With wide hips and a small waist, the trouser that fits is the one whose waist-to-hip difference matches your own. If your difference is more than about 30 cm, a standard trouser will sit on your hips and gap at your waist. A high waistband with a wide or straight leg corrects this, because it sits at the narrowest point and falls from the hip instead of pulling across it.
Work out your difference before you pick a size
Measure your natural waist at its narrowest and your hips at their fullest, then subtract the waist from the hip. That one number tells you more about how a trouser will fit than any dress size will.
- Under 25 cm and most standard blocks will work.
- 25 to 30 cm usually sits, with a slight gap at the back.
- Over 30 cm and the waistband becomes the problem. You need a block that was graded differently from the start.
Which cuts work
A high waistband. It has to sit on the natural waist, not on the hip. A low rise lands exactly on the widest point and cuts in.
A wide or straight leg. The leg falls straight down from the hip. The line continues instead of narrowing again at the calf.
A tapered or carrot cut also works, because it falls loose over hip and thigh and only narrows lower down.
What rarely works: a skinny leg with a low rise and little stretch. It fits either the thigh or the waist, never both.
The numbers Faza cuts to
Faza trousers are cut with a waist-to-hip difference of 32 to 43 cm. These are finished garment measurements, not body measurements.
| Size | Waist (cm) | Hip (cm) | Difference (cm) |
|---|---|---|---|
| S · 36 | 66 | 109 | 43 |
| M · 38 | 71 | 112 | 41 |
| L · 40 | 76 | 114 | 38 |
| XL · 42 | 81 | 117 | 36 |
| 2XL · 44 | 87 | 119 | 32 |
Choose by hip. The difference is already built into the waistband, so sizing to the hip will not leave the waist loose. Every size chart is on Find Your Fit.
The trousers this describes
The Hourglass Trousers are cut to exactly these numbers: a high waistband on the natural waist, flat stitched darts at the hip, and a wide straight leg to the floor. In navy, grey and champagne, sizes S to 2XL. Shop the Hourglass Trousers
Worn as a suit, they pair with a blazer in the same fabric and colour, such as The Amara Suit or The Celeste Suit.
Questions we get asked
What size trouser for a 70 cm waist and 105 cm hips?
That is a 35 cm difference. At Faza it is a size M or L, chosen by hip. On a standard block you would buy for the hip and have the waist taken in.
Does stretch help with wide hips?
Only so far. Stretch stops a trouser cutting in, but it does not change the shape of the block. A cut with too small a difference will still gap at the back, it will just hurt less.
What is the difference between plus size and curvy fit?
Plus size describes the size. Curvy fit describes the shape. A size 38 can have a strongly defined waist and a size 48 can run straight. The difference between waist and hip decides it, not the number on the label.
