My Afternoon in Saks off 5th,Many quesions,especially Fit

[Juan for the road]

Hello Gentlemen.I am heading down the path toward a new wardrobe.I am transitioning from outdoors in the field to an office environment in NYC in a field employing what I would consider much-younger-than-I hipsters. I am early 50s.I also predict I may move among different firms in the next few years before settling in my own firm. I believe traditional 3-piece would be a bit out of place and over the top in the environment.

As for my build,I am 6'2",195 lb athletic with large shoulders and narrow hips and waist... 44 chest ,34 waist. Fit has always been a chore,but when I hit it,it can be impressive.Today I was convinced this chore is worse than ever.Proved this in a rather unsatisfying 3 hour shopping session,also found that my choice in stores was a mistake within 10 minutes.

So first,let's talk pants.I had big ideas of walking out with 2 or 3 pairs of wool trousers and maybe a Chino or two. So I grabbed a half dozen 34s and went to work.Zanella, Hugo Boss,Saks 5th,Saks 5th Italy,a few others. Hit the dressing room,and knew before I got off the stool that most of them were just wrong.Main issues are not enough rise,I am hiking all of them up as I walk around,a 10 inch rise is nowhere close to over my hips,let alone my waist. Most of these are flat fronts,which I would prefer,but may not be practical for my pelvic makeup and apparently unfashionable high hip bones. And naturally the leg and thigh cuts are all over the place.

The other disappointing part,pants-wise,Is that anything that even approached fitting,displayed a ridiculous look in the side hips and pocket area. The pockets would not sit correctly and pants had a weird hip bump in the head-on view that my narrow waist and hips do not possess.Any ideas of looking good,switched to hopes of not looking comical.

I think one of the first trousers I tried,and set aside,I measured had an 11" rise.While walking around in these I remember thinking,"Not terrible,but another inch or two of rise is really needed", to even think about not hitching them up frequently.

So much more to talk about!

 

[papado]

If you want off the rack 12+ inch rise you'll be a little hard struck nowadays--I think some Paul Stuart models may have that but as I think they're pivoting younger it may be harder to find. O'connells may ahve some models but you'd have to order as they're upstate.

11 inch is probably the most possible OTR; even SuitSupply has a model with an 11" rise (double pleated though). Anything higher you'll like need to do MTM/Bespoke so it's all about your budget.

 

[Juan for the road]

This is one of the first I tried,it was also the one with the most rise,at 11",which I didn't know at the time,but I thought it needed at minimum an inch and a half to be just above the hip and stay up without having to hitch it up,let alone be comfortable.I take 34 / 32 jeans which is a short inseam for my height,but make up the diference in my high hip bone location.I actually look much better proportioned with a longer rise.This whole low rise thing has been a disaster for me

 

[Juan for the road]

The Saks off 5th website has a pretty decent rundown,the best I could find,regarding the fit and dimensions of various trousers by various makers,but the effort can make you dizzy. About the best source for pants rise information I could find.

The store itself was kind of a letdown,I kind of figured I could try on a bunch of things and order online if it came to that,but the selection in-store was very limited and not quite organized at all. No one offered any help in 3 hours of me being there.No big deal,not surprised,but it is a typical understaffed,unserious mall style store. I was just happy to borrow a measuring tape.

If you are willing to dig through their site,you can find a few trousers with a listed rise of 12". They list a few Armani trousers at 12",one at 13" and even a 14" rise.If you trust pictures,forget it.The photos that go with a 10" rise pants look identical to a 12" rise pants. And there really is no way at all to tell,other than eliminating say "slim fit" off the list to tell what the legs and butt would be like.

So,not being surprised at having my trouble with fit,I ordered 2 pairs of Italian wool trousers,relaxed fit and 12.25" rise from eHabidasher.My plan is to get them tailored locally if the rise and fit seem reasonable.

Have to run to work,I will link to my purchase later on when I get a chance.