High waist Trousers / Pants: Keeping them up with a belt? Solutions/Rants anybody?

[PhantomKnight]

I find my high waist trousers never stay up with a belt unless i practically choke my belt around my waist till i feel sick in my stomach. That just seems silly. I think that this is a major reason that trousers become cut to fit up to the hips rather than the waist.

Has anyone else had this problem? Solutions? Techniques for wearing?

I have one pair of trousers that sort of stay up with a belt but they wear above my belly button.

Belly button is on the verge of being below the waist. I think trousers perhaps need to go above the belly button to be worn with belts. A little below with braces.

Any other frustrations and/or solutions from others?

Freedom to rant here guys (and gals)

 

[Flat Foot Floey]

Why don't you suspernders/ braces. They will keep your trousers up.

 

[Charlie Huang]

High rise trousers must ALWAYS be worn with braces. They are high rise for that reason alone.

 

[Nick D]

High waist trousers were frequently worn with belts. But they must fit. If the waist is not fitted correctly, or is not sitting at the right place, the belt will be uncomfortable and will not keep them in place. I have a few pairs of trousers that sit quite high, and I only need to wear the belt tight enough that it's not dangling loose in front.

That being said, I find braces more comfortable either way.

 

[Mario]

High rise trousers must ALWAYS be worn with braces. They are high rise for that reason alone.

So the belt loops and missing suspender buttons on a lot of vintage high rise pants were intended as some kind of practical joke, then?

Honestly, though: most people obviously had a different (shorter) build back then as I haven't found any vintage (especially 20's/30's) high rise pants with fishtail waist and suspender buttons that were long enough to accomodate that lanky self of mine. And you can believe me that I tried (and still try) pretty hard to find some...

 

[Cobden]

You could always have the belt loops moved lower down (dropped belts loops being pretty common), though the trouser design may negate this possibility

 

[Tomasso]

High waist trousers were frequently worn with belts. But they must fit. If the waist is not fitted correctly, or is not sitting at the right place, the belt will be uncomfortable and will not keep them in place.

Bingo! It's all about the fit. I have some odd trousers that I wear with neither belt nor suspenders, just side adjusters.

 

[Packin' Heat]

High rise trousers must ALWAYS be worn with braces. They are high rise for that reason alone.

Didn't belts start replacing suspenders during WWII due to shortages? And highwaisted trousers seemed fairly prominent as a style in the post-war world--though I'm juding from movies, and I know Hollywood isn't exactly the best indicatior of how people actually dressed.

 

[PhantomKnight]

There also seems to be two major style of high rise trousers that we are discussing; the fishtail (i am assuming you mean like my tux trousers that become QUITE narrow at the top and sit quite a few cm above my belly button) and the relatively "straighter"-sided trouser that are common daily wear.

So unless they fit almost like they are tailored it's braces or just keep pulling my trousers up every hour? (they slip down to around high hip area, acceptable rise but they look a little baggy).

 

[resortes805]

There are too many variables in this discussion. are these fishtail trousers? '20s fit trousers? '50's fit trousers? Modern bespoke? How are they 'supposed' to look? Take some pics and we can help you out.

 

[Tomasso]

Another positive about suspenders beyond comfort is that trousers hang better from them. That said, the dream team of 20th century sartorial icons (Cary, Fred, Gary and the DoW) all generally eschewed braces for belts. [huh]

 

[Bugsy]

Braces are the classical and classiest option.

 

[Cobden]

The problem with braces is that, in the UK at least (not sure about the US), it's not considered the done thing to have them visible; many organisations to this day prohibition braces in shirt sleeves as part of their dress code

 

[Tomasso]

(not sure about the US)

 

[Nick D]

There are too many variables in this discussion. are these fishtail trousers? '20s fit trousers? '50's fit trousers? Modern bespoke? How are they 'supposed' to look? Take some pics and we can help you out.

Since the OP mentions a belt, I think we can rule out fishtail trousers, at any rate.

Though, I did once see a pair of Highland regulation trews with a fishtail back and belt loops, worn with a belt. It looked...strange, to say the least.

 

[Yeps]

The problem with braces is that, in the UK at least (not sure about the US), it's not considered the done thing to have them visible; many organisations to this day prohibition braces in shirt sleeves as part of their dress code

I think the solution their is to wear a waiscoat, either with a 3 piece suit, or an odd one. It is a good look.

 

[resortes805]

Since the OP mentions a belt, I think we can rule out fishtail trousers, at any rate.

Though, I did once see a pair of Highland regulation trews with a fishtail back and belt loops, worn with a belt. It looked...strange, to say the least.

'30s fishtail trousers with belt loops are not rare. They show up in vintage footage all the time.

My original point still stands; for all we know, the OP is trying to hike up a pair of modern trousers up to his ribcage a la Steve Urkell. We need photos.

 

[Matt Deckard]

Bit of a diaper look with the low waste and the forward pleats that are slightly too tight and bow out, watch the movie, and then watch a vintage one and you'll see the difference. If I were him I'd go 5 inches higher with the waste and have a little more room in general.

The waste and the fit of trousers is a science that depends upon tailors that study anatomy and each and every body type. I go very high with my waist bands because I want comfort and style, not just style... it's also where the narrowest point of me is. I need trousers that can stay up without issue if made to fit without a belt. I wear suspenders because gravity sometimes contests my decision. If I wear a belt I tend to be adjusting all the time like when I have on a pair of trousers without one. Bottom line, suspenders suspend, belts just belt.


Why can't Gordon be comfortable? Well if he's got money he's eating, and if he's really a broker he hasn't time to workout... which means he has a belly. If his waistband is cutting across his belly rather than sitting above it at his waist, it cuts into his belly when he sits. Many men opt for the look of putting their belly above their waste in these situations, I advise to go above. In the end it's just more appealing.

 

[GBR]

Braces.

 

[scotrace]

One factor is tummy size.

At Mt Vernon there are life-sized wax replicas of George Wahington, who had a dickens of a time getting clothes that fit. Mainly because he would order from England via letter, asking for clothes that would fit a man of "average size." General Washington was anything but average size. And in researching costumes for the replicas, which are painfully accurate, scholars brought out the General's surviving clothes for careful study, and learned that George had a beer gut, which shoved the (high) waist of his his pants down and bunched them up. The wrinkles from it are still there.