High Style.

[Oscar Tong]

Hey, Root, I love the picture of yourself that you had just posted! The car behind you only enhances the overall feel. Funnily enough, you look like a nicer version of Thomas F. Wilson as Biff Tannen in Back to the Future in that picture! How long has it taken you to collect all the stuff I've seen you sport on this message board?

Of course, I also think that having the trousers hang from the waist is vastly superior to hanging them from the hip. Every time I see a man with a massive gut, I think to myself, "If he would only wear his trousers on his waist, he wouldn't look quite as bad." When I think this, I think of Bob Hoskins as Eddie Valiant in Who Framed Roger Rabbit (a movie that I never get tired of watching).

On the other hand, it's hard to look as good as Bogie did!

 

[Wild Root]

Why thank you for the kind words Oscar! It took me some time to collect this stuff! I started in 1996 with the clothes and it just took off like a rocket! I only wear vintage for the most part and I have loved the high waisted look since I started to get into the vintage life style!

I’m glad you agree that the higher waist look is superior to the hip high pants! Pants hang from the waist so much better at that point and they look just crisp and sharp. A nice long uninterrupted crease is what I really love about these old drapes!

The car I’m with is my 1946 Plymouth. The character Biff from “Back to the Future� drove a 1946 Ford two door convertible. That car is very sweet indeed! A car like that would cost about $20,000 more then I paid for my Plymouth. But, I really like Plymouths better then Fords any way. Still a sweet car though. Vintage cars and clothes just seem to go together!

About heavier men in higher waisted pants, I agree! I feel it better to cover the gut and not let it flop out over the belt line. Looks better in many ways. Some feel they would look like Fred Mertz from Lucy, but I ask: What’s wrong with that? Fred was cool!

Root.

 

[jamespowers]

Looks better in many ways. Some feel they would look like Fred Mertz from Lucy, but I ask: What’s wrong with that? Fred was cool!

Yeah Frawley looked pretty good in the day when he was starring in movies with James Cagney. He had style then with those suits and hats.
In I Love Lucy, you could never tell if Fred had a huge gut because it was always blended in.

Regards to all,

J

 

[jake_fink]

Root,

No, you do not look like an ice cream cone *quietly regrets phrase* though you do look very cool. Please, take my word for it, this dude does not look good in high waisted pants. It may be the hair. Anyway, that's between him and his closet.

:cheers1:

 

[Biltmore Bob]

I like High Waisted trousers, but I can't keep them up even with a tight belt. I find myself constantly hiking them up. Braces may work. When I wear suspenders I find that they keep the trousers up to high and give me the male version of a camel toe. If I loosen the suspenders, they fall off my shoulders.

This leads me to a question...where are the suspender buttons suposed to be located on a pair of trousers? For instance, I have found a couple of nice cheap, loose fitting khaki trousers. I was thinking of getting some bachelor buttons and installing them myself. The suspenders that I like are the "Y" type, with one brace going down the middle of the back, although I've been trying to wear a pair of generic clip on "X" type elastic suspenders. The rear buttons I can figure out, it's the front buttons I'm having difficulty with. Do I put them more in the front or more to the sides? The braces themselves will dictate the spacing of the buttons, I know. Maybe I should visit a Tailor or mens suit store for ideas.

If I installed the buttons like Bogart's in the photo, the braces would slip off my shoulders.

 

[Oscar Tong]

RE: Suspender buttons

Perhaps this paragraph from Clothes and the Man by Alan Flusser will help, Bob.

Trousers to be worn with suspenders should have two buttons in the back that are equidistant from the center of the fork of the suspenders. In front, there are four buttons: one over each of the main pleats, the other two just forward of the side seam. They may be sewn inside or outside the waistband, depending upon personal preference. Trousers should always be worn larger at the waist so that they are actually "suspended" from the shoulders.

 

[Biltmore Bob]

Makes sense.

 

[Wild Root]

:clap :clap :clap

This thread is on its second page! I'm so happy for all of you who have participated in this thread!

Let’s keep it going shall we?

Root.

 

[Biltmore Bob]

Another question...

Can one wear a belt and suspenders at the same time?

 

[Wild Root]

Yes, one can do that if they have to. But, properly they shouldn't be worn together. It's a fashion no, no by today's standards and yesterday's.

Root.

 

[zeus36]

Everything I've read says not to wear a belt and suspenders at the same time. I usually follow this except at work. I sometimes wear a nondescript military style web belt with Martin Dingman suspenders on a pair of high waisted relaxed fit pants.
Once and a while I will wear a pair of (gasp!) clip on dress suspenders if I plan to get dirty at work. But never out in public.

Here is a link for the book on Clothes and the Man :

http://www.boo.com/flusser_book/doc/index_current.html

 

[Biltmore Bob]

The empty belt loops just don't look right to me. I was watching a program the other day, can't remember the nqame, some PBS thing. It looked like it took place in the 20s or 30s England, there were some automobiles for reference. Some chap (servant type for an estate) was changing out a tire on a car. He was wearing high waisted trousers and had a very wide leather belt. I don't think the trousers had belt loops either.

 

[zeus36]

Note below in paragraph four that it is advised to remove the belt loops.


More from the booK:

There are several practical reasons why suspenders are still the proper choice to be worn with the business suit, especially one with pleated trousers. Suspenders permit the trousers to hang best, supporting the front of the pants as well as the rear. They allow the pleat to establish its proper line and make the crease of the trousers more apparent. Additionally, suspenders are more comfortable than belts, which must be drawn tight around the waist in order to hold up the trousers. With suspenders, trousers can be worn loosely around the body, the only contact one feels coming at the point where the suspenders cross the shoulders. One might also note that during the summer months the wearing of suspenders actually promotes a certain coolness, as the roominess of the trousers around the waist area makes for improved air circulation.

Suspenders also have the added advantage of allowing the length of the trousers to remain constant. Normally, a man's trousers stretch at the waistband during the course of a day. Suspenders eliminate the need to pull them up two, three, four, or more times a day. For all these reasons and more, suspenders will always remain preferable to belts in dress wear.

Frankly, there is a simply no place for belts in the realm of tailored clothing. They cut a man's body in half, interrupting the smooth transition of the suit from shoulders to trouser cuffs. And they are particularly disruptive when one is wearing a vested suit. Either the belt creates a bulge under the vest or else it sticks out beneath it, completely destroying the line.

Needless to say, belts should never be worn in conjunction with suspenders. It is considered in poor taste. Therefore, if the trousers you're wearing are to be worn with suspenders, make sure your tailor removes the belt loops.

Once again, it must be emphasized that belts are properly worn only with sport clothes. However, if one does choose to wear a belt with a business suit, it should be simple, with a small buckle that does not call attention to itself. The buckle can be made in either gold or silver color, generally matching the color of the jewelry one wears. If there are initial embossed on it, make sure they are your own and not some "designer's."

 

[The Wolf]

You think belt and braces are bad...

Look at Bernie Mac's trousers on the poster for "Guess Who".
He has button style suspenders turned into clip style and wearing a belt.
It's a mess!

As always,
The Wolf

 

[crazylegsmurphy]

Sigh....I don't wanna be the one to say this cause Root has been so kind to me and helped me out so much, but I have to be a tad honest.

From a vintage standpoint you look awesome! Very classy, very cool! However from a modern day, people are morons, perspective it looks very "Revenge of the Nerds" or "Grandpaish."

I think that the natural waist pants need to be the right type of pants, and the right type of fit. The reason for the lower waste on guys is for the exact reason, they are trying to elongate the torso. This basically makes gives a much more slender look.

Now, wearing pants on the ass is a little low, and I admit I still wear my shorts like that because if I wore them on my waist I would look like a complete moron. I personally think the pants today should be in sort of a medium position...not too low, but not too high.

I hope you don't mind...but I lowered your belt by about 2 inches or something. To me, because there is less material in the midsection of the pants, it doesn't draw the eye to that area. I may be wrong, but it elongates your torso a tad, and makes you look skinnier.

What do you think? Like I say, Vintage wize...Awesome!

 

[Biltmore Bob]

I've noticed that the Old West reinactors wear britches that don't have belt loops and there are no front pockets. The waist band is sort of like a cummerbund. They mostly wear suspenders.

 

[Wild Root]

I know you're trying to be kind and not to offend me so; I'll go easy on you.

I couldn't care less of what people think today! I really love the high waisted look and to me I'm a rebel! Seeing most people wear there pants down around their ankles and think they are rebels. I hate, and I mean HATE lower waisted pants. So, in my humble opinion I couldn't give a flying Fig Newton of what people think when they see a high waisted look. I am a big nerd! And I say that proudly. Most nerds I have met have manners, say nice things, do nice things and are all around smart and nice joes. They just have a bad wrap for enjoying Star Trek a little too much. Even nerds today wear their pants low waisted!

I wear vintage, and I wear it the WAY it's supposed to fit!!! You get a better drape that way and the trousers were cut to be worn that high.

What I do on a daily basis is give people a look into the past. I drive an old car, wear old clothes. I’m a 1930’s and 40’s transplant! So, if I wore my vintage with a modern twist, it would be accepted by more people but, You'll find this funny, only the guys my age and younger think "Nerd" when they see this. People older think it's a very nice look and I get complements left and right! It's refreshing to most folks to see pants that aren't hanging off of a man's rear! And if I were to wear my pants lower, the vintage tie wouldn’t hit the belt! You can’t make that longer you know.

I live in the 1940's and enjoy some of the modern tools we enjoy today.

Cheers,

Root.

 

[Wild Root]

Why thank you Nick! Welcome aboard the nerd train! Next stop, the antique shop and all points up! AAAALL ABOOAARRD!

Cheers,

Root.

 

[Matt Deckard]

The low waisted look is just terrible on Root. Looks like his rear would be sagging in the back.

If Clark Gable, James Stewart, Bob Hope, Bing Crosby, Humphry Bogart, Fred Astaire, Franlklin Roosevelt, Cary Grant, Winston Churchill, Albert Einstein and Gary Cooper are nerds, I'm happy to be in their club!

With a low waisted pair of pants comes a low waisted vest and I don't want to see a repeat of the 1700's.


By the by, this thread needs to be moved to General attire and Accoutrements.

 

[ITG]

Root, I do like the high waisted look on you better too. Makes your hips look slimmer in comparison with the photoshopped pic. But crazylegs, I must say, that's some excellent photoshopping skills! The good thing about you men and your high waisted pants is that you don't have to worry about plumber's crack.