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I find most trousers make it hard to do this. Maybe it was better before the current low-waist style took over, but the way my trousers or jeans tend to fit, there's insufficient space in the back of the leg, in the thigh region to allow for proper hip flexion.

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Finding a good fit is easier said than done for probably most of us. Fortunately there are also new stretchy fabrics (including wool and denim) that give wonderful range of motion even when tightly fitted, or (in an unlucky situation) ill fitted. For example, you can find men’s slim fit jeans that look normal yet are flexible enough for even yoga or rock climbing.

Now that I found a brand that fits my build and uses this type of fabric, regular, non-stretch denim feels so constricting I avoid it entirely (and without, ahem, having to resort to men’s yoga pants).

Which brand would that be?

Check out Banana Republic "Rapid Movement Denim" and also Calvin Klein. There are undoubtably others in a range of styles and price points.

I like Patagonia’s “performance” denim. http://www.patagonia.com/product/mens-performance-straight-f...

Some Levis have stretch fabric - I buy 514s, there may be others. Make sure that the label calls out the stretch material.

Thought that was an unfortunate typo - I wear the 541 Athletic Fit Stretch jeans, and remember the 514 as the old, constricting straight fit. But apparently they're making 514s on stretch now, too.

I rock the stretch 511's as my daily wear these days. I have large calves and thighs and while the fabric does rub it also gives me my full range of motion. I wouldn't want to work out in these things, but I probably could if I had to.

Prana and north face have some good stuff. You might want to watch for sales, but super comfy.

I've seen a few cheaper brands add a great deal of flex to their jeans and it's done wonders for my locomotion. I can 100% agree they're great for rock climbing too, while not looking terrible day to day.

Stretch would help, but unfortunately I don't like how stretch fabrics feel at all.

I’d give it a shot. The RM jeans have virtually the same look and feel as regular denim; you barely know they’re stretchy fabric until you feel it give way as you bend. Otherwise, they’re exactly like regular jeans.

These fabrics don't break down so the external cost winds up in our oceans with every wash or the inevitable throw-away. Just buy less form-fitting natural fibers ("dumb" cotton, denim, wool, hemp, etc)

Pants with a gusseted crotch will help with squatting and hip-opening. My personal faves[1] also have some lycra in the fabric. Also seen in pants marketed to climbers (they make it easier to climb, and also to sit in a harness).

1: https://www.duluthtrading.com/store/mens/mens-pants/62752.as...

I second Duluth trousers. I had difficulty finding pants that fit since I'm a little shorter but have bigger legs. Getting pants with larger legs means a larger waist and a belt only helps cinch that up so much. Gusseted crotch trousers fixed all that. I've worn both the ballroom jeans and their khaki pants and they're both worth it.

A bonus is, if you're into martial arts, being able to kick above the waist or 'roll' (Judo/BJJ), you can still do so in those pants.

This is another reason why I advocate yoga pants for men!! :)

After making my own clothing(because sewing is the ultimate 2d->3d mind game), I would be okay with mens yoga pants.

Easy to make, comfy, can be made in many colors.

Guess I'll be back here to show off my Mens Business Alternative Yoga Pants...

(would there even be an interest in posting it here?)

The last couple years I've become more active in my daily life. My jeans just aren't allowing me to do random physical stuff i'd like - there are range of motion issues. (Mostly I worry that the crotch will rip out if stretch too far or step too high).

I would love an alternative to jeans that doesn't draw attention and provides the durability of jeans in addition to better range of motion.

I find pants from manufacturers like KÜHL [0] are great for this. They're sturdy, look nice, and have panels that allow for a lot of flexibility.

[0] http://www.kuhl.com/kuhl/mens/pants/radikl/

These exist at the top-end of the market: Outlier (https://outlier.nyc/) makes a number of styles using technical/outdoor-gear inspired fabrics cut like more normal trousers and slim-fitting jeans.

I like to wear hiking pants that are synthetic blends - the grey ones without outside pockets look fine and are very stretchy, enough to do yoga

This is the way to go. These are comfortable, warm and breathable, and look decent.

Okay let me think about this problem this week, I'll probably have something in the next ~2 weeks.

I totally agree about jeans having limited ROM. I think the future of fabrics is a 90%+ Polyester and 4%+ Spandex blend. These stretch so they look really good, and they can make plenty of colors/prints(But I'd probably do black)

Not sure how the durability is for this, they are stretchy, so they wont tear at the seams, but they might not be good for laying bricks.

Other concerns:

>The pattern. The best designer is Victoria Secret. To get 1 pair of their technology to tear down and reverse engineer is 40$, but it wont be perfect because they are designed for females.

>Culture. I'm ultra paranoid about my clothes being workplace inappropriate. The idea is to be Business Alternative(Business Casual is lazy, Business Professional is try hard). I have dark blue hair but a business professional looking haircut. I believe we will still need belts and pockets to look professional. For my first pair I'll probably do navy or black. The goal here is to change Fit, not colors or details.

>Tightness- Fitting clothes look better than loose clothing. I think the biggest issue would be to have it fit around the hip, but not be ultra right around the butt and thigh. This is going to be the most critical.

Finishing my thoughts now-

This is giving me the idea that instead of belts, we should merely have a 'collar' around the waist to keep the pants up. This collar is stretchy and will allow bending.

Any other thoughts, I'd like to hear. I dont see many people trying to innovate on mens business clothes, but there are new fabrics that didnt exist 100 years ago, and I think there just arent enough men complaining.

Awesome! Looking forward to see what you come up with - I like this idea of "yoga pants inspired clothing for men".

The idea of 5-minute deep stretch breaks (that is, going to do some serious stretching without needing to change pants) is very exciting :)

They do have yoga pants for men at Lululemon. While abhorrently expensive ($100+) they look fantastic on a male body. Most of their men's pants have a looser fit as well as a boot cut. Lululemon is actually a clothing company that knows bodies. They basically redesigned athletic wear into something classy-cool and fashionable. I feel comfortable wearing their All The Right Places pants in a business casual setting (of course with a blouse, jacket, and nice shoes).

I think you just described Dickies / "work pants".

that's exactly what i was thinking, was about to post the same thing.

Before going down the path of fashion pioneer, I would suggest taking a look at "Rapid Movement Denim" ;)

It will change how you regard jeans (and what you can do in them).

I’m actually wearing some Uniqlo EZY jeans that are really just sweatpants disguised as jeans. They’re just as comfortable as sweats but appear to be jeans to the uninformed observer. Maybe you should check those out.

I've had similar problems with jeans, and lately I've switched over to these: https://www.prana.com/stretch-zion-pant.html

They have a bit of stretch and are more durable than jeans, and I don't feel out of place wearing them in any kind of casual setting.

> (would there even be an interest in posting it here?)

yes.

give me like 2 weeks, I'll hit up the fabric store and Victorias secret.

First run I'll probably learn a lot. Second run will look good.

Just buy less form-fitting pants. The cost of all these synthetic fibers in our oceans isn't worth the fashion.

You jest but I tend to think it'd be much better for posture and breathing if pants with more flexibility and wiggle room were in fashion for men. E.g. sweatpants. I had a teacher at uni who wore those and I thought he looked rather funny, but in retrospect I can empathize.

Some companies make "dress sweatpants", e.g.

https://www.betabrand.com/collections/dress-pant-sweatpants/

but I never bought any because even in promotional pictures they still tend to look too much like sweatpants.

I have come to the point with my back and hip pain where sweatpants is about all I can wear. I can't even wear most underwear. Any constraint at all around my hip flexors, hamstrings, lower back just yields excruciating pain after just a few minutes. Jeans are completely out. Most days I can't wait to get home so I can switch into my pajama bottoms.

Physiotherapist, doctor, chiropractor, all shrug and look confused when I describe this.

Luckily my employer doesn't care what I wear to work.

Dress sweatpants could be a lifesaver for me.

I'm glad that odd recollection can find a use :)

In my case it's just discomfort but I'm curious as to why constraints around the waist don't get discussed more in articles about posture. For me it's one of those things that annoy all day long, hovering slightly below awareness level.

Normal jeans are too restrictive. I wear stretch Levi's 511 and some stretch chino and khakis and I have the full range of motion that I expect. I can do deep squats in these things no problem. I do have issues with the fabric rubbing on my thighs and calves but I get that in pretty much any pant regardless.

How certain are you that you've appropriately fit yourself to these pants?

Well, obviously I haven't! The trouble is, it's very hard to find trousers that do fit properly. Generally speaking, trousers that will fit even passably around the thighs/butt will be loose at the waist, so after I exhaust my shopping motivation I end up with a compromise that I can get into but I know isn't a perfect fit by any means. The current slim-fit fashion certainly doesn't help.

Dress pants have been my best bet, but the brands and models I've found to fit tend to come in a very limited range of fabrics - black all around!

Are you male or female? My wife had been (rightfully so) griping about how difficult women's clothes are to find. Getting good fitting pants that are modestly prices and don't wear out in some short amount of time like 3-4 years is very difficult.

I've been wearing Craghoppers trousers -- mostly zip-offs, but the non-zip are the same fit -- for several years. Brilliant for me, when even with 'loose' fit jeans I normally can't fit my thighs into anything even vaguely resembling my waist size.

UK link, I'm afraid: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00H99Z992/

I have sheared off my belt buckle bending over like this. My waist when hip-hinging is significantly larger than without.

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