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Seeking trousers tips for a frustrated shopper

skyvue

Call Me a Cab
Messages
2,221
Location
New York City
I'm wondering if any denizens of the FL can help me.

I'd like to stop wearing jeans so often, but I've struggled to find the kind of trousers I'm looking for.

Forgive me if I don't use the proper terms below:

I'd like to have the sort of casual trousers that might have been worn in lieu of jeans in the late Forties or early Fifties. Full cut (maybe a slight taper toward the ankle), cuffed, and with a nice drape, so chinos won't really fit the bill.

I wear mostly vintage sport shirts (my workplace is a very casual one) with squared-off hems (left untucked), so a high waist isn't a necessity, but I wouldn't mind a slight rise in the waist for when I do want to tuck in a shirt and wear a sports coat over the trousers.

In the fall and winter, I'd be pretty flexible about the fabric, as long as it was reasonably warm. I have a low tolerance for itchiness, but beyond that, I'm open.

In spring and especially the summer, though, a lack of itchiness would be vital, as I have little tolerance for the heat or, especially, the humidity that is so pervasive here in New York City. I'm not looking for linen or anything like that; it needn't be nearly that light a fabric. A gabardine (if I'm right about what exactly gabardine is) or something like that would do.

These don't have to be greatest trousers ever made -- I definitely intend for them to be casual wear, worn in place of jeans. But of course I'd like them to look sharp and fairly accurate to the time period, the waist, perhaps, excepted. And I'd like them to be durable enough to last several years at least, with proper care.

I'm not a wealthy man, so I can't really afford to pay top-dollar for MTM. But I would buy several pairs (a minimum of six, I'd say, and perhaps as many as ten) if I could find them at a reasonably affordable price for either ready-made or MTM.

What say you guys? Do you know of a source for what I'm looking for?
 

MrBern

I'll Lock Up
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4,469
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DeleteStreet, REDACTCity, LockedState
wool?

Hmmm, are you thinking about something like these military officer pants known as 'pinks'?
WWII military style is basically a classic chino cut.

http://www.shopcreator.com/mall/eastmanleather/products/product-2757387.stm

Pinksmont.jpg
 

skyvue

Call Me a Cab
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2,221
Location
New York City
Those might work, MrBern, though I'm guessing those are available in just one color, no?

And if they're kind of that non-drapy khaki/chino kind of material, they might not be exactly right (though it couldn't hurt to have a pair or two of them).

And do you know if they're at all itchy? (I know, I know -- I'm a wimp when it comes to the itch.)
 

Brinybay

Practically Family
Messages
571
Location
Seattle, Wa
Fine minds think alike, I was just going to start a thread about "graduating" from jeans.

I'd like to add another question - where to find pants that come equipped for button suspenders/braces. I know there are buttons you can get and hammer them on pants with belt loops, but I don't like the look of belt loops that don't have a belt. I suppose I could oh-so-carefully remove the loops, but I'm afraid I would damage the pants. Even having them removed by a pro would leave tell-tale marks, I would think.
 

dakotanorth

Practically Family
Messages
543
Location
Camarillo, CA
Simplest answer is the best one!

Why not just buy vintage pants? You already said you wear vintage box-cut shirts, odds are, the people selling those also carry pants.
I agree that some of the pants people mentioned above do look good, but used (vintage) generally costs less than new.
If you are unusually short, tall, skinny or fat, then it might be a problem. However, stores in So Cal always have a stash of basics; navy blue, brown, gray, in both 40's and 50's style.
For your seasonal debate: Typically rayon or rayon blend pants are better for the summer. These typically appear in 50's pants more than 40's- rayon wasn't readily accepted for a little while. There are also pants that have a dacron blend (an early form of polyester) but you don't find these that often. For winter weather, anything with wool is a good choice- flannels, gabardines, tweeds, serge, etc.
A little intro into materials: Gabardine is a weave. You can use cotton, rayon, wool, or others (plus blends of these) to create a gabardine fabric. Same principle as flannel- you have cotton flannel sheets, but a wool flannel coat.
 

skyvue

Call Me a Cab
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2,221
Location
New York City
Thanks for the pointers, all, but I'm not sure khakis and chinos are going to do it for me. They don't have the drape I'm seeking. (But I really do appreciate the info!)

And, Dakota, I would love to buy vintage trousers, but I find them MUCH more difficult to track down than vintage shirts -- by a factor of ten, at least.

I get to Southern California every now and then, but I live in NYC, and I just don't find pants here very often (or on Ebay, for that matter).

I also regularly check a number of online vintage stores (I'm wide open for recommendations if you have favorites that I might have missed), but the same problem exists there, in my experience. Sixties and Seventies pants? No problem, but Forties and Fifties pants are rarer, in my size at least (35 waist -- or in a pinch, 36; 32 length).
 

Feraud

Bartender
Messages
17,190
Location
Hardlucksville, NY
skyvue said:
I wear mostly vintage sport shirts (my workplace is a very casual one) with squared-off hems (left untucked), so a high waist isn't a necessity, but I wouldn't mind a slight rise in the waist for when I do want to tuck in a shirt and wear a sports coat over the trousers.

I think a pair of dress trousers would go fine with your sport shirts. They are dressier than khakis and dressed down when worn with sport shirts.
I do this in the summer when our company allows business casual days.
 

skyvue

Call Me a Cab
Messages
2,221
Location
New York City
Yes, I'm thinking you might be right, Feraud. Do you have a source to recommend for vintage (or vintage-style) dress trousers?

I have some I've picked up here and there, but few really have the look I'm seeking. You'd never think for a second they were vintage -- the cut's just not right.
 

Feraud

Bartender
Messages
17,190
Location
Hardlucksville, NY
I would say look for vintage pieces but you already said you have a hard time finding them..

Modern pants are hit or miss(mostly miss) when it comes to cut. I have found quite a few "knock around" dress pants at Marshall's. They carry marked down brand name trousers with a decent cut and fit.
 

dakotanorth

Practically Family
Messages
543
Location
Camarillo, CA
Finding vintage pants?

skyvue said:
Thanks for the pointers, all, but I'm not sure khakis and chinos are going to do it for me. They don't have the drape I'm seeking. (But I really do appreciate the info!)

And, Dakota, I would love to buy vintage trousers, but I find them MUCH more difficult to track down than vintage shirts -- by a factor of ten, at least.

I get to Southern California every now and then, but I live in NYC, and I just don't find pants here very often (or on Ebay, for that matter).

I also regularly check a number of online vintage stores (I'm wide open for recommendations if you have favorites that I might have missed), but the same problem exists there, in my experience. Sixties and Seventies pants? No problem, but Forties and Fifties pants are rarer, in my size at least (35 waist -- or in a pinch, 36; 32 length).

Truthfully I don't think 36in waist pants are rare, they are popular! :p
Hmm, lemme think... I think at one time a catalog company had "Oxford Bag" sized pants... International Male??
Also, it seems like Italian clothiers stick to "Classic style" clothing which could mean full-cut pants.
(too bad we didn't have this discussion about 4 months ago, I cleaned out my vintage pants!)
 

kschurch

Vendor
Messages
115
Location
Boise, Idaho
Brinybay said:
Fine minds think alike, I was just going to start a thread about "graduating" from jeans.

I'd like to add another question - where to find pants that come equipped for button suspenders/braces. I know there are buttons you can get and hammer them on pants with belt loops, but I don't like the look of belt loops that don't have a belt. I suppose I could oh-so-carefully remove the loops, but I'm afraid I would damage the pants. Even having them removed by a pro would leave tell-tale marks, I would think.

Once again, check out www.pircargos.com. The pants are cut from WWII military designs and have brace buttons that may work for you.

Good luck!
 

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