Widening trousers? A tip from the German Air Force

[Metatron]

Hello, this is a quote from 'Luftwaffe Air and Ground Crew 1939-1945' from Osprey Publishing:
''Tuchose(trousers) would be soaked in warm water, with wooden boards forced into each leg, and then left to dry. The desired silhouette was a close-fitting jacket and baggy trousers''

Sounds like just the look most male FL members strive for. Might be worth trying if you have some wooden boards lying around.

Just as a note, I would have posted this in the WWII section, but I wanted to focus on the method rather than the historical context, and thought that people who mostly frequent the 'general attire' forum might like to read this.

 

[Edward]

Interesting! Somewhere I have a device that my aunt purchased back in the 1990s, intended for widening trousers at the waist when they have shrunk over time in the wash. Primarily intended for use with jeans, though I had no joy with it. Course, mine may have shrunk in the, eh, wardrobe... Similar concept, albeit aimed at the waistband rather than widening the leg. I wonder could any permanent change be affected by this, or would it only be a temporary shift? Interesting how even in uniform there was a sense of 'fashion'.

 

[Erich Johann]

Interesting how even in uniform there was a sense of 'fashion'.

Isn't it that military fashion at times influences civilian fashion? And of course vice versa.

I guess it would be redundant to reiterate the claim that German soldiers' clothing of the time was to give quite a striking impression. And let's not talk about Hugo Boss making uniforms ... These are all horses beaten to death.

Just a few words on the Luftwaffe. The airforce branch of the Wehrmacht had the image of being especially "modern" -- aircraft symbolizing technological progress etc. If you look at the Luftwaffe uniforms, some details seem quite 1930s "modern"/fashionable, e.g. ties (while the footslogging army Landser was still wearing a neckstock), the dapper fatigue blouse (Fliegerbluse) with concealed buttons (which was way more popular with Luftwaffe men than the more traditional tunics), etc. (Even the Luftwaffe eagle seems more aggressive than his stoic Roman empire eagle-like cousin of the Heer or the navy). I guess it is the same for all armies regardless of time or country that airforce men are said to try harder at looking swell than the average G.I. Joe. My grandfathers both served in the WWII Luftwaffe and I have a lot of photos of them -- and they did try their best to look good when posing for the camera.

 

[Metatron]

I would love to read more about the service of your grandfathers. Have you talked about them before on the FL?

As for fashion in the army, I can give you a completely different perspective: When I did national service, the older soldiers wanted to look anything but smart. They would wash their uniforms very frequently to fade the camouflage colours, and would most often wear their 'worst' uniform, often frayed and full of holes, presumably to impress the newbies with their experienced look.

But to return to the original subject, I imagine that uniform trousers would have been narrower in the leg than the fashionable civilian models, hence the desire to alter them.

 

[Fletch]

Anecdote, non-personal: Junior enlisted Marines are careful NOT to have their dress blues tailored too much. The off-the-rack fit makes you one with your unit - anything else is showing off.

 

[Erich Johann]

I would love to read more about the service of your grandfathers. Have you talked about them before on the FL?

I have not.

As for fashion in the army, I can give you a completely different perspective: When I did national service, the older soldiers wanted to look anything but smart. They would wash their uniforms very frequently to fade the camouflage colours, and would most often wear their 'worst' uniform, often frayed and full of holes, presumably to impress the newbies with their experienced look.

I guess it depends, then, on the time and the place after all I can only speak from what I read about the German armed forces. At least in WWII, it was desirable to have proper uniforms, or at least mend them, and to have a prim and proper appearance in general. (Of course in barracks, on campaign, on furlough, e.g., are different situations with regards to availabality of clothing.) The Germans were pretty big on medals to boost morale, so there was a big range of different medals, ribbons, pins, etc. These would have shown one's experience. Not sure about today since I did not serve. I have seen quite a number of present-day German servicemen with washed out camo uniforms, though this might have more to do with economical reasons (besides, newly enlisted or, when the draft still existed, recently inducted recruits do not necessarily receive brand new clothing -- rather, they get something in their size and that is in stock, regardless of it being new or worn). Fort what it's worth, from reading U.S. WWII memoirs, I got the idea that as soon as GIs could get a new change of clothing, they would happily exchange it for their worn, torn, dirty, and not-changed-for 30-days uniform ...

But to return to the original subject, I imagine that uniform trousers would have been narrower in the leg than the fashionable civilian models, hence the desire to alter them.

Speaking for what I know about German (army) uniforms: the trousers were relatively wide (maybe not 1920s Oxford pants-wide ... ). In the beginning, they were supposed to be worn with jackboots and the pants put into the boots -- there was a special technique so this setup would not get uncomfortable. When lace-up ankle boots became more or less the norm by mid-to-late war, the trouser cuff area became tapered (instead of formerly straight) and had a lace to tighten the cuff so as to be worn comfortably with canvas leggings and the short ankle boots. The U.S. uniform of the time trousers also seem relatively wide, and they, like the British ones, were also supposed to be worn with leggings. Besides, all made of wool. Of course there were cotton or linen fatigue uniforms, but only during the Cold War years did cotton or blend fabrics replace wool as the traditional service/combat uniform material.

Aren't modern-day (combat) uniform pants also relatively wide? At least U.S. BDUs had some lace around the cuffs to ttighten them, and there are commercially available bands for that purpose too (I suppose soldiers should not really put a lot of trouser leg into their boots ...) -- and here we are again at fashion: some sort of "puffy" or baggy leg is en vogue these days with soldiers (or even regulated by official regulations)