Wearing a belt on cinchback jeans.

[MudInYerEye]

I have a minor dillema here with some pants and the wearing of a belt. I love wearing a belt. It's something to stick my thumbs in and hang my keychain on, as well as holding my trousers up. As many of you know, most jeans and workpants before WWII had waist adjusters on the back of the waistband or slightly beneath it. Most of these pants had suspender buttons as well. I have several pairs of Levi's, Lee, and RRL repros which copy jeans and pants from the 1880's to the late 1930's and feature the cinchback. The earlier pairs feature suspender buttons only, no belt loops. Obviously with these I wear only suspenders. But the pants from the 20's and onwards had suspender buttons and beltloops. The cinchback on most of the 20's and 30's pants run directly along the waistline. If the cinchback is left as is (and not chawed off or undone to dangle sloppily), it completely hinders the wearing of a belt therefore making the suspenders the neatest way to wear the pants. But on the late 30's models there are no suspender buttons (except on the Lee 101B) and the wearing of a belt remains hindered. I hate not wearing a belt or at least suspenders, feels on damn incomplete. I know some of you own these models as well. What do you folks do with these? Do you chaw off the cinchback for an authentic look? Looking at old WPA photos and old movies, it seems like a lot of folks did this, I just can't bring myself to mutilate these beautiful jeans.
Do you just go beltless? What do you folks do?

 

[Biltmore Bob]

Whats your waist and inseam...

Just send them to me...


Seriously though. I'm having a problem too. I don't own any vintage or repos and I hate wearing a belt. I like suspenders on trousers, but non of mine have buttons. I am considering putting bachelor buttons on some trousers and getting some buttonthrough suspenders. I dont't like the look of pants with beltloops and not wearing a belt however.

 

[Alan Eardley]

Cinch or belt...

Mud,

D'you know, I've often wondered this myself. The belt (unless it's very narrow, like a military belt) covers the buckle, and it can be uncomfortable. II just put up with it and wear a belt (sometimes) on my jeans that don't have suspender buttons. It would have been so easy for the designer to move the cinch belt down about an inch or so. I wonder why they didn't?

 

[airfrogusmc]

I usually just cinch'm up nice and tight but if you cinch'm under the back center belt loop and wear the belt over the buckle and under the belt loop its not to bad.

 

[Matt Deckard]

Even if you take the cinch back off you are still just making them your own. I am sure they had the same issue in the past, heck the cinch back never returned to mainstream for one reason or another. If you don't like it just make it your own and remove the cinch, they're still repros even without the cinch.

 

[MudInYerEye]

Pondering Biltmore's response has led me to think he's on to something: I'll just sew suspender buttons on the damn things.