Many men have turned against the cummerbund these days, thinking it another useless complication to the entire process of dressing for the evening. The photo, a crop of one of Hanneli Mustaparta's taken at a Tom Ford event, illustrates the unfortunate consequences of a low rise trouser worn without a waist covering.
The sin of exposed shirt front, often compounded by a garish belt buckle, can be avoided with high rise trousers if a cummerbund is just too much to bear. But cover your waist.
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6 comments:
Personally, I feel that a gentleman's evening wear should include a vest, but I understand I am in the minority.
I just do not get low-rise trousers at all - they are just plainly uncomfortable, do not drape and incur the sin you note. But not all we do is rational, I guess.
I bought a pair of low-rise trousers off-the-peg recently. I was singing in a choir and required dress for the men was plain shirt and black trousers. So high rise, braced trousers would not do. I was surprised to find that they actually worked quite well. Since they are already down around one's backside, they can't fall much further and so don't get overhung by a beer belly and don't crinkle up around one's shoes. But they wouldn't have worked with a jacket, for the reasons well-illustrated above.
Dear Will,
I'm a long time reader but first time commentator.
I agree wholeheartedly with your edict the waist should be covered, and low rise trousers should banned from evening wear (or anywhere for that matter). But, if that's the DJ style the ready to wear shops are selling, then we may have to put up with it - I'd much rather see gentlemen such as the chap in the photo out of an evening (bowed opera pumps - love it!) even with a touch of shirt front showing below the waist button, than the black suit/black shirt/four in hand tie wearing brigade.
Regards,
Nick.
But Will, you poor old out of touch thing, the Polo window on Madison Ave. is showing formal wear sans cummerbunds to allow the big silver western belt buckles to show. The battle has been lost forever.
Out of touch I may be but that Polo display caused me to write the post in the first place.
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