Illustration of the week #17: Low rise trousers

"The brute covers himself, the rich man and the fop adorn themselves, the elegant man dresses!"

-Honore de Balzac

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alden
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Mon Aug 31, 2009 5:42 am

We can see from the following picture of Mr Cooper in jeans the various problems associated with low rise trousers. The actor’s torso looks very long in relation to his legs and the overall look is out of balance.

Let’s assume for the purpose of this study and given his height, the RTW jeans in questions would be cut with a 22 cms rise. In reality 22 cms would be a pretty standard rise for RTW jeans, RTW trousers and Neapolitan trousers (could not resist.)

Image

I am going to add about 6-8 cms onto the trousers by eliminating one button length on his shirt (about 8 cms normally.) This should give a rise in the area of 29-30 cms.

Image

The result is much better as you can see. I would dare say that he could do with even a little bit more height in the wear of the trousers but we are at an acceptable level now.

Image

My advice is too stay far away from low cut trousers! Unless an attractive girl is wearing them…

Cheers

M Alden
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Mon Aug 31, 2009 5:58 pm

alden wrote: Let’s assume for the purpose of this study and given his height, the RTW jeans in questions would be cut with a 22 cms rise. In reality 22 cms would be a pretty standard rise for RTW jeans, RTW trousers and Neapolitan trousers (could not resist.)

M Alden
I am won over as to the need for a higher rise trouser, mainly because of the increased comfort but also because of the more attractive line, and would probably say that obtaining a suitable high rise fit is the main selling point to get bespoke trousers, even if casual, even though bespoke trousers are disproportionatly expensive in my view for a piece of tailoring which basically deals with straight lines.

RTW trousers are pretty much OK for me except for the rise issue.

Indeed, Neapolitan-cut trousers are instruments of torture in my view now, years after my excursion to that school of tailoring, due to lack of comfort because of the low rise, excessively narrow trouser leg and the lack of deep pleats to make sitting down comfortable.

I am still a devotee of the Neapolitan jacket, a stroke of Italian genius, as yet unrivaled by other schools for sports coats, though I am inclined to have trousers made elsewhere, by tailors for whom making a full high rise is part of their DNA, and that ofcourse is the English school.

The conundrum is how to reconcile a fuller leg trouser with a Neapolitan coat silhouette as the Neapolitan coat seems to cry for a narrower leg; the narrow leg is part and parcel of the pure Neapolitan silhouette. Any ideas?
alden
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Tue Sep 01, 2009 11:45 am

Uppercase

I have seen pictures of Mariano wearing his “ice cream bar” look, the ample coat on stick like trousers. You are concerned by a potential “pear” shaped look of a tight coat paired with ample trousers. I have seen many snug coats worn with pretty ample trousers and it can work very well. Look again at this illustration. The coat is not skin tight, but it is not floppy either. The balance and line of the ensemble is perfect.

Image

To achieve this balance you will have to make a few compromises. Leave a bit more fullness in the coat and tidy up the trousers to carve out the image you see above.
I am still a devotee of the Neapolitan jacket, a stroke of Italian genius, as yet unrivaled by other schools for sports coats,
Though I am also an admirer of Neapolitan tailoring, I would not say that they make the best sportscoat and I am not sure who does because the question is far more complicated that that. It takes two to tango, a good bespeaker and a good tailor. I am quite sure that my Sicilians or others from SR can give the Naples boys a run for their euros. And that has given me an idea.

I am going to suggest we do a no holds barred bespoke sewing contest using LL cloth, namely the last two Shetlands (LLTW07 and LLTW12.) Let each participant have his sportscoat made, then let’s post pictures and vote. If the members all use the same cloth, the difference will be seen in the taste of the bespeaker and talent of the tailor.

We will certainly have a few SR, a few Naples, and a few Rubinaccis to look at. We will also have one Sicilian entrant paired with yours truly. I placed the order for a new LLTW07 yesterday.

Stay tuned for more information on the LL 2009 Bespokathon coming to a forum near you soon.

Cheers

Michael
garu
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Tue Sep 01, 2009 12:40 pm

alden wrote:
I am going to suggest we do a no holds barred bespoke sewing contest using LL cloth, namely the last two Shetlands (LLTW07 and LLTW12.) Let each participant have his sportscoat made, then let’s post pictures and vote. If the members all use the same cloth, the difference will be seen in the taste of the bespeaker and talent of the tailor.

Stay tuned for more information on the LL 2009 Bespokathon coming to a forum near you soon.
Michael,

The Bespokathon is a brilliant idea. The only drawback is that some of us either passed or missed on LLTW07 and LLTW12. :oops:

Damn!

garu
alden
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Tue Sep 01, 2009 12:58 pm

Dear Garu

Thank you.

In reality, the LLTW12 order has not been placed yet, so there is time for anyone who would like to participate in the LL Bespokathon: The Sportscoat Derby; and I believe there are a few lengths of LLTW07 available as well. ( I liked it enough to be making two of them).

Cheers

M Alden
yialabis
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Tue Sep 01, 2009 1:15 pm

Michael , will you put me down for 2m of the LLTW12 then .. We wouldn't want an old Athenian tailor to miss his chance for a challenge. + It is a good excuse for me to make another nice coat .. 8)
regards
Vassilis
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Sat Sep 05, 2009 2:35 pm

Here's an interesting article - Mad Men and their Trousers - from the Financial Times on the 'trend' towards fuller trousers:

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/58538d70-8861 ... abdc0.html
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