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Trousers at the Waist - Page 4

post #46 of 64
8/9/10 at 10:23am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
i will say it again. mother nature designed our waist above our hip bone purposely. why? so that our pants will not fall down. dont fool with mother nature.

I theory, agreed. In practice, it just feels and looks alien to ride trousers that high today. I have never once seen trousers worn at the true waist by anyone (outside of comics to on-stage routines) in the real world. I've seen it on old films, I've seen in classic mens style pics (and they certainly look good in those contexts) .... but I fear it's such a forgotten style that wearing trousers like that today would evoke laughter.

The nub here is that one can't really "try" trousers both ways and come to a decision later. To wear trousers that high requires one hell of a rise. If you buy them that way and simply can't get into the swing of such a high wear, then putting them lower screws everything up - the legs are now too long, the butt is baggy, etc. Likewise, if you get a low-rise trouser and try to wear it at the waist, you'll feel like you're getting a 24-hour wedgy.
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post #47 of 64
8/9/10 at 11:41am
Quote:
Originally Posted by J. Cogburn View Post
I theory, agreed. In practice, it just feels and looks alien to ride trousers that high today. I have never once seen trousers worn at the true waist by anyone (outside of comics to on-stage routines) in the real world. I've seen it on old films, I've seen in classic mens style pics (and they certainly look good in those contexts) .... but I fear it's such a forgotten style that wearing trousers like that today would evoke laughter.
Try it with a jacket. You don't think "Those are high pants," you think, "When did my legs get longer?"
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post #48 of 64
8/9/10 at 11:44am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Try it with a jacket. You don't think "Those are high pants," you think, "When did my legs get longer?"

Yes, that's my plan for the four MTM suits I'm ordering in a few weeks.
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post #49 of 64
8/9/10 at 12:25pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by amplifiedheat View Post
A particularly interesting case of cognitive dissonance is the SF-favored combination of low-rise trousers, which allegedly lengthen the torso, and a shorter jacket, which allegedly lengthens the leg line. The result, of course, is destructive interference--everything between the waist button of the jacket and the waistband of the pants is dead space, contributing neither to leg nor torso.

Nothing reduces apparent height like a flash of shirt below the jacket button, breaking up the visual column. Indeed, the only logical accompaniment to low-rise trousers is a low-buttoning jacket, just as a higher-buttoning jacket demands higher-rise trousers.

Excellent observation, AH. You just nailed a lot of what looks wrong for with lot of the trendier dressers around here--that "dead space" that accentuates nothing but gut/midsection.

Personally, I always like my belt buckle, belly button, and center buttoning of my coat in a 1-2" cluster such that when I pull back a quarter to stuff a hand in your trouser pocket, I reveal no shirt. It accentuates the "fulcrum" effect of the coat button, which I think gives fluidity and cohesion to the entire ensemble.

I do acknowledge, however, that the higher-waisted look is an artifact of an era when men kept their jackets on more often. I try to as well.
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post #50 of 64
8/9/10 at 3:33pm
AH, i look forward to seeing this thread single-handedly propelling your post count to 2,000.

you can do it!!!
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post #51 of 64
8/9/10 at 3:36pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by J. Cogburn View Post
I theory, agreed. In practice, it just feels and looks alien to ride trousers that high today. I have never once seen trousers worn at the true waist by anyone (outside of comics to on-stage routines) in the real world. I've seen it on old films, I've seen in classic mens style pics (and they certainly look good in those contexts) .... but I fear it's such a forgotten style that wearing trousers like that today would evoke laughter..

precisely. and that, dear friends, is the rub of this entire discussion.
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post #52 of 64
8/9/10 at 3:47pm
i have an old pair of BB grey flannels with an absurdly high rise. When I wear them, i look a little like TE Lawrence:

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post #53 of 64
8/9/10 at 4:46pm
for those who would use the bellybutton as a reference point.
what do you do for the person who has a higher belly button, or lower.
and then how much higher and how much lower.
no two people are exactly alike.
when measuring, all tailors will place the tape at the indent just above
the hip bone. are all the tailors wrong?
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post #54 of 64
8/9/10 at 4:55pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
when measuring, all tailors will place the tape at the indent just above the hip bone. are all the tailors wrong?

Well, not all tailors. A few weeks ago I visited Elio at English-American, the Westminster, Maryland company that manufacturers H. Freeman and Tom James made-to-measure suits. Elio is a older Sicilian tailor who is both the company's head tailor and the fellow who trains the Tom James sales associates who, beyond ginning-up sales, also do the measuring. I told him I wanted to wear the trousers I was ordering at the natural waist and he said, "no - too high," and suggested I wear them an inch or so below the navel. "But it's not my natural waist" I said. "No - but they look clownish up there." I went with his advice because these were odd trousers that will only ocassionally be worn with a sport coat or blazer.
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post #55 of 64
8/9/10 at 5:36pm
My true waist is aligned with my belly button. I have a pair of bespoke grey flannels (my only bespoke odd trousers to date) that ride just to this point. I don't think it looks clownish, rather elongating (I am 5' 8"), and it also helps keep the shirt tucked and not billowing as it is tapered the most at this point. It also feels very comfortable. YMMV though. If I get around, I might post a picture.
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post #56 of 64
8/9/10 at 5:44pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
If I get around, I might post a picture.

Post! As someone around here is fond of saying, "if there's no pic, it didn't happen."
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post #57 of 64
8/9/10 at 6:11pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by OttoSkadelig View Post
precisely. and that, dear friends, is the rub of this entire discussion.

As I see it, if decent trousers evoke laughter, and skinny jeans do not, it is the obligation of every moral man to wear decent trousers.
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post #58 of 64
8/10/10 at 2:54pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by J. Cogburn View Post
Post! As someone around here is fond of saying, "if there's no pic, it didn't happen."

I will as soon as I come around to it. Sorry for not delivering teh instant gratification... ;-)
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post #59 of 64
8/10/10 at 3:38pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by J. Cogburn View Post
I theory, agreed. In practice, it just feels and looks alien to ride trousers that high today. I have never once seen trousers worn at the true waist by anyone (outside of comics to on-stage routines) in the real world. I've seen it on old films, I've seen in classic mens style pics (and they certainly look good in those contexts) .... but I fear it's such a forgotten style that wearing trousers like that today would evoke laughter.

The nub here is that one can't really "try" trousers both ways and come to a decision later. To wear trousers that high requires one hell of a rise. If you buy them that way and simply can't get into the swing of such a high wear, then putting them lower screws everything up - the legs are now too long, the butt is baggy, etc. Likewise, if you get a low-rise trouser and try to wear it at the waist, you'll feel like you're getting a 24-hour wedgy.

my legs are short. i have often thought that they could be about 2 inches longer
to be in proportion with my torso.
so do you think wearing trousers down on my hips is a good idea?
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post #60 of 64
8/10/10 at 3:39pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by a tailor View Post
my legs are short. i have often thought that they could be about 2 inches longer
to be in proportion with my torso.

Have you considered high heels or platform shoes?

Would also shape your calves and ass.


- B
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