Bespoke trousers - extremely heavy vintage linen twill - a pictorial review

[Rudie]

A few months ago I was fortunate to acquire some pretty heavy vintage natural linen twill. It weighs in at 17 oz. per square metre! That's even heavier than the usual 17 oz. as these fabrics tend to be 150 or 160 cm wide. The fabric is absolutely amazing.

I went to a local trousermaker and asked her to make me bespoke trousers similar to an illustration from a 1938 Esquire. I am sure many of you fellow loungers are familiar with it. Here it is:

It sports a 4" waistband with two straps to fasten. No belt loops.

The result is totally amazing in my opinion. The trousermaker hated making them. She said these were the heaviest trousers she ever made and extremely difficult to work on. She made a great job drafting the cut and the drape of that heavy linen has to be seen to be believed. In the end she asked me if she could take some pictures of me wearing them (which she never did before with any of her previous clients) because they were so unusual and the fit perfect. We're both very pleased with the result.

So please enjoy the pictures and tell me what you think of the trousers!

Side view on the floor:

Waistband with fasteners:

Waistband and British pleats:

Front view:

Front details:

Rear view:

Rear view details:

Fastener details:

Cuffs are 5 cm with a neat little detail - they can be unbuttoned for ease of cleaning:

More pictures in the next post!

 

[Rudie]

And now for the really interesting stuff - the fit.

Front:

Left side view:

Right side view. Note how perfect the fit is. There is a clean line without a break in the front as well as in the back - without braces!

Rear view:

 

[Baron Kurtz]

Nice. Really interesting waist straps. I wouldn't have though they'd have been that long, but they work well. That's an interesting feature on the cuffs as well. I have only ever seen button feature that on German trousers.

There's a chap here in London who does really nice copies, too. I currently have him running off a pair of grey flannels for me (from an original pair of "bags" that I gave him for reference). He did a pair of linen trousers for me, and nailed the 30s British Fishtail back trousers perfectly. Now I just need to get the jacket (my guy only does trousers) …

 

[Edward]

Bravo! You and she should go into business with these if you can find more of that material. Sign me up as customer number one...

 

[Feraud]

Very nice trousers. I love the waistband and cuff details!

 

[Rudie]

Yes, that's the problem with my trousermaker, too. She only does trousers. But her workwomanship is impeccable and her price is hard to beat. I have seen trousers that don't fit half as well but cost five times as much.
I'll be in San Francisco in March and hope to place an order with Matt Deckard.

I first saw this cuff detail on Italian trousers.

Where do you get your flannel fabric from?

 

[Rudie]

Edward, the material shouldn't be a problem. But she is drowning in work already (no wonder, 120 Euros plus fabric is hard to beat) and really hated working on my trousers because the stuff is just too heavy. I'll try to dye the rest of the linen I have. She's already dreading my next commission with this fabric. For now she is working on two pairs of lighter summer trousers...

 

[Djupis]

There's a chap here in London who does really nice copies, too. I currently have him running off a pair of grey flannels for me (from an original pair of "bags" that I gave him for reference). He did a pair of linen trousers for me, and nailed the 30s British Fishtail back trousers perfectly. Now I just need to get the jacket (my guy only does trousers) …

I'd like to hear more about this chap...

 

[sproily]

Funny! They look almost exactly like my bespoke trousers, and from linen too!

 

[Rudie]

Really? Funny indeed. Were you inspired by the same illustration? Is yours a heavy linen twill, too?

 

[cookie]

I would use that pattern again and before you dye the material I would have a pair of shorts made from just cutting the leg length into shorts. They will be pretty authentically like the early WWII patterns of desert shorts worn by Commonwealth troops and seen on What Price Glory etc military surplus. The side would not be two but one thick strap witha buckle fastener. http://onlinemilitaria.net/shopdisplayproducts.asp?id=118&cat=KD+&+JG+UNIFORMS

The point that is always made about linen is that the heavier it is (up to a point) the better it hangs and can also be cooler as a result - as it does not cling - and allows for better wicking of body sweat. Heavier linen also can be good for between seasons. All that said I supect 17 ozs will be too heavy for a suit jacket.

 

[Bugsy]

And now for the really interesting stuff - the fit.

Front:

Left side view:

Right side view. Note how perfect the fit is. There is a clean line without a break in the front as well as in the back - without braces!

Rear view:

Wonderful trousers. I wish I had pair just like them.

 

[Tomasso]

Wonderful trousers!

They hang exceptionally well and look to be well made. I agree with the Baron (I'm speaking for him ) that the buckle placement could be an inch or two forward towards the zip , as the illustration exhibits. Also, I have the button-cuff treatment on some of my Italian made trousers and have found it a bit gimmicky.[huh]

 

[Rudie]

Thanks for the compliments!

Tomasso, I don't find the buttoned cuffs gimmicky at all. It's so much easier to brush the cuffs when they can be opened. I wish all my cuffed trousers had this feature.

 

[Tomasso]

It's so much easier to brush the cuffs when they can be opened.

Oh, you lika the Italiano Kool-Aid .........

 

[Matt_the_chap]

These are stunning trousers - one question: is the button concealed when you are wearing them? I can't tell.

 

[Rudie]

You mean the cuff buttons? Each cuff has two buttons. Yes, they are concealed.

 

[GBR]

Nice. Really interesting waist straps. I wouldn't have though they'd have been that long, but they work well. That's an interesting feature on the cuffs as well. I have only ever seen button feature that on German trousers.

There's a chap here in London who does really nice copies, too. I currently have him running off a pair of grey flannels for me (from an original pair of "bags" that I gave him for reference). He did a pair of linen trousers for me, and nailed the 30s British Fishtail back trousers perfectly. Now I just need to get the jacket (my guy only does trousers) …

Ambrosi uses the button cuff.

 

[resortes805]

Great trousers! I also would echo the suggestion to scoot the straps about 3 centimeters closer to the center.

 

[sproily]

Really? Funny indeed. Were you inspired by the same illustration? Is yours a heavy linen twill, too?

Mine don't have the odd belt straps but otherwise they are pretty similar.. Mine are heavy linen as well.