How to downplay your hips when dressing (if you’re so inclined!)

Spoiler: Pockets are the devil’s playground

May 27, 2025

During a recent Twitter doomscroll (cannot recommend doing this less! ❤️) I had a brief moment of respite from the horrors and slurs: A Derek Guy thread. If you don’t already follow Derek, otherwise known as “the menswear guy” on Twitter, open up a new tab in your browser and rectify that immediately. He’s smart, incisive, and — most importantly, to my mind — inclusive in the way he talks about menswear. So, it didn’t surprise me that when someone asked for advice on dressing as a transmasc, he approached the question with his usual care and consideration.

The whole thread is worth a read, but the crux of Derek’s advice is: Divorce yourself from the notion that you have to dress according to body type; figure out which aesthetics you’re most drawn to and don’t worry if a particular silhouette reads as “masculine” because there are many different ways to express masculinity. This is good advice! And it got me thinking about gender expression and my own approach to dressing as a lesbian who wears almost exclusively menswear.

My goal is not to look masculine, per se, but I don’t feel obligated to perform femininity through my clothing, and I’m not interested in wearing anything that is cut to emphasize tits and ass and a small waist. My ideal gender presentation requires clothing that deemphasizes my hips, and that’s where I think I might be able to offer some practical tips for shopping for menswear as an AFAB person.

Before I dive in, here’s what you need to know about me: I’m 5 ft 5 inches tall and 125 lbs; my breasts are small and humble but I do have a big juicy ass. I share this just to say that I don’t know if the tips that have worked for me will work for every body, but my hope is that you can use this as a jumping off point and continue to tinker from there.

So, in no particular order, here’s everything I’ve learned about how to achieve a more “masculine” silhouette:

I always opt for pants with wide leg openings and a relaxed fit.

I don’t buy anything that’s billed as “slim,” and I tend to favor a mid to high rise (more on that in a minute). Instead, I look for pants that are roomy through the thighs with minimal to no tapering below the knee. If we use J.Crew’s fit guide as a reference, I would probably begin by trying on “Broken-In Straight” (lmao) or “Giant” fits. But I’ve found that fit through the hips and legs isn’t the only factor, which brings me to my next point…

I always pay attention to the angle, size, and placement of my pant pockets.

Through trial and error, I’ve discovered that I really don’t like seam pockets (pockets sewn into the seam of the pants) or inset pockets (pockets in which the only part visible is the openings), especially when they’re angled. Take the J.Crew Giant Fit Chinos, for example:

Angled hand pockets that fall along the outseam of the pants

Only the opening of the pockets is visible from the outside

Even though these pants are ostensibly perfect — spacious through the hip and thigh! — the pocket placement makes them flare away from your body.

You can see the pocket on the model’s left hip flaring/puckering out

On narrower hips, that’s probably fine! But on my body, the pockets sit directly on top of my hips and further accentuate them. (This problem is especially pronounced with something like Dickies 874 Work Pants where the fit through the leg is slimmer overall as well.)

The 874 pockets create a rounder shape through the hips

The 874 pockets are so flared that they don’t sit flush against the body; you can see the openings from the back

Instead, I gravitate toward patch pockets — which are applied to the outside of the garments — and curved inset pockets, both of which tend to rest on top of my thighs and lay flat, which creates a straight line from my waist down to the ground. Curved inset pockets are what you’d find on a classic pair of jeans, and as far as patch pockets go, I’m partial to my orSlow summer fatigues. (Bronson MFG makes a pair inspired by Vietnam War era fatigues with similar patch pockets.)

Curved inset pockets on 3sixteen’s RS-100xv jeans

Even when the model has their hands in the pant pockets, you still don’t have nearly as much flaring as the J.Crew or Dickie pants do *just* at rest

This isn’t to say I’ll never purchase a pair of pants with angled pockets; in fact, I really like my 3sixteen cargo pants and Monitaly Ekusy pants1, which have inset/slant pockets! But they work on me despite this because…

I know my measurements, but I won’t buy something just because it’s “my size.”

I often size up — because even if something technically “fits,” bigger sizes can create straight lines or drapey silhouettes, which can help hide curves. To Derek’s point, “Don't think about the shape of your body. Think about the shape of your clothes.”

This is true for all garments, but especially for pants. I’d rather have gaps around my waist than have my pants fit too tightly through the hips and thighs. You can always belt your pants or have a tailor alter the waistband, but you can’t really alter the area between the hips pockets and knees, so you want to make sure you get that right first (another piece of Derek Guy advice!).

Monitaly Ekusy pants, one sizes up from my “true” size

orSlow 101 Dad’s Fit Denim, two sizes up from my “true” size

(As an aside: I’d also suggest looking for adjustable waists with button closures. The fatigues I mentioned above have these details, but so do these BEAMS+ ripstop cargos. Generally speaking, I prefer an adjustable waistband with a button to an elastic waistband because elastic waistbands tend to make me look very cinched in at the waist and, once again, accentuate my hips.)

Adjustable waistbands with button closures

High rises are ideal, but when that’s not possible, I make sure my pants have a button fly instead of a zipper.

I mentioned before that I tend to look for a longer rise on my pants. That’s because, in my experience, these styles tend to be more relaxed throughout the hips, thighs, and legs. But, a longer rise means you’re more likely to look like you have a bulge. If you’re cool with that or even seeking it out, great! But that’s something I personally want to avoid, so I try to buy pants with higher rises. I also look for a button fly as opposed to a zipper, because zippers can create ridges and bulges. (If you’re curious as to why that’s the case, Andrew gave a great explanation on 3sixteen’s Instagram!) And speaking of Andrew, 3sixteen makes what I would call the single greatest pair of jeans: The RS-100xv, which truly have it all (a high rise, button fly, wide leg opening, and lots of room in the thigh).

I try to avoid jackets and tops that are cropped above the hips, and I look for buttons or two-way zipper closures

I tend to obscure my curves by wearing shirts and jackets with a hem that falls in the area just below my hips and right above my thighs. In looking through my Instagram, I realized that is a trick I employ liberally regardless of the season: winter, spring, summer, and fall.

I’ve said I almost always size up, but I find this can be hard to do with jackets — instead of looking like I’m wearing an intentionally drapey silhouette, I run the risk of looking like Nathan Fielder or David Byrne. Because I tend to have to go with my “true” size, I run the risk of buying a jacket that can’t close properly because my hips are wider than the “average guy” that most designers have in mind. So, I look for jackets and tops that either button all the way down or have a two-way zipper so that I can let the bottom out.

Other little tips

Generally speaking, if I’m wearing a top without a jacket, I avoid anything too tight (boobs) and don’t tuck in my shirt (which accentuates my waist and gives me that cinched “feminine” look). If I’m just wearing a t-shirt, I try to wear a cropped and/or boxy one. (Here’s a great one from Bare Knuckles.)
I avoid tops with tight elastic ribbing at the hem/waistband. The Bare Knuckles basic hoodie is a good example of the “right” amount of elastic (but I also sized up!)
Japanese brands tend to run smaller than American ones, so they’re great if you’re short! I’ve had a lot of luck with BEAMS+, but I’d also recommend checking out the curated selection of Japanese makers at No Man Walks Alone.

It can be incredibly difficult to shop when your gender presentation doesn’t match the clothing that was purportedly made “for you.” It requires a lot of trial and error — which can be frustrating, demoralizing, and expensive! I hope that my obsession with pocket placement can help you take a few shortcuts on your way to dressing in a way that makes you feel at home in your own skin, which is to say, super fucking gay ❤️

Kiyana Knits is edited by Rachel Wilkerson Miller