Thread: How should harem pants fit?

I am looking for a pair of harems for under a skirt. I've never worn them before.

I am 5'8" and my inseam is 30 (that's from crotch to top of my foot) from my hip to top of my foot is around 36"

I've got my eye on a pair of 36" harem pants but want to know how they should fit. I think Ravenna said they should be baggy and I don't know if I would need longer than 36" for sufficient bag.

Any advice?

It's personal preference, really. I'm 5'2" and I like mine about 39" long (from hip to ankle), because I like them to be a little poofy.

I like them drapey and poofy. The limit is that they should, when fastened or elastic'd at the ankle, not be long enough spill onto the floor so you could step on one pant leg with the opposite foot. Sometimes in sales listing I see people say "oh if they're too long, no problem, you can just wear the elastics up higher on your legs." B . . . S! No matter where you put them, the elastics are going to migrate down to the narrowest point, your ankle. It is of course very easy to shorten harems with elasticized legs. If it's a self casing and the fabric is not bulky, you can sometimes even leave the original casing there, fold it up and run the sewing machine around it to create a second casing.

Given you're on the taller side, 36" might be skimpy in length for the poofy look. They need to be longer than your usual skirt length.
Rosette

I'm 5-5, and I like my pantaloons very poofy, they are usually around 42-44 inches measured at the outside. 36 inches seems indeed too short.

Re: wearing them higher on the leg if they are too long. When I first began dancing I always wore my harem pants with the elastic part above the calf, just below the knee, and never had a problem with them slipping if the elastic was not too loose. Of course the pants have to be quite a bit longer than your usual skirt length, so that they drape around the ankles.

Originally Posted by dunyah

Re: wearing them higher on the leg if they are too long. When I first began dancing I always wore my harem pants with the elastic part above the calf, just below the knee, and never had a problem with them slipping if the elastic was not too loose. Of course the pants have to be quite a bit longer than your usual skirt length, so that they drape around the ankles.

That's the authentic/traditional way of wearing them, from what I recall from Aisha Ali's workshop. And I agree, they stay up that way. I always pull my pantaloon elastic up to below the knee when I dance in the mud, to keep them from getting ruined.

I'm sure you're right that if an elastic is going to be above the fullest point of the calf, it will work to place it just below the knee. What I don't believe an elastic will do is stay any old place you decide to place it on your calf; as you're dancing it's going to work it's way either up, or down, to a narrower point on your leg. So if your pants are just long enough that you can trip on them, hiking the elastics up a few inches above the narrowest point of the ankles isn't a safe way to fix that.

For myself I feel like having elastics just below my knees would drive me crazy, but that's just PP (personal preference).
R

Originally Posted by dunyah

Re: wearing them higher on the leg if they are too long. When I first began dancing I always wore my harem pants with the elastic part above the calf, just below the knee, and never had a problem with them slipping if the elastic was not too loose. Of course the pants have to be quite a bit longer than your usual skirt length, so that they drape around the ankles.

*nods* My first pair are like that. I was so afeared of them being too short - nothing worse than an ankle freezer harem pant IMO - that I used the full width of the fabric which was probably 150cm. And then of course they were far too long. But pulled up under my knees the fullness hits the ankle - ideally I would prefer them slightly longer, hitting the top of the foot - and they look very nice and stay in place. People often comment on them actually (that's if I wear them, which I seldom do).

Originally Posted by Rosette

I'm sure you're right that if an elastic is going to be above the fullest point of the calf, it will work to place it just below the knee. What I don't believe an elastic will do is stay any old place you decide to place it on your calf; as you're dancing it's going to work it's way either up, or down, to a narrower point on your leg. So if your pants are just long enough that you can trip on them, hiking the elastics up a few inches above the narrowest point of the ankles isn't a safe way to fix that.

Indeed, you're of course correct. There is a bit of leverage, I find, but in agreement w/ you, my approach at adjusting length through the elastic is a bit different: by default, I have the elastics quite long, so that they sit below the narrowest part of the ankle. If the pants are too long (trippy-trip), I shorten the elastic so that it comes to rest higher up, where the ankle is narrower.

It is a cold and snowy day, and I am wearing my comfy big poofies right now ;-)

Okay, so it looks like I'll need them a bit longer, since the spinning skirt I plan to pair them with is 36". Dang because the ones I had my eye on were the right color and price. Oh well, back to the drawing board,.

Thanks ladies. Now I must find a pair

They are super easy to make out of 3 yds of fabric. You just cut two rectangular pieces with some extra length for making the casings at waist and ankle, cut out a curve for the crotch, sew the two pieces together, insert elastic and voila.

Ask the Belly Dance Costume Goddess: How to Make Harem Pants

Or look here:

harempants

Yeah, you’ll really need longer pants. I’m an inch shorter than you, and I measured a pair of mine that fit well. The length is 44” and the inseam is 32.”

Originally Posted by HOOKEDNOVICE

Okay, so it looks like I'll need them a bit longer, since the spinning skirt I plan to pair them with is 36". Dang because the ones I had my eye on were the right color and price.

Add a yoke in a matching color. Actually, ix-nay on that suggestion - if you need an extra 6" your crotch will be down around your knees.