Measuring: vintage vs. modern

[Mario]

Pardon my utterly uninformed question, but is there a fundamental difference when you're measuring for vintage or modern clothing, espcially pants? If my inseam was 34 (on jeans for example), would I need the same inseam on vintage high rise pants or is there a difference? [huh]

 

[mike]

Ebay sellers often write that you can get away with a lower inseam because pants were cut differently many years ago. I don't really follow that line of thought. What it means is that the top of the pants would sit higher, approx on a person's natural waist, so the rise would be greater than a modern cut pair of trousers. But the inseam would pretty much be exactly the same today as it was in ancient times.

 

[dakotanorth]

sizing vintage

That's part of it, true. The waist tends to ride on your natural waistline, not the hips or lower. The pants also had a longer rise (the distance from the waist to the bottom of the seat) which also subtracts from the inseam of the pants.
That is to say, even if you took vintage pants and rolled the waistline down to match the waistline of say, modern jeans, the seat will still hang lower.
I try to go by the OUTERSEAM- top edge to bottom of cuff. Even if the beltloops are lowered, you can adjust in your head very easily.
Problem is, most buyers on EBay don't grasp the wisdom behind this measurement and still ask for the inseam.
(What if they are MC Hammer pants? The inseam is what, 8 inches???)
lol

 

[Mario]

Thanks for your advice. Yes, that was also my line of thought to go with the outseam.

 

[avedwards]

Personally I'd want to know both inseam and outseam. That way you can work out how high they are supposed to be worn, as well as how well they will fit.

 

[Whithead]

Measuring

I am thinking of getting a Magnoli suit...Is there a difference in measuring for a made to measure Vintage suit?

I was assuming the tailor akes all that into account.

 

[skyvue]

I respectfully disagree with the suggestion of using the outseam as your key measurement.

The inseam is measured from the same spot for vintage trousers or contemporary ones; the outseam (which is, roughly, the inseam measurement plus the rise) varies from era to era. It's the rise, really, that changes; the inseam is constant.

I think some new wearers of vintage trousers wear the crotch lower only because they are not comfortable with the higher waist, so they cheat the waist (and therefore the crotch) down. But I've seen no evidence that the crotch was worn significantly lower in the 1920s-'50s than today (jeans tend to be snugger in the crotch, yes, but I'm speaking of dress trousers).