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Help me identify a pair of 1930s-style pants

TheFabulous30s

New in Town
Messages
6
Hello there, forum members!

I'm a new member to The Fedora Lounge, but I know that many here are more knowledgeable than me on vintage menswear and I wanted some help identifying a pair of pants I own.

First, I just want to give a quick background on me: I have been collecting antique men's clothing from the 1920s-1950s for about 3 years now, with an emphasis on 1930s clothing (my favorite decade). I don't like buying reproductions unless they are done almost exactly to the specs of the original patterns; hence, most of my clothing (especially my pants and suits) is original.

For that reason, I was very intrigued when I found this pair of pants. I was at a Goodwill in Kentucky of all places (about 5 months ago) when I found this pair. They appear to be very similar to pants of the 1930s, with the drop loops, wide legs, and an extremely high waist (my favorite feature). And thank goodness they have suspender buttons, too! The legs, however, are strangely tapered towards the uncuffed bottoms. I'm not very well educated on 1920s knickerbockers, but I have a feeling that the legs (especially given their wideness) more closely resembles 1920s pants than 1930s.

Now I will get to the question. The pants (see images) are in fantastic condition. There are a few snags here and there on the outside, but they are small in number and very hard to see. But I am not convinced these are original - rather, I believe these are a VERY GOOD reproduction pair. This is because the fabric doesn't feel like a pure wool used much in the '30s, but rather a wool blend if that. Additionally, the inner pockets aren't made of a cotton nearly as thick as the pockets of my other pants from this era, and furthermore, they are not nearly as yellowed as anything original I own. So, my questions are: are these pants an original? If not, who made them, what for, and when?

I doubt the last question will be very easy to answer given that I couldn't find ANY tags indicating a manufacturer or prior owner on the inside. For about $8 at a thrift store, these were a great find, and I'd love to find even more pairs like this given how crisp of a reproduction they are. But to do so might require knowing who made them, and I don't know if I have enough information to answer that. If anyone here has any ideas, I would love to hear them.

Thank you all so much for any help you can provide.
 

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Cuvier

One of the Regulars
Messages
175
Location
Texas
They look a lot like the ones from my zoot suit. If yours was banana yellow with red pinstripes they'd be near identical. Mine are high waisted, super wide with a dramatic taper starting at the knees down to the ankles. Worn more like high waters. Matching jacket has exaggerated shoulders, painfully snug waist and a long, wide skirt-like bottom.
You might go back and see if there's a matching jacket and/or vest.
I wish I had a picture of it. Most obnoxious outfit at that jazz concert I was playing at. Took forever to find a big yellow hat for it too.
 

TheFabulous30s

New in Town
Messages
6
They look a lot like the ones from my zoot suit. If yours was banana yellow with red pinstripes they'd be near identical. Mine are high waisted, super wide with a dramatic taper starting at the knees down to the ankles. Worn more like high waters. Matching jacket has exaggerated shoulders, painfully snug waist and a long, wide skirt-like bottom.
You might go back and see if there's a matching jacket and/or vest.
I wish I had a picture of it. Most obnoxious outfit at that jazz concert I was playing at. Took forever to find a big yellow hat for it too.
Thank you for that! I totally forgot that zoot suits were a thing...

I don't live anywhere near KY but I would definitely go back if I did. I'm actually not that big of a fan of zoot suits only because I think the jackets look very ugly and the hats are really tacky, but I absolutely love the trousers! With this in mind, I will look for zoot trousers in the future, maybe buy some online with different colors. Do you know any good places I could look?

Thank you again for your help.
 

Cuvier

One of the Regulars
Messages
175
Location
Texas
Thank you for that! I totally forgot that zoot suits were a thing...

I don't live anywhere near KY but I would definitely go back if I did. I'm actually not that big of a fan of zoot suits only because I think the jackets look very ugly and the hats are really tacky, but I absolutely love the trousers! With this in mind, I will look for zoot trousers in the future, maybe buy some online with different colors. Do you know any good places I could look?

Thank you again for your help.
Thank Nobert as well. He came to the same conclusion and beat me to it.
 

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