Is Thom Browne style a throwback?

[odoreater]

I was just looking at a picture of Johnny Cash (my favorite singer, btw) from the "Live at Folsom Prison" album cover, and on the back is a photo of johnny cash wearing slim trousers that are hemmed high enough that about 1/2" or so of his sock is showing. This photo was taken in 1968, so I'm wondering if the high-trouser look was popular back then and if the whole Thom Browne phenomenon a throwback to that style.

 

[LabelKing]

Thom Browne claims to hark back to a '60s style, which I can see although it is an extravagant version.

 

[Tomasso]

Thom Browne is simply exaggerating the 60's look.

 

[odoreater]

Wow, so I think that if you can get a look somewhere closer to the Pack, Johnny and Jack than Pee Wee Herman then it's a pretty cool look. I recently got a couple of pairs of trousers hemmed so that they are just covering the top of my shoe when I am standing still, but when I walk, sock clearly shows, and honestly I kind of like the look. It's not as severe as the look in some of the Thom Browne photos I've seen because in his sock is clearly showing when the people are standing still, but it's a higher-hemmed look than I normally go for. Here's an example that I posted in the "what are you wearing" thread recently:

 

[Jovan]

Socks? He usually has none. On top of that he claims ironing a shirt is unnecessary. Thus... he often looks like a MontrÃ

al hobo.

 

[GMF]

Originally Posted by Tomasso

Thom Browne is simply exaggerating the 60's look.

I agree. The pictures I've seen of Browne's designs look more like a caricature of the 60s style he claims to be reviving. JFK's suit in the above picture looks good. Browne's stuff looks goofy.

 

[odoreater]

Originally Posted by Jovan

Socks? He usually has none. On top of that he claims ironing a shirt is unnecessary. Thus... he often looks like a MontrÃ

al hobo.

Yeah, but that's not really the point. I didn't mean this thread to be about whether or not he irons shirts or any kind of personal attack on Browne - more of whether the style he is advocating, and a style that is gaining so momentum was a throwback to another era, and whether one could personally have a style that is a throwback to that era without looking as goofy as the people who are wearing Browne's style look.

Apparently the answer is yes. I think in all of the photos we've seen so far, including the photos of Jack and Ike, Johnny Cash, and the Rat Pack, the people pictured look good wearing trousers that are slightly shorter than what is the norm today.

 

[wilson brother]

Looking on the web I saw the Beach Boys showing there socks

 

[kitonbrioni]

Flood pants seem to be a fashion that comes and goes but not much of style--rather more of a costume side of outfits.

 

[odoreater]

Originally Posted by kitonbrioni

Flood pants seem to be a fashion that comes and goes but not much of style--rather more of a costume side of outfits.

But at what point are pants considered flood pants? Obviously Thom Browne's pants are well into "flood pants" territory and the Beach Boys' pants look like they are firmly in flood pants territory. But are JFK's pants flood pants? Are Johnny Cash's pants flood pants? Are my pants flood pants? I would say that the Rat Pack's pants are firmly not in flood pants territory, but the others are somewhere in between.

 

[Get Smart]

It's a game of centimeters going from classic no break to flooding. I like the length of your trousers in the pic Odor. Looks much cleaner than some previous pics where you had more break.

Browne references my favorite sartorial era of history but, as everyone else has said, he exaggerates some of its more distinct nuances. As with most things in fashion, there's nothing new going on if you understand the characteristics of fashion throughout the decades.

 

[tiger02]

http://styleforum.net/showthread.php?t=13383

 

[odoreater]

Originally Posted by tiger02

http://styleforum.net/showthread.php?t=13383

Ah yes, thanks for the link, now that I think about it I remember reading that thread in the past. When I first tried those trousers in the picture above I thought they were too short and I was going to get them lengthened a bit, but then after I wore them like that they kind of grew on me and now I think the look is pretty cool. They're not overly short so that no sock is showing when I'm standing, but sock clearly shows as I'm walking. However, I would get pants hemmed a little longer if the pants have wider openings on the bottom.

 

[tiger02]

I think the length on those looks great. Curious, how did you decide between hemming on an angle, and hemming straight across? I've seen it both ways.

Didn't mention it before, but it's encouraging to see how the seat of those turned out. I once found a beautiful Isaia suit with a perfect 40S jacket but the pants were just too tight in the seat and thigh. With that kind of alteration I might give them a second look.

Tom

 

[odoreater]

Originally Posted by tiger02

I think the length on those looks great. Curious, how did you decide between hemming on an angle, and hemming straight across? I've seen it both ways.

Didn't mention it before, but it's encouraging to see how the seat of those turned out. I once found a beautiful Isaia suit with a perfect 40S jacket but the pants were just too tight in the seat and thigh. With that kind of alteration I might give them a second look.

Tom

Thanks Tom. Only thing with the seat is that the old stitching is visible on close inspection, but unless someone is sniffing my butt, it shouldn't really be a problem.

As for the hemming, I just went on the advice of my tailor.