much flatter, well constructed elastic waists, and even have an old pair somewhere from the early 00's.
Perhaps a semi elasticated affair might work better, allowing the fabric to lay flat at the waist then give out gently over hips.

There is a definite 'clown' style look to most recent wide legs, which are now growing wider at the bottom, when up to around 2 years ago it was still relatively easy to locate tapered styles or rollable jeans. Some people like that style, and there's nothing at all wrong with that (of course), but when it is all you can find....

I recall moaning about the skin tight trend, you couldn't find a dress, skirt or trousers that weren't sprayed on for many years. I remember searching! We seem to have gone in a different direction now - and whilst I often agree with @Floisme about having much more choice than ever before, we don't have a good amount of choice regarding waists, crotch length or quality.
We have lots of leg styles tho!

I mean, I DO love comfy clothes that don't cling, that allow for my bloaty days and will give a bit if a gain or lose weight. I don't want rigid construction, just better designs.