Cuffing of Work Pants

[lci419]

Hello all,

I just received a pair of fisher stripe work pants and was wondering what thoughts are on cuffing the bottoms. Was standard practice in the 30's-early 40's work pants to put a professional turned cuff in them, cuff them up a la a pair of jeans, or leave them hemmed without cuffs? I've tried looking through photos and catalogs, but I haven't turned up anything substantial yet and hoped someone out there in Fedoraland might have some observations. Thanks

 

[Nick D]

If you're doing any work with any kind of heat whatsoever, it would be a Very Bad Idea. Having worked as a blacksmith (professional and hobby), I always kept my trousers uncuffed. Other trades like carpentry may be different.

 

[Methuselah]

I've also done blacksmithing, glass blowing & pewter casting in the past & 100% agree with Nick.
But turn-ups are a nuisance for gardening, carpentry, pottery etc. also - I used to wear jean with turn ups and rapidly got fed up with emptying them out.

 

[bumphrey hogart]

Turn ups (or cuffs across the pond) were originally purely utilitarian,you turned them up to get them out of the way,it was a king over here who popularised them back in the 20s/30s, but they are still not considered smart, you would never find them on evening wear for instance.
So, it depends on the trousers,suit or dress trousers can be smartly done by a tailor if you want a vintage feel, work trousers, chinos/jeans should just be turned as they are, IMO.

 

[lci419]

While I appreciate the responses, I don't think I am relaying the meaning of my inquiry well enough. I can understand some folks may find that a cuffed leg opening may be less than ideal for the type of activities you may be involved in. I mean no offense, however I am not interested in personal preferences or anecdotes. I am interested in actual historical practices in a general sense, not as it pertains to blacksmiths, glassblowers, or any specific occupation. For example, railroad workers typically bound the cuff around the leg so as to not provide a wad of material which could catch on machinery and equipment.

That's great for a railroad worker, but would look silly and unnecessary for say a truck driver or janitor.


We know for fact that one of the standard practices (at least in America which is what I'm interested in) in the 30's-40's was to do a simple turn up the cuffs of overalls or dungarees.

Here it is on a pair of coveralls, though on a teen which I'm not sure translates to practice for adults:

Now, here are some views of a couple of pair of pants that may or may not be what I would consider work pants:

One has a simple hem, the other a "professionally" made cuff (not just a simple rolling up).

So...I am looking for observations others have had via photographic or other media evidence from the 30's-40's as to common practice on work pant cuff treatment. Or was there one? Was it all over the board based on personal preference as opposed to fashionable dictates?

 

[Mr Badger]

I just put simple 'turn up' cuffs on all of my work pants, including a pair of Pointer 'fisher stripe' carpenter pants.

From my own experiences working in a door knob / handrail / hinge factory when I left school, everyone just turned up the legs of their overalls to suit. As the overalls stayed while workers came and went, you quite often got given whatever set was around and looked like they'd fit.

I'd say that any worker who had 'proper' cuffs put on their work pants or overalls woulda got ribbed mercilessly for it! Mebbe a foreman woulda had starched and pressed overalls with proper cuffs but, as far as my opinion and experience has it, when you're on the shop floor you just wanted 'em to protect you from nasties and not be unduly dirty or smelly!

 

[David Conwill]

Mr. Badger makes a good point. My understanding from guys who were there in the 1950s was that blue jeans in that era came in waist sizes only, and only one length with that waist size. Thus, tall guys might show several inches of sock, and short guys might display several inches of cuff. Period photos I've seen tend to bear this out. This might also have varied with shrinkage (of the pants, not the worker).

-Dave

 

[bumphrey hogart]

Tailored turn ups only came about when the middle classes in the UK and US started aping an English king who at the time was considered very stylish,a fact that a carpenter in Ohio who turned up his trousers because they were a bit too long would probably have been quite unaware.The trousers at the bottom of your post that look professionally done only look that way because it's an advert.
If your trousers are a bit too long and you turn them up so they don't drag on the floor then you are being historically correct,it's as simple as that.