wtf is this thread you eddies. for the OP, i have gone thru pants madness too. that shits real af. my best advice to anyone on this looking for advice is the rules i made to soothe my OCD:
1) aim for true-ish to size waist and focus more on the cut of the pant that you want (ex relaxed -> loose -> baggy). most pants esp denim are natural and will stretch the hell out. like someone else said its 2024, why are you tryna be a goofy boy. if you size up OD you might not like the fit later on, especially with an uncomfortable sagging crotch that basically showcases ur bulge while youre grocery shopping at target
2) for the OCD heads, uniform matters. for example, once i knew 93s worked out, i schemed on depop, ebay and some retail to scoop up 10 pairs. most i paid 50 bucks for. secondhand is worth it, i know i have expensive tastes but fuck it
3) find your leg opening measurement and inseam. a leg opening can make or break the fit. too tapered and your shit gon look like balloon. too wide you look like a jit. go to tailor, theyll shorten, taper and misc. alter your shit for cheap most the time.
4) get a fit you can wear daily. idk wtf yall do but if youre not a yuppie in a tech job where everyone wears fuckin jnco bell bottoms u gotta look good sometimes. im in the trades and found some dark wash 93s debadged look clean and are still comfortable. if you cant wear them everywhere are they really pants or is it just cosplay gear?
5) consider proportioning your tees. maybe size down a tee if you wanna slim the pants down. itll make them look like a better fit and you wont have popsicle legs, especially when the tee isnt too long. you can get cheap blanks off websites like jiffyshirts.com ranging from 2 dollar gildan to 10 dollar comfort colors. same goes for hoodies. these sites list all measurements. get a tape measure and find what works for you.
obviously this is what works for me. but knowing your preferred measurements will help out a ton. you will have more control on the fortune of finding good pants. good luck out there. its brutal with everyone and their fuckin mom makin pants out here now.