Have you ever noticed how men’s pants come only in even numbered waist-inch sizes ? So you have a 34 and a 36 but no 35. My waist size is 35 and I am forever struggling between 34 and 36. The 36 size pants are too baggy and loose and one has to wear a belt. But that bunches up the waist band and it doesn’t look quite neat. Also, there is no point in sweating it out at the gym if one has to wear baggy pants. The 34, as can be expected are a trifle tight. I always have the nagging fear that they will tear at the wrong moment. Also this size is also tight on the butt and the seam of the innerwear gets displayed rather publicly. Plus I feel like an ageing and unfit Bollywood or Tamil hero, desperately trying to keep the tummy in check by wearing a tight trouser.
But the point is, do Indian ready-made garment manufacturers expect men to grow (or shrink) in jumps of 2 inches ? Hey, what do u know, when I slept last night my waist size was 34 and this morning its 36. Yippee !! There is always of course the option of having the waist ‘altered’, but then the fit never comes right. And it’s no longer a readymade, right? So whats the way out for “odd” people like me. In the US of A (where else, but) they have sizes like 35 and 37, but I travel there once in 10 years, so that’s not a practical option.
What works for me though is something rather interesting and maybe uniquely Indian. Not all 34 ‘s are 34. Some are almost 35. (And not all 36’s are 36 ,some are more silicone !!). I am not joking, Try out a few different brands and you soon find that each manufacturer uses the size almost as a product differentiation feature. Sometimes the variations can be within the same brand.
So it takes a bit of time and struggling in cramped trial rooms with half a dozen pants , but I usually get a pair that fits. (Ever wonder why its called a trial room ? Well try four trousers one after the other, and you will notice what a trial it is). End-piece: Once in the USA I tried a size 36 and was floating in it. Then I tried 34 and it was still too loose. Moral of the story : in the USA , I am a smaller man !!
But the point is, do Indian ready-made garment manufacturers expect men to grow (or shrink) in jumps of 2 inches ? Hey, what do u know, when I slept last night my waist size was 34 and this morning its 36. Yippee !! There is always of course the option of having the waist ‘altered’, but then the fit never comes right. And it’s no longer a readymade, right? So whats the way out for “odd” people like me. In the US of A (where else, but) they have sizes like 35 and 37, but I travel there once in 10 years, so that’s not a practical option.
What works for me though is something rather interesting and maybe uniquely Indian. Not all 34 ‘s are 34. Some are almost 35. (And not all 36’s are 36 ,some are more silicone !!). I am not joking, Try out a few different brands and you soon find that each manufacturer uses the size almost as a product differentiation feature. Sometimes the variations can be within the same brand.
So it takes a bit of time and struggling in cramped trial rooms with half a dozen pants , but I usually get a pair that fits. (Ever wonder why its called a trial room ? Well try four trousers one after the other, and you will notice what a trial it is). End-piece: Once in the USA I tried a size 36 and was floating in it. Then I tried 34 and it was still too loose. Moral of the story : in the USA , I am a smaller man !!
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