When were these popular? Season for wearing? What with? Do you have any in your collection? Any images?
When were these popular? Season for wearing? What with? Do you have any in your collection? Any images?
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A sense of the fundamental decencies is parcelled out unequally at birth. - Fitzgerald
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Oxford bags were first popular in the 1920s; modified versions were sold all the way up to the late 1930s. The story goes that students of Oxford University were not allowed to wear plus-fours (knickers in Yank speak) to classes. The students' rebellious solution was to wear flannel trousers with very wide legs over the plus-fours. After class, they would strip off the trousers and walk around in their plus-fours, happy as clams. These baggy, elephant-legged pants came to be known as "Oxford bags".
Rich young American males brought the fashion from England to the U.S. It never caught on with most folks, but the American menswear industry got wind of it and offered a modified version for about 10 years. The adapted "Oxford bag" found in Sears catalogues was called a "campus pant", "varsity pant", or "collegiate pant". Unlike the original Oxford bags, these ones' legs were not uniformly wide from thigh to cuff. Rather, they were slim along the thigh, then flared out from the knee down to the cuff. (That's right: '70s bell-bottoms were imitations of a '30s style!) The circumference of the leg bottoms were, at most, 24 inches -- about 4 inches wider than the average.
I have no Oxford bags in my collection, nor do I have photos of any. I did have a pair of "varsity pants", but sold them on eBay several months ago. Their leg bottoms weren't all that wide: about 22 inches, I think.
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The line drawing look similar to a pair of pants I have with a label that says "Smokey Joe's." Here's a picture:
If they are in fact the same pants, here's my review. . .
They are super comfortable and (the pair I own at least) are indeed high waisted, even by vintage standards. They are great to dance in or just lounge around in and are loose and baggy throughout.
My only complaint is that I usually have to wear vintage style pull over shirts or sweaters with these slacks becuase the waist band is all wrong. Oxford Bags and campus trousers featured very wide waistbands and the waistbands of these slacks are pretty modern looking. Also the double belt loop in the front throw the look off as well. Addittionally, the pleats are'nt exactly accurate since they are both inward and outward facing pleats (the kind that faces both directions; kinda like slits). Also, I've seen these pants in polyester; but the pair I own (and I think oxford bagz is selling) are cotton/linen. Lastly, you may need to cuff these yourself, becuase the retail cuff on mine were pretty measly (an inch and a quarter) so I redid them at 2 inches.
Thankfully, pullover sweaters were in fashion in the 30's so I can rock the charleston while everybody thinks I'm wearing historically accurate Oxford Baggies.
The pleats they show in the drawing are what really turns me off these pants, which sucks because it really is the only thing keeping me from ordering a pair. If they made them with normal double-forward or double-reverse pleats they would be perfect.
I'm with you Vlad, I'd take a pair of them if... I could get them with no pleats! I know, I like pleats and what not but, original oxford bags I've seen had no pleats! So, if I can get a pair with no pleats, I'll buy a pair and, if I could get them made of a heavier fabric like a ivory wool gab or flannel. I know, picky picky me.
I'm a little turned off by the inseam availability, only 30 and 32? Can we get them unhemmed? I'm usually a 34" inseam so i fear these would be too short unless I wanted to get rid of the cuffs (and of course I would NOT).
Can we wait for some pictures and details?
You guys attend every parade with a ready, full bladder!
"Well, we haven't actually seen 'em yet, but of course, they suck scissors."
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A sense of the fundamental decencies is parcelled out unequally at birth. - Fitzgerald
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OK, here are the pics!
IN-N-OUT Burger, It's DIVINE!
Gotcha! Actually I am uploading them now.
sorry.
IN-N-OUT Burger, It's DIVINE!
Well my (authentic 20s/early 30s) bags have pleats - 2: English-style forward facing.
Drawings one can never trust. Can't wait to see the photos.
Any reason why there's no waist size below 32?
Marc, was watching those 30s troos on eBay too. Few bids 'til the last day. I was getting excited! Then the serious bidders arrived and pushed it into the stratosphere. they looked just like those ones from the '35 Sear's catalogue you posted a long while back, eh? Oh, well. More pics for my archive.
To the chap promoting these: What's the rise on 'em? And do they use a long zipper?
bk
There is but one truly serious philosophical problem, and that is suicide. All the rest . . . comes afterwards. Camus
http://baronkurtzvintage.wordpress.com/
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