From Ed
"Which color do you consider more appropriate for a pair of dressy Edward Green slip-ons: Burgundy Antique or Dark Oak? I’m specifically speaking about the Kibworth model, which I will wear with a blue blazer & dark grey trousers."
You wouldn't be making a mistake with either color. Dark oak can be worn in more situations in my opinion, but burgundy, like the pictured shoes by Hawaii's Leather Soul, is very nice as well.
From Peter
"I have been habitually using double pleats, with cuffs, for my suit trousers (high-waisted, of course, with braces), and getting my odd trousers cuffless with flat fronts (and a Daks waist, as I can't stand belts). Although I am slight of build and have no trouble wearing flat-front trousers, I'm beginning to think that I might prefer pleated and cuffed trousers for wear with odd jackets as well.
Do you pleat your trousers in casual fabrics, such as moleskin, corduroy or linen?"
Jeans and other work clothes have typically had flat fronts, so moleskins and cords can go either way (linen is a dress trouser cloth). Forward pleats and cuffs are dress trouser enhancements that appeared early this century and have been with us ever since, though flat fronts returned in military uniforms during the Second world War because they required less cloth.
Flat fronts look fine on men with washboard stomachs but pleats are the product of more sophisticated tailoring. They are more comfortable and look better as the discipline necessary to maintain that washboard disappears later in life. Pleats do not need to be accompanied by cuffs, though cuffs are customary for double breasted lounge suits.
Like the pictured twill trousers from J. L. Powell, all of my trousers have had cuffs and two forward pleats since I was a teen, irrespective of the state of my waistline. But then, I don't own any jeans.
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4 comments:
Hi Will. Please excuse me if I sound like a Philistine, but regardless of the style choices shouldn't someone wear what they look their best in?
For me that would be flat front and no cuffs, regardless of what's available, and to be honest I had to be told.
I don't think I'm the exception, and since then I have come to believe that most men don't know, albeit they think they do.
Arnold Schwarzenegger probably looks better in casual clothes than in a suit (suits don't tend to complement muscular men) but he wears them on official business nonetheless. I relate this only to point out that we shouldn't always wear what we look best in.
That said, there's nothing wrong with flat fronts. It's a young man's look. Tailored clothing was designed for older guys, who tend to need to have their physical defects hidden rather than emphasized, and pleats do a better job of that.
Will,
I am a stout man (5'9 240lbs 40 in waist, 48 coat). I like pleated trousers but often times find the pleats to pooch out. I would think this would be a sign of the trousers being too small, but the wast feels fine. Is there anything else that could cause this problem? On a side note, I wear my pants below my actual waist.
Blake, it might be that your hips need more room. Try on trousers with a larger waist but hips that fit, and if that cures the pleat problem have an alterations tailor take in the waist.
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