Thread by @dieworkwear

I disagree. I will tell you what's wrong with his jeans. 🧵

Let's start with an experiment. Here are two men wearing tailored jackets with jeans.

Which do you think looks better?

If you choose the outfit on the right, then we have the same taste. But why does he look better?

The answer stems fro a basic rule of classic tailoring: the jacket needs to have a certain relationship with the trousers so as to form a harmonious whole.

This means the jacket's line has to flow into the trousers. And the trouser rise has to be high enough to hide the shirt that would otherwise peek below the jacket's buttoning point, disrupting the line. See how the outfit on the left is more harmonious than the right.

The problem is that jeans aren't cut like trousers — and they shouldn't be, as that will make them look weird. Jeans are commonly lower in the rise and smaller through the fork. They are also typically a bit slimmer through the leg. This results in a different silhouette.

This distinction can really disrupt a tailored outfit. On the left, we see how low rise, tapered trousers exacerbate the worst of this look (orphaned suit jacket with jeans, which looks like a sartorial mullet). The outfit on the right is even worse, as the man looks like Gru.

There's a rich history of men wearing tailored jackets, but when they're successful, you'll notice a theme: the jacket is casual (a sport coat, not a suit jacket) and often made from textured materials like tweed. The jeans are slightly higher in the rise and fuller in the leg.

Low-rise jeans have to be styled differently. There are many groups who have worn them stylishly in the past, so you have to find the original images to understand their cultural language. Those groups don't include people who wear classically cut sport coats.

If you're looking for jeans you can wear with sport coats, consider Buck Mason's Full Saddle cut, Levi's Vintage Clothing's 1947 501s, Rubato Lot Nr1, Orslow 105 and 107, and The Armoury by Nigel Cabourn. Todd Shelton can also make custom jeans if you can't find what you need.

wtf a military drone just flew over me??