Higher rise jeans for men: Yay or nay?

[Kiko123]

Hello everyone! I've noticed that in the 1940s guys wore higher waist jeans and it got me thinking. I'm 6' but my legs are relatively short and I have a long torso. Do you think I am right in wanting to ditch the low-waist look that is so popular? Will it look funny (like I am wearing mommy jeans lol) on a guy? What is your opinion on that? I'd also lie to ask who and when wore jeans in the 40s, I think they were worn mainly by the country folk? The good thing nowadays is that jeans don't look out of place in an urban environment (as a college student I feel too uncomfortable yet with wearing slacks).

I'm fed up with the modern fashion in jeans where your legs look even shorter. Especially since I have very skinny ones and I think the wider-legged 40s would made them look not as stick-thin. I guess the only way is to order repros from the Internet as I haven't seen wider/high waist jeans for guys since about 2003.

 

[emigran]

I only wear LEE that sit at the waist... I'm 68 and can't fathom wearing the new style... Lee really fit me well... thighs and butt too...
I recently found a pair of really old high-waist Lee's from whenever and put them on... not bad either...

 

[Rudie]

Low waist trousers combined with a long torso and short legs make for a very unfavorable appearance. You can only win with high waist trousers. Another added benefit is that you are not mistaken as a plumber anymore.

Good wide high waist jeans are SJC's Brakeman Waist Overalls and Freddie's of Pinewoods 1940s jeans.
http://www.aeroleatherclothing.com/product-detail.php?id=3001

http://www.freddiesofpinewood.co.uk/categories/mens/4-jeans

 

[Edward]

In the eyes of most folks round here, you're in the wrong place if you were to go looking for support for low-waisted jeans... The preferred look for the period of clothing which this forum centres on is certainly a high waist. In the objectiv,e though, if we set aside period-accurate looks for a minute, I do agree with you that the super-low waists common nowadays make the body look oddly proportioned. Also, my experience (with both Lee and 501s in the 90s & 2000s) was that regular jeakns these days being so low-waisted - the hipster cut - is damned unomfortable.

I've got no idea what "mommy jeans" are, tbh, so I can't help on that front. I've never much cared what other people think of my jeans, though, if I'm happy in them.

Back in the day, jeans wre mostly workwear, as intended when they were first sold in the 1880s. Farmers, prospectors, factory workers. The 50s saw the change, with them becoming increasingly popular as fashion wear, no doubt thanks to the likes of Jimmy Dean. If you watch Rebel Without a Cause, you'll see he wear 'proper' trosuers for class - schools in those days in the US typically banned jeans. Here in the UK where school uniform is the norm, on the rare "non-uniform day", the rule against denim was only relaxed into the eighties. Once Dean is out of school, he wears denim on his own time. That seems to have been fairly common in the 50s. The idea of wearing jeans everywhere, and especially the notion of "smart casual" / "dressy jeans" is, in my experience, a post 1990 thing.

 

[Edward]

Low waist trousers combined with a long torso and short legs make for a very unfavorable appearance. You can only win with high waist trousers. Another added benefit is that you are not mistaken as a plumber anymore.

Good wide high waist jeans are SJC's Brakeman Waist Overalls and Freddie's of Pinewoods 1940s jeans.
http://www.aeroleatherclothing.com/product-detail.php?id=3001

http://www.freddiesofpinewood.co.uk/categories/mens/4-jeans

Freddies are nice - I wore them for a few years before SJC started up. If you can stretch to the extra, though, the SJCs are well worth it.

 

[bn1966]

I quite like some Pike Bros products & am expecting my first ever pair of 'high waist' Chinos in the post any day now to go with my SJC Polo shirt

 

[tropicalbob]

Go to the Cavender's site and order yourself a pair of the Wrangler Rigid Cowboy cut Indigo Original fit jeans. They'll cost you $19.95 and let you discover how much more comfortable and natural-feeling higher-waisted trousers really are. After that you can spend the extra money on the fancier stuff. It's a true revelation when you first try them on. The Wranglers are also a nice, sturdy 14.5 oz. You'll never look back (so to speak).

 

[Kiko123]

I am going for the 1940s young farmer/country boy look to be honest and it will match my future way of life. I am currently in the process of moving out of the city but this look today would not look that out of place even in the modern city I think. Thankfully, the countryside in 2016 is only a bit different than it was in e.g. 1948 while modern cities have a totally different feel that I dislike. I think it's easier to actually feel the past decades in a small village or a cottage somewhere in the country, much less modern distractions and reminders. In cities we are reminded that it's the 2010s at every corner.
On a side note, didn't most people back then actually live in the countryside in most countries, I think that's especially true for Continental Europe where I am from (maybe in the UK and the US, too to a lesser extent?).

Anyway, thank you for the sites everyone! Leading a vintage lifestyle in most of Continental Europe is even harder and we have very few options like thrift shops over here. Most of the people wearing vintage here are just incorporating the hippy styles of the 60s-70s. Second-hand shops in my area are mostly 80s-2000s with some 70s clothes. So far I haven't seen any vintage-oriented shops here.

 

[Retromoto]

Yay...........It's tough to find decent fitting jeans today. I have a couple older pair of Carhartt jeans I love, they fit well and sit where I feel they should and offer the best comfort.
Retromoto

 

[robrinay]

Go to the Cavender's site and order yourself a pair of the Wrangler Rigid Cowboy cut Indigo Original fit jeans. They'll cost you $19.95 and let you discover how much more comfortable and natural-feeling higher-waisted trousers really are. After that you can spend the extra money on the fancier stuff. It's a true revelation when you first try them on. The Wranglers are also a nice, sturdy 14.5 oz. You'll never look back (so to speak).

I've contacted Cavenders to see if they'll ship to the UK - fingers crossed- Wrangler 13MWZ jeans are no longer sold in the UK.

 

[swinglish]

The SJC models are excellent, I have a pair of Big Bs and I love them.

You can buy them (and the SJC Brakeman jeans) from Aero leathers: -

http://www.aeroleatherclothing.com/products.php?cat=denim&sub=tend

If you don't want to / can't spend that much and you're in Europe, look for a pair of Lutece cinch back jeans (M1937 model on their website): -

http://www.lutece-mfg.com/de/2015-02-02-07-34-12/jeans-m1937.html

They're high cut, wide legged, comfortable, pretty affordable, well made, decent denim (13.75 Oz). They're frankly excellent for the money in my opinion.

You can find them on eBay (I think a company in Germany called Ferromil sells them, among others) or from Soldier Of Fortune in the UK: -

http://www.sofmilitary.co.uk/us-navy-1940s-denim-deck-jeans-usn-red-selvage-jeans-product,14013

 

[tropicalbob]

I am going for the 1940s young farmer/country boy look to be honest and it will match my future way of life. I am currently in the process of moving out of the city but this look today would not look that out of place even in the modern city I think. Thankfully, the countryside in 2016 is only a bit different than it was in e.g. 1948 while modern cities have a totally different feel that I dislike. I think it's easier to actually feel the past decades in a small village or a cottage somewhere in the country, much less modern distractions and reminders. In cities we are reminded that it's the 2010s at every corner.
On a side note, didn't most people back then actually live in the countryside in most countries, I think that's especially true for Continental Europe where I am from (maybe in the UK and the US, too to a lesser extent?).

Anyway, thank you for the sites everyone! Leading a vintage lifestyle in most of Continental Europe is even harder and we have very few options like thrift shops over here. Most of the people wearing vintage here are just incorporating the hippy styles of the 60s-70s. Second-hand shops in my area are mostly 80s-2000s with some 70s clothes. So far I haven't seen any vintage-oriented shops here.

I think I know the look you're interested in, as it's probably not too far from the one I've been slowly edging toward. The best advice I can give is to keep an eye on this forum and investigate anything that looks interesting. I've picked up some very nice vintage shirts and jackets recently via Etsy and Ebay: spend a little time on both until you start to find sellers who carry the sorts of styles you find appealing. For shirts I simply type in "Vintage shirts loop collar" and find pages and pages of them. You might also want to consider some hats for your look. I just received a beautiful Milan Straw from Art Fawcett (see his Vs threads in the "Hats" section). He's having a sale on them at the moment, and one would be a great start for you.