Meet Barry… a cousin of Bob

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StyleArc’s Bob Pant is a well loved pattern on socials… this is StyleArc’s Barry Pant which is affectionately known as Bob’s cousin.  Barry has a slightly less ballooned leg than Bob and features elastic waist with top ruffle, angled pockets, front hem dart and faux fly.  If you’d like a review between the two patterns @jessamyb has you covered.

Barry Woven Pant By Style Arc - Elastic waisted pant with a slight balloon shaped darted leg.

Those who have been following me for a while know that I rarely sew pants/trousers or any garment for my bottom half.  Dresses, shirts and tops are my comfort zone.  After talking about it for several years, I’m actually taking action, and starting my pants fitting journey.

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Rather than toiling in calico, I sewed a straight size 10 in a mid-weight washed linen as a sample at work.  The straight size showed me that I needed to increase both the front and the back rise.

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Crotch length is such a funny thing to be talking about, but when it comes to pants fitting it’s a must.  After talking to my pattern making friend this week, I found that the industry standard crotch depth for a size 10 dress form is around 70cm (27.5″).  Armed with this information, I then tied a narrow piece of elastic around my waist and measured my crotch length.  I wasn’t surprise to learn that it was 73cm (28 11/16″).  I think increasing the rise on pants is going to be a common adjustment for me.

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The crotch length measurements discussed above, were of course after I had altered these pants.  Guided by a professional dress making friend (I’m so lucky to have such clever friends!), I added a wedge to the front rise that was 1″ (2.5cm) at the centre front and 1/2″ (1.3cm) and the side seam… and trued as required.  I also added 1/2″ (1.3cm) to the back rise.  The results… pants that happily sit on my waist.

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Now to the back view…

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Bums… another tricky part of pants fitting!  I know that I have a flat bottom… and I made no allowance for it in this pattern.  Firstly, I didn’t want to be fooling around with too many changes at once, and secondly, these are elastic waisted pants with ballooning legs.  A little extra ‘seat’ fabric isn’t going to harm anyone!

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I’m also very conscious of over fitting… so, I’m going to wear these for a while and then decide if I need to make any further alterations to the pattern.

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The fabric is a micro houndstooth linen purchased a few summers ago from The Cloth Shop.  The houndstooth kind of reads black and white, but I swear it’s actually french navy and natural.  Whatever the colour, it’s a great neutral and pairs beautifully with both plain and printed tops.  In these photos, I’m wearing a Calyx Smock.

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Pattern:  StyleArc’s Barry Pant (purchased from work)
Size:  10
Fabric:  Deep stash micro herringbone linen via The Cloth Shop
Alterations:  I added a wedge to the front rise that was 1″ (2.5cm) at the centre front and 1/2″ (1.3cm) and the side seam… and trued as required.  I also added 1/2″ (1.3cm) to the back rise.
Outfit:  Calyx Smock, borrowed vintage beads from Sharon, recently resoled mustard wedges and sunglasses from Luisa.
Photo Location:  Ballarat

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15 comments

  • I have old eyes and those pants look navy/natural to me. I think these Barry’s look great on you. I’ve given up on Style Arc pants for my body, too many adjustments and the crotch depth is just wrong but I continue buying dresses and top patterns. You may try a narrower elastic/casing to take care of a small depth problem. I find it more comfortable as well. All that said, these honestly look really good and will be such a nice hot weather style for you.

    • You do really need to find pattern companies that draft for your body. We all know that we might need to make a few alterations… but truckloads of changes just aren’t worth it. An excellent tip on narrower casting. Thank you.

  • Congratulations on starting your pants journey. I am not sure what you mean about adding a wedge. Do you have a photo of that or a link to an explanation?

    • Hi Barbara. I’m in bed with covid at the moment (thankfully it seems to be a mild case). When I’m up & about again I’ll email you a photo of my pattern piece. In the meantime, here is a link to lengthening the back rise on a pair of pants. Image I did this as well as increasing the front a little bit too.

  • I’ll be interested in hearing your reactions to ballooned pants… as I do picture you in slim jeans… and dresses. (I also tend to steer clear of my southern hemisphere.) Bob’s cousin looks so comfy!

    • Slim jeans & boxy dresses above the knee were my go too for many years. I’m definitely broadening my style, exploring waisted dress, embracing the French tuck & wearing RTW cropped wide legged jeans. These pants are a little out of my comfort zone but I’m determined to wear them. I will report back.

  • I’m a fan of the Stylearc Peta pants as they have a straight leg. I’ve tried balloon pants but end up narrowing them to make them straight-legged! I do like the pockets on the Barry. I hope you are up and about very soon.

    • Thanks Anna. Sometimes it’s good to experiment but I think you’ve found your preferred silhouette & perhaps pant pattern too. I have a mild case… but I get to stay in bed for a week as to keep away from the well people in the house.

  • Cute pants! Crotch measurements are so helpful. I did mine using a guide from Jalie Patterns and have front and back rise, as well as crotch depth. I’m generally a size 10 and have a 27.5″ total crotch length, but I like my waistband at my natural waist, so I routinely modify low-rise pants and joggers. I also learned how to tweak the back for a flat bum. None of this was fun!!! but is so useful.

    • I think I’m going to need to work out my front & back crotch measurements too. And the fiat bum adjustment is on my radar as well.

  • They look pretty good to me. I’ve used Stylearc’s flat seat adjustment (found on one of their blog posts) and that took out excess fabric for me at the back.

    • I know the exact one you are talking about. I’ve used it before & recommend it to customers at work. They call it a ‘fiat seat’ adjustment which makes me giggle!

  • Hi Anna, I was looking for reviews of the Barry pants and came across your posts. I love your versions of the Barry pants – the cord ones looks great for winter too! I’ve just made a toile of them and I had excess fabric on the side seam back piece. I had to really ease it in to the front side seam and it just looked a bit odd. A lot of pressing and steam seemed to sort it but I wondered if you’d found that with the pattern? Perhaps I’m doing something wrong, I’ve never come across that in pants patterns before!

    • Hi Francesca. I’ve sewn the pattern three times and didn’t have any issues with the side seam matching up. Might be worth an email to StyleArc to see if they can assist you. Best of luck. Anna