Express Columnist Pant!

Ok, I went back to Express to exchange my bold herringbone Editor pant since they fit weird.  But then I ended up trying on the Columnist pant style again (hated them when I first tried them on years ago but don't remember why), and actually think I may like it better than Editor pant!  Omg, it's like a whole new world opened to me.  So the difference between Editor and Columnist is actually quite subtle.  The Editor pant has a straight fit in the hips/upper leg area, whereas the Columnist pant has a slim fit.  They both come in "barely bootcut" as well as "flare" leg openings, but I only was interested in the barely bootcut style.  Even though the difference is only in the upper part of the legs, the Columnist pant actually looks noticeably more flattering.  So, I ended up buying 4 more pairs of pants - 3 Columnist, and 1 Editor.  And, I exchanged the bold herringbone Editor pant for another pair of Columnist pant.  So that's total 4 pairs of Columnist pants now lol.  Express is still having their buy one get one 50% off sale for these pants, so I now have 6 new pairs for under $300 total, after taxes.  Since I only buy work pants like once every 5 years or more (lol), it's really quite a good investment!  My bf has to spend ~$150 per pair of work pants, so I think girls have it good with stores like Express!

But, as I mentioned before, Express is not all that consistent with their sizing.  So you really have to try on every print before buying.  This time I tried on about 20 different styles and prints, and they all fit slightly differently.  But in general, I actually started sizing up to a 4.  I realized that perhaps it is me and not the design change that my butt seems to be too big for size 2 pants now lol.  I guess it makes sense since I've been on a training program called "Get Glutes" for the past year!  That means it's working... woohoo!  Hahaha!  I used to be able to fit all the standard sizes perfectly.  Maybe my body is more problematic for shopping now, but it's worth it to be more athletic and have a nicer back side.

I was very diligent this time and tried on each print in both size 2 and size 4.  I found that the two sizes are really not all that different.  In general, the biggest difference is that size 4 has a slightly higher rise on me which means more room for the bum.  The waist is a tiny bit too loose in size 4 though, but not too bad especially with a belt on.  The legs are ever so slightly looser fitting in size 4.  I would say that in most prints, it didn't really make a big difference between the two sizes (only one print I tried on had a huge difference - the size 4 looked like a diaper butt whereas the size 2 was too tight, but I think that was a fluke).  So anyway, as I said, try them on before buying!

Here are the prints I got - I LOVE all of them!  I'm slightly concerned that these are all winter patterns.  But I think I can still wear them all year long anyways.

My favorite pair is the black plaid Columnist pant - the material and fit are just spot on.  The plaid is not too obvious but definitely noticeable.  I'm actually considering them as top contender to wear on my first day of the new job.  Though my bf thinks I should just stick with regular black or something more conservative.  So we'll see.

The length I bought for all my pants are regular.  I find this length perfect to wear with ~4 inch heels.  So these are size 4R.

The next pair I got is houndstooth!!!  Ok, for some reason they are called Marled Check Columnist pant on the Express website.  But they are definitely houndstooth.  I nearly fainted when I saw them.  They are the reason I even tried on the Columnist pant to begin with!

Also got them in size 4R.  The are a little bit shorter and fits a bit wider in the legs than the black plaid pair above.  The material is stretchier in these though.  

Thirdly, I got the navy gingham check Columnist pant.  The gingham check is actually navy and black combo.  So they look quite dark in person.  But you can still tell they are more navy than black.

Also got these in 4R.  They fit the loosest in the waist out of the 3 pairs of Columnist pant I got.

The last pair of Columnist pant I got is the Grit Print Columnist Pant in "red 23".  The print consists of little red and black squares, which from a distance blends together and makes the pant look like a wine color.  I love this color and don't have any pants in this color yet!

Got these in size 4R too.  They are pretty loose fitting in the waist too, and they are longer than others lol.  I think I may need to get them hemmed half an inch or so.  

The last pair I got is another pair of Editor barely bootcut pant.  I can't find the exact color I got online though.  They are a marled gray color, and the material feels more like linen.  They fit looser than others, so I got them in size 2R.  I tried on 4R and it was way too wide in the hips and looked unflattering.

Can you tell that the Editor pant fits differently than the Columnist pant?

So, I think I'm good with work pants for a while!  I'm actually quite excited about this.  For a long time now, I've been feeling so tired of all my work pants.  I actually started wearing skirts way more than pants because of it.  But now that I've got these awesome new pants, I'll be adding them into my rotation!  I can't wait to see what tops to pair them with!