Help finding 1950's dress pants for larger guy

[Allenworsham]

I do not want to step on anyone's toes as I know how serious folks here are about authentic vintage clothing. But I am struggling to find a few pieces that:

1. fit a larger person like me.
2. being able to afford them.

I have a few vintage fedoras from my grandfather dated from the 1940's-1950's as well as a few store bought ones that I wear all the time which I really enjoy. Being bald and living in Southern California a hat is a must for me and I love the look. But now my wife is picking up a few vintage style dresses which she loves (from Lindy Bop online so they are modern replicas of vintage designs) and wants me to get some vintage style clothing to match so we can go out to dinner and such together and with friends. So my problem is that due to my size I am not able to find anything at the local vintage shops that fit me and all that I see online that will fit me are....well....too much money. So I am asking if you folks know of any places who would have some 1950's style higher waisted pants that would work in a bit larger size. I am am 6' tall and wear a 48-50 jacket as I have large shoulders and chest. My normal pant size is 36-38 waist with a 34 length off the rack in the typical men's store. For a higher waisted pant I would have to go with about a 40 waist.

So I am open to any suggestions or directions to track down something that will work for going out with my wife as I have lived by the motto "Happy wife, happy life" which has worked very well for the past 30 years. Thanks.

 

[Rabbit]

Welcome to the Lounge.

The main options that I see are firstly, to keep searching eBay since vintage originals even in a 40" waist can be found for less than the cost of reproductions, and secondly, Luxire for reproduction trousers. Some folks have had more luck than others with their commissions at Luxire, as you can read in this thread:

http://www.thefedoralounge.com/showthread.php?72342-Luxire-trousers

I'm a 30" waist and had Luxire make some repros of 1940s high-waisted trousers, just by providing specs, and they turned out very nicely. Below are a couple of pics of a repro linen trouser which, being only 10oz linen, is pretty hard to get right in the first place. Any mistake in the cut would show immediately. Note the front/back balance, seen in profile view.

Starting from the measurements used, I drew a crude pattern and blew it up to a 44" waist in order to get my father some high-waisted trousers made as well. They turned out very well, too. I should add that I went into a lot of detail with the measurements, specifying almost everything including pocket dimensions.
If it's of any use to you, I can adapt the measurements for your required waist size and then you can give it a try. No guarantee of course, but I think your chances are good. However, these trousers will be in the range of $100 for cotton, $130-170 for linen, $150-200 for most flannels if memory serves. There are some cheaper fabrics, but you'd better ask around if they're worth it.

Darcy Clothing has some reportedly well-made repro trousers, too, but they're cut narrower in the 1910s-20s fashion.

Perhaps you'll find some other suggestion in this thread:

http://www.thefedoralounge.com/show...in-the-40s-50s-casually-dress-(Without-Suits)

 

[Allenworsham]

Rabbit,

Thanks for the reply and the link to the young gentleman's post asking "How did people in the 40s-50s casually dress? (Without Suits)"

http://www.thefedoralounge.com/show...in-the-40s-50s-casually-dress-(Without-Suits)

Going though that thread and the various links was very helpful and informative and changed my perspective considerably. To have trousers custom made by Luxire would be nice, but it will not work out for me due to the cost and my limited expendable income. I will find some pleated trousers from a more modern era that will get the basic look to get into the ballpark of a 1950's appearance and then tie it together with some vintage items that I can get locally along with my grandfather's fedoras.

Thanks.