I think I've been writing mainly for menswear-obsessed guys for so long that it had not occurred to me that high-rise trousers could still be controversial in 2023. So let's run through some points. 🧵
First, if you're wearing a tailored jacket (e.g., suit jacket or sport coat), you should wear high-rise trousers. Low-rise trousers create this ugly shirt triangle below the buttoning point. High-rise trousers create a more coherent, streamlined look between jacket and pants
Some people think that high-rise trousers look old-fashioned and out of date. First, I think you should dress for your body type, not according to trends. Low-rise jeans and trousers are best on stick-thin models, who they were created for.
A lot of stick-thin guys though are not wearing them in that edgy, cool way. They are wearing them in this really bland way, and the effect ends up making your torso look weirdly long and your legs weirdly short.
High-rise trousers lengthen your leg line and bring the proportion between your torso and legs into better balance. It had not occurred to me that some people could still think they're categorically bad, so let's run through some stereotypes:
"High-rise trousers aren't cool."
"High-rise trousers are for older guys."
"High-rise trousers don't work for bigger guys."
In the summertime, when it's too hot to layer, it's even more important that your shirt and pants are on point. One way to create a more flattering, stylish silhouette is to wear higher-rise trousers. Pair with a tucked linen button-up shirt or a camp collar shirt. Super easy.
Of course, as ever, people can wear what they want. I am only presenting my views. But this summer outfit is cool as hell, and the trousers add a lot to the look. If you haven't yet considered higher-rise trousers, I think you should give them a chance.
Some people have asked for options. I'm tweeting this with great trepidation bc anytime I mention something over $50, ppl get mad. The following spans a large price range, so if you encounter something out of your budget, keep going down the list (they are, however, above $100)
For trousers (in no particular order):
Dapper Classics, O'Connell's, Rota selection at No Man Walks Alone, The Armoury, Spier & Mackay, Besnard, Scott Fraser Simpson, J. Press, The Andover Shop, Casatlantic, and Berg & Berg
When shopping, check measurements and return policy.
For jeans, you don't want an actual high rise. You want just something a little higher than the low-rise stuff. So check:
Levis Vintage Clothing 1947 501s, Drake's, The Armoury, 3sixteen CS cut, Orslow 105 and 107, and Blackhorse Lane N3. I would also contact @selfedge for recs
i didn't want to say it, but yes. I still don't think you should dress according to trends, but the reality is that young people are into wider fits and higher rises, while older people are the ones in the slim fit, low rise silhouette of the early 2000s
every counter argument in this thread uses photos that literally look nothing like the examples that i've posted (which, by the way, are of real people in normal settings, not professional photoshoots). whereas i use real examples of how actual ppl look in low rise pants
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We will start with the most formal and work our way down, so that you can adjust things in ways that make sense for you.
The first and most obvious choice is to wear a soft-shouldered suit rendered in a material such as linen or seersucker. Seersucker can even be tonal (pic 4)
However, when it comes to dressing for the heat, it's important to remember that the fabric's weight and weave are more important than fiber. A 10oz tropical wool — known for its open weave — will wear cooler than a densely woven 14 oz linen because it allows air to pass through
Let's first start with some terms. The term oxford refers to a footwear style where the facings have been sewn into the vamp. By contrast, the term derby refers to a style where the facings sit on top of the vamp.
On the left, we see an oxford. On the right, we see a derby.
I believe that men wore tailored clothing best from the 1930s through '80s. If you share this premise, there are certain ideas about how an outfit should be put together, such as how oxfords look best with suits, while derbies go with suits or sport coats
I interviewed a clothing factory once who said he's excited to implement robotics AI. He said this will make US manufacturing more competitive against China. I asked, "And what happens when Chinese factories also implement robotics AI?" He said, "Oh, I hadn't thought of that."
Chinese factories also have these machines. All you've done is deskill the worker, making it harder for their wages to grow. Your land and labor costs are still higher than China, India, or any other place where they can pay someone to do this simple manual operation.
If you want to reshore US manufacturing in apparel, you have to move up the value chain. Look at other successful countries: France, Italy, and Japan. They don't make crappy t-shirts. They make high-end leather goods, suits, and denim. Requires skills that can't be automated
This is a bespoke sport coat made from vintage oatmeal-colored tweed and finished with natural Loro Piana horn buttons. It's from a relatively new South Korean tailoring company called Hameen, run by a woman named Hamin Kim.
Bespoke means the garment was made from scratch specifically for one client. Unlike made-to-measure, which involves a block pattern, this pattern was drafted from scratch using a client's measurements. The garment was then made through a series of three fittings.
Have you ever noticed that people dressed better in the past? Even in the summer, when it was scorching hot?
Why is this? 🧵
I want to first dispel some myths.
Contrary to popular belief, people didn't look better because they were slimmer. We see many corpulent men in the past who dressed better than the average man today. It's not true you can look good in anything if you have an athletic body.
Dressing well was also not limited to the rich and famous. A reader sent me pics of his grandpa, born in Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) to a working-class Chinese family. He immigrated to London and then Canada, where he worked in an auto parts store and by installing light fixtures.
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.