The best pants and skirts to fit and hide your belly

Looking for the best pants to hide your belly? We’ve got you covered.

Finding the best pants to hide your belly

A challenge many women experience is finding pants to hide your belly and skirts that fit perfectly when your hip and waist are drastically different sizes or you have a larger tummy.

Another desire is to find pants and skirts that tuck the belly in.

The solution is to find the best pants that fit, and if you have an expanding belly, that often means pants with elasticized waist.

There are TWO different, but just as effective options.

1. Pants with an elastic waist
2. Pants that help tuck the tummy in

First, let’s look at pants and skirts which are comfortable and which fit well because they have an elasticated waist.

Second, I will show you some stylish options which actually help to tuck your tummy in and give you a smoother silhouette.

Getting the right fit

There are a few approaches you can take.

First, an option to get the fit right is to have your pants and skirts tailored.

This is certainly a great option for pants you already own (or those without an elastic waistband).

When buying new pants to hide your belly it’s usually best to buy pants that fit the widest part.

That way you can ask your tailor to fit the part that is too loose.

A second option (and the one which this post is centered on) is opting for pants and skirts with an elastic waistband.

Monika (above) wears a beautiful skirt which appears to have an elastic waistband.

Check out this similar red lace skirt from Amazon.

Elastic waistband skirts and womens elastic waist pants can be super stylish and flattering!

Don’t automatically think that an elastic waistband means severely limiting your styling options or that you have to settle for a pair of very, very unflattering pants.

Whereas once, these may have been seen as a styling option only for the very old, and they were made in rather unflattering man-made materials, elastic waist pants have come a long way in the style stakes.

Julia (above) looks stylish in this look where she pairs her jeans with a floral button-down blouse and printed booties.

You can get a similar pair of elastic waist jeans from Lyssé.

Comfortable pants with elastic waistbands

Let me show you the extensive options you have when it comes to selecting pants to hide your belly with elastic waistbands that create flattering and chic looks.

From on-trend cropped jeans to wide leg black trousers, mostly every kind of pants you can imagine comes in elastic waistband styles these days.

An extra benefit of selecting pants and skirts with elastan is that they also help you tuck your tummy in.

Kim (above) goes for a casual look with her denim jeans and stripe tee that she tops with a printed jacket.

Here is a similar pair of stretchy skinny jeans from Good American.

Some quick guidelines to keep in mind when looking for pants to hide your belly

Keep your body shape in mind

Just because you are opting for a pair of elastic waist pants, don’t forget about what styles flatter your body shape.

You will find elastic waist pants in every style from skinny to bootcut.

Try a longer top

If you pick a dressy pair of pants that has a drawstring, it might be best to select a longer top to keep your look office appropriate.

Or a more tailored top

Keep the style rule in mind that it’s usually best to combine a loose fit with a tighter or more tailored top. If your pants have a tighter fit a wider top may look better.

Style appropriately

 Treat these pants the same way you would any other style. They might be more comfortable and fit better, however, you should still strive to style them appropriately.

Women’s elastic waist dress pants

Typically, if you are going for a dressier option in a style with an elastic waist, you should aim for pants that do not have those scrunchy type of hems.

As mentioned above, there are a number of great elastic waistband options.

These can be a challenge when going for an office-appropriate look, and can be more appropriate for casual or after-work hours looks.

A good style to look out for can be pants which look like regular pants at the front, but with an elasticated waistband at the back.

Cassie (above) chooses a lovely pair of white pants which appear to have a little elastic at the sides. These could easily be dressed up or down.

Here is a similar pair of wide leg crop pants you can try.

You can still opt for a belt if your pants are elasticated. Just make sure the belt doesn’t draw attention to any problem areas.

Halogen wide leg crop pants

Many pants come in a style where they look like “regular” button-fastening pants from the front, but they have an elasticated waistband at the back.

Vince Camuto plaid crop trousers

As well as traditional elastic waist pants, another option is a stretchy pull-on pant.

Nic + Zoe tweed print trousers

Casual pants to hide your belly

There are also a number of casual options with elastic waistbands.

Some styles even create very flat waistband looks that almost appear to be button closure pants.

You will find that drawstring pants with cuffed hems look best styled casually.

Socialite ankle tie pants

There are also plenty of elastic waistband pants which are very versatile and which could be dressed up or down.

Eileen Fisher ankle pants

Pants with an elastic waistband can also be a good option for travel.

Volcom travel pants

Kristen (below) wears a comfortable, yet stylish pair of leopard print pants.

Try this similar pair of animal printed jogger pants to copy her style.

Elastic waist jeans

Jeans are wonderful but the heavy buttons and thick zippers can sometimes enlarge your belly. Instead opt for elasticized jeans.

Eileen Fisher slim cropped jeans

You will find that elastic waist jeans come in every style that “regular” jeans do.

Liverpool pull-on skinny jeans

Georgette (above) looks lovely in a pair of high-waist jeans. If you choose a high waist style, this will help to tuck your tummy in.

Like her look? Get this similar pair of pull on flare jeans.

Effective belly hiding elastic waistband skirts

Just as with pants, you can find plenty of styles of skirts which feature an elastic waistband.

Skirts too can be very effective in hiding bellies and stretchy skirts are very easy to fit.

Halogen ponte pencil skirt

If you add a print in the mix, they can be really flattering as they highlight your curves and the elastan sucks in your tummy.

This means you can dress to suit your body type as well as being stylish and comfortable.

Polo Ralph Lauren pleated plaid skirt

Here is another look from Julia (above). She chooses to wear a skirt with tights and adds color to her outfit with a pink cardigan and a pair of chic heels.

She is following one of the rules on how how to hide a belly which is to create a slimming column through the use of a long cardigan.

Check out this similar striped stretchy pencil skirt.

Pants that tuck the tummy in

Of course, you don’t have to choose an elasticated waist to make sure that your pants or skirts fit your tummy.

Another good option is to look for clothes with “tummy tucking” technology or with a high-rise.

I love my cropped legging pants which I have in a dark and light wash.

Although my bootcut Paige jeans do have buttons and a zipper, the elastized fabric is so good that they do a great job at sucking the belly in.

If you choose jeans that have a high rise, they will do an excellent job at tucking the tummy in.

I’m loving these brands:

• Not Your Daugthers Jeans
• Kut from the Cloth
• Paige

Some of the examples above in the sections on elasticated waist clothing may have good tummy tucking capabilities, but in this second section, I will specifically talk about pants and jeans that can smooth out your tummy.

Here are a few that I and 40+Style contributors have personal experience with.

Leggings can do an excellent job at hiding the belly.

I especially love the leggings from Stella Carakasi (pictured above). They have knee versions and long leggings.

I have these in several colors. I use them in casual chic looks and combine them with tunics or layered tops as shown below.

I also wear the knee-high leggings for yoga!

Read more about this in our article on how to wear leggings – an extensive guide.

These capris are super stretchy and comfortable but the material is thick enough and do an excellent job sucking the tummy in. They keep their shape very well.

Julia (below) has an apple body shape wears her foiled dot ponte leggings from Chico’s with a classic black outfit and tall boots.

Tummy tucking jeans

Some of these jeans have an elastic waistband, and some have a regular fastening but are made from stretchier fabric with clever control panels.

The NYDJ range is one of my favorites as it incorporates “tummy tuck” technology.

Find out what more what are best tummy control jeans in stores now.

What are some your biggest challenges when it comes to finding the best pants to hide your belly?

Continue reading:

1. How To Hide Your Belly With The Right Clothes
2. The Best Tops To Hide Your Tummy
3. The Best Tummy Control Jeans To Give You A Smoother Look

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Feature image by Kristen

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