Buying Pants: What You Need to Know

My Pants Fit Everywhere but at the Waist, Where They Gape. How Can I Fix This?

• Because gaping usually results from having fuller hips and a slim waist, the key is to find low-rise pants that start at the hips (so you don’t have to worry about fitting both waist and hips) or that have a “contoured waistband that is slightly higher in the back than in the front,” says Lisa Converse, vice president of design for White House Black Market.

• Go to a tailor. “He should be able to make affordable adjustments,” says Gregg Andrews, a fashion director with Nordstrom.

• Another trick: Isabelt ($17 to $20, isabelt.com), which cinches the waist the way a regular belt does but lies flat and undetectable under tops.