http://www.esquire.com/blogs/mens-fashion/pants-size-chart-090710

Are Your Pants Lying to You? An Investigation
September 7, 2010 at 8:30AM by Abram Sauer

"I said, 'I do not fear those pants / With nobody inside them.'
I said, and said, and said those words. / I said them. But I lied them."
—Dr. Seuss

The devastating realization came in H&M. Specifically, in a pair of size 36 dress pants. I'd never bought pants at H&M before, and suddenly asked myself: how could a 36-inch waist suddenly be so damn tight?

I've never been slim — I played offensive line in high school — but I'm no cow either. (I'm happily a "Russell Crowe" body type.) So I immediately went across the street, bought a tailor's measuring tape, and trudged from shop to shop, trying on various brands' casual dress pants. It took just two hours to tear my self-esteem to smithereens and raise some serious questions about what I later learned is called "vanity sizing."

Your pants have been deceiving you for years. And the lies are compounding:



The pants manufacturers are trying to flatter us. And this flattery works: Alfani's 36-inch "Garrett" pant was 38.5 inches, just like the Calvin Klein "Dylan" pants — which I loved and purchased. A 39-inch pair from Haggar (a brand name that out-testosterones even "Garrett") was incredibly comfortable. Dockers, meanwhile, teased "Leave yourself some wiggle room" with its "Individual Fit Waistline," and they weren't kidding: despite having a clear size listed, the 36-inchers were 39.5 inches. And part of the reason they were so comfy is that I felt good about myself, no matter whether I deserved it.

Haggar has upped the ante with their new fat-pants .....hakis with a hidden elastic expandable section.     They expands out by about 3 more inches when you stretch out the elastic.   That's on top of the normal vanity size margin.