4 min read
Why a high waistband rolls, and what stops it
The three ways a band gives up on you, and which one is a design fault.
Rolling, folding and sliding are different problems
A band that folds over at the front usually has a seam where the band meets the leg. Bend forward and the fabric has to go somewhere, so it hinges at the join. A band that slides down is usually too wide for the waist it is on. A band that rolls at the top edge is often a narrow elastic casing twisting inside its channel.
They look alike in the mirror and they have nothing to do with each other.
What we do about it
Our band is knitted through from the leg, so there is no hinge at the join, and it is wide enough that the pressure is spread rather than concentrated at one edge. There is no separate elastic strip to twist.
That covers two of the three. The third one, sliding, is a sizing question, and no band design solves it: a size too big will travel no matter how it is built.
Picking between two sizes
If you are between sizes, the larger one is usually the better bet in a high-waist legging. The shaping does not come from squeezing, so the smaller size buys you nothing except a band that reminds you it is there by the end of the day.
The short version
- Folding at the front is a seam problem, not a size problem.
- Sliding down is a size problem, and no band fixes it.
- A wide band spreads pressure; a narrow one concentrates it at the top edge.
- Between sizes in a high-waist pair, take the larger one.
More fit notes
How 3D knit shaping actually works
Raised zones knitted into the fabric, and why that is different from a tighter pair.
4 min readSquat proof: what the phrase is actually promising
Opacity is a fabric weight question. Here is how to test a pair in ten seconds.
3 min readLeggings or shorts: choosing the length
Same knit, same band, two different jobs. What each length is good at.
3 min read