High waisted wool trousers

[Jsoftz]

Howdy folks-

It's been a long time since I've posted here... like ten years. Surprised my account is still active! Last I posted, I was in high school. Times have changed!

I'm looking for high-waisted/high-rise wool trousers. I don't necessarily require fishtail, although that would be nice. I would also like to see what is available that is relatively inexpensive- they don't have to be super nice, but worsted wool is definitely my preference. Gabardine, tropical wool would be great, too. I see the sources from Darcy and Old Time, however they seem to only be available in cotton and have more of a workwear aesthetic. They're probably at the top end of what I am willing to spend, if not less.

These days, I typically wear at least a sports jacket to work and already do bespoke through WW Chan for suits and MyTailor.com for shirts. These items are my work and social gathering clothes and I don't want them to have an outwardly vintage look. They are also expensive (my last suit was about $1,800) and not very well suited to my hobby, which is Lindy Hop. I imagine there are a few lindy hoppers here, but for those unfamiliar, this is all the American Jazz Vernacular Dances including the Lindy Hop, Charleston, Shag, Balboa etc, collectively called swing dancing. Here's a video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-WamYlOQrs

Anyhow I'm looking for a bit looser, high-waisted wool pants that I can wear dancing and casually without worrying about tearing them open or sweating a ton. And if I do, which is often inevitable (I lost some suit trousers to a jazz split not too long ago), I don't want to cry about it. The town I now live in has a dearth of good thrift shops and no vintage themed shops with menswear, so I'm looking online for sources. For reference, I'm probably between a 30-32" (...more 32 than 30 if I am honest) with a 29-30" inseam. eBay is difficult because finding the rise, which would have to be at least 10", is not something you can really filter by.

Any guidance that y'all can offer would be great.

 

[Tomasso]

You will find loads of trousers with high rises at shops which cater to big and tall men. Time was these stores carried mostly drek but now there are a few which stock goods from the better makers like Zanella for instance.

 

[Jsoftz]

You will find loads of trousers with high rises at shops which cater to big and tall men. Time was these stores carried mostly drek but now there are a few which stock goods from the better makers like Zanella for instance.

I'm only 5'6" and I wear a 38s or smaller, so I'm not entirely sure that will work. Obviously, a tailor will finish the hems and can taper the legs but that doesn't always yield great results.

I had a pair of Zanella trousers I found at a thrift store awhile back that I loved and were reasonably high rise. I spilled something on them after a dance and haven't worn them since..

 

[Tomasso]

I'm only 5'6" and I wear a 38s or smaller, so I'm not entirely sure that will work. Obviously, a tailor will finish the hems and can taper the legs but that doesn't always yield great results.

It's doable even with your height though some cuts will be more accomodating than others. Visit a B&T shop and check it out.

 

[Dick Ireland]

I was going to advise looking in thrift shops, but if you buy on ebay, I've found the following to work just as well: measure your circumference at the navel and buy trousers with that waist measurement, your usual inseam, and a rise of 12 or 13 inches (actually, for your height, 11 or 12 inches might be better). Ask the seller to measure the rise for you. They've always been happy to do it for me.

Pay attention to cuff diameter, too. 9" is pretty standard, but you'll want more if you can get it, and definitely more at the knee. If you know the cuff diameter, you can pretty accurately judge the cut of the leg (wide, straight, skinny) by looking at a photo of the pants laid out flat on their side.

Good luck!

 

[carldelo]

Your profile doesn't say where you are, so this advice may be misguided. In the NYC area, Zanella trousers are sold at Century 21 department stores. Generally the price is around $110 marked down from $295 retail. These trousers are fantastic, drape well and last a very long time. I probably have 12 or more, some 8 years old that I still wear regularly. The only ones that have been retired are some zephyr-weight summer trousers that just wore out. Anyway, their stores are generally well-stocked, but it seems they don't post these trousers on their website, so you may not have access to them. I generally check C21 twice a year, and it seems I always find at least one pair of trousers to buy.

 

[GBR]

It would not be out of the way to have a work suit with high rise/braces.

 

[Edward]

www.old-town.co.uk do a range of options for high waist / wide leg trousers in a range of fits and fabrics. Their serge is particularly nice. They're aiming mostylr for an early 20th Century British vibe (1900ish-1920sish), but some of their styles extended well into the Thirties over here. The high waist / wide leg models, to my eye at least, look right for anything from Thirties right up til legs got narrower again in the Fifties.