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Some people think that high-rise trousers look old-fashioned and out of date.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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It's true that progressives valorize "ugliness." But I think this person doesn't interrogate this position enough and thus lands at the wrong conclusion.
Let me give you a new perspective on ugliness. 🧵
In popular discourse, the world was once good, people were virtuous, and all things were beautiful. Then modernity came along and destroyed everything. In this view, beauty is an objective standard that has been corrupted by liberalism.
I contend that beauty in personal appearance is subjective, not objective. In fact, its standards rest on the shifting tectonic plates of politics, economics, and technology. Let me give you examples.
Today, we think of these photos as the standard for male beauty and dress:
Earlier this week, I asked which tie knot you think looks better. Of course, you can wear whichever you like. But here's the social history behind both knots and why some people consider one better than the other. 🧵
In the mid-19th century, as ready-to-wear tailoring started to take form, people got around in horse-drawn carriages. After all, the car had not yet been invented. During this time, some formed driving clubs, where they rode drags.
Check out the text in this lithograph:
The term "drag" refers to the carriage you see above, which was a sporting vehicle that was lighter than the more robust stagecoach. Men in driving clubs raced drags. Hence the term "drag race" first appearing in an 1863 issue of Racing Times.
People keep asking me to do a thread breaking down why these suits don't look great. I gather that these are famous, very well accomplished F1 drivers (I don't know these people). Since I only talk about famous people, I will do a thread. 🧵
Please note nothing in this thread is meant to diminish the men in these clothes. If anything, it's the people who dressed them that failed them. I am only talking about the clothes. Hopefully, by pointing out these issues, you will learn something for when you're shopping.
A pinstripe suit with a white business shirt cries out for tie. If you don't want to wear a tie, then you need a more casual shirt or a more casual suit. Additionally, the shoes are too chunky for this outfit.
The US Army celebrated its 250th year today with a massive parade in Washington, DC. It appears @ComfortablySmug believes that this is an appropriate tie for the occasion.
It's once again worth reminding that men's dress used to be governed by time, place, and occasion (TPO). If you were of a certain social station and had to do a certain thing, you were expected to wear a certain outfit.
This tradition can be seen in men's neckwear.
In Britain, where we derive most of our traditions for classic men's dress, the term "regimental stripe" refers to neckwear with diagonal lines, like you see below. These were not purely about decoration. Each design symbolized belonging to some organization.
This is the suit in question. It's a bespoke suit by Anderson & Sheppard in London. The cloth is a 60/40 mohair-wool blend from Standeven's "Carnival" book. The stylist was George Cortina.
To understand why this suit is interesting, you have to know a bit about tailoring history
In the early 20th century, Dutch-English tailor Frederick Scholte noticed that a man could be made to look more athletic if he belted up his guard's coat, puffing out the chest and nipping the waist. So he built this idea into his patterns. Thus the "drape cut" war born.
In 1881, Hans Wilsdorf was born in Bavaria, then part of Germany, to parents who died not long after he was born. At a young age, Wilsdorf set off into the world. He landed in England in 1903, which at the time had virtually no formal immigration controls.
Lucky for him. Two years later, fear of poor Eastern European Jews flooding the UK led to 1905 Aliens Act, which moved the country from an open-door policy to one of stricter control. This was the first British law that labeled certain migrants as "undesirable."