I am having trouble finding breeches that fit me, and that aren’t overly thin material. I have lost some weight in the last year (not intentional), and my current breeches are all a tad baggy. Due to the weight loss, I am not comfortable wearing the tighter, thinner materials that seem to be more common in the stores.
I am also fairly tall, so brands that don’t come in tall end up with the Velcro too high on my calf to close.
I am looking for breeches suitable for showing (full seats) in a light tan or grey.
Do you mean a fabric that is less like riding tights?
Pikeur has some different fabrics, most of the “traditional” breeches are cotton-based. (Pretty reasonable prices if you purchase from a European vendor.) http://www.pikeur.de/pikeur/collection-basics/?L=1
The Pikeur Lugana breeches are available in Pikeur Fabric #82, which is 65% cotton, 28% polyamide and 7% elastane. The Lugana breech is a classic style and comes in many color options, and sizes, including Tall.
They also have a fabric #79, which is a microfiber cotton: 64% cotton, 29% nylon and 7% Lycra, available in some styles.
Prestige Schoeller is another name that comes to mind as a substantial, supportive fabric for breeches. Several breech manufacturers use it in some models.
FITS and Pikeur would be my suggestions, comfortable and stretchy. Pikeur comes in long, FITS does not but they run very long, I’m 5’10" with long legs. Ariat is somewhere in between those and the irideon and kerrits and tropical rider lightweights. I really like the thinner fabrics in summer, however, and put comfort in the saddle over comfort with the appearance.
Would you happen to know if Pikeur sizing has changed at all in the last decade? I have a pair that I really like (not sure which model), but I have had them over a decade and I am not sure if sizing would have changed.
I am not sure I know anywhere locally that sell FITS. I will look into them and their sizing!
Ego 7 full seats are made from a REALLY comfortable and nicely substantial fabric. They’re long, and NO velcro. The bottoms are a raw edge, so no seam either. And they stay put. Silicone dots for grip. And flattering, to boot. Find them only at Farm House tack for now.
Cavallo breeches are noteworthy, too. My current favorites are the Cavallo Cnagalls and Champions. Because the waists come up to the actual waist! Nice fabrics, too.
Horze and Treadstep are thicker…actually too thick for me to wear in the summer. I get my Pikeurs from Amira Equi and they are still a little over 200.00
The winter weight Irideon breeches are nice, and, frankly, they aren’t that much warmer than regular breeches, but they fit nicely and are of heavier material.
Pikeur still runs in German/European sizes.
A size 42 is equivalent to a US 30" waist, 44 is a US32" waist.
If you are looking for the Tall sizes in Pikeur, the size number is 2x the normal waist size.
So for a 30" Tall, you would look for a size 84, a 32" Tall is size 88.
You can find size charts on Pikeur’s website, or on sites that sell Pikeur breeches.
There are are great bargains on eBay if you know what style and fabric you want. The trick is to look on the U.K. or German ebay sites (eBay.co.uk, and eBay.de). Just be aware that some eBay sellers do not ship to the US/Canada.
There are also U.K. and other European vendors with good pricing, especially for the traditional style breeches. The more “tech fabric” and bling/trendy styles, the higher the price, in general, at least IME. The Lugana breeches in he standard fabrics are very affordable.
SmartPak sells FITS, and has free returns on sized items. Sizing for FITS is XS/S/M/L/XL. I wear M, which is about size 8-10. They start out quite snug, and can take a bit of a wiggle to get over the hips if you have normal hips. But the fabric and design is very supportive, and durable. I have the full seat pull-ones with deerskin. (Tried the other full seats in Free Flex material and did not care for them.)
FITS are pretty awesome. I am tall and have long legs and they are plenty long enough for me.
Also BR. They do not have velcro and appear to run a bit longer. They should be in your price range.
I don’t think SmartPak ships to Canada and with the exchange right now you aren’t getting breeches in your price range from the US unless they are not so nice.
I love the Ovation Euroweave breeches (there are a couple of models). The fullseats seem to run true to size; some of the knee patch models run a bit small. They wear like iron, come in long in most sizes, have a nice moderate rise (I can’t stand low rise), and are forgiving without being thick. I live in FL so I just don’t do the really thick breeches. The price is great, too, especially for how long they last. I have a number of other breeches but the Ovations are the ones I find myself wearing almost all the time.
I think you’d also like the Cavallino Marino full set breeches. They have a nice flattering fabric, generally have a fantastic rise and come in long. They run a little long to start as well so that’s handy for us leggy babes! This is my fave pair of breeches that I’ve ever owned: http://www.centerlinestyle.com/cavallino-marino-silver-stream-glitter-detail-breeches/
The Romfh Champion breeches and International, and the Ovation Slim Celebrity are also good options for the fabric it seems like you’d prefer! Happy shopping!
