Keep your pants on, Spartacus
Only relatively recent in the 1920s the trousers were established as an important clothing item for men elegantly dressed. In 1925 American students on holiday in England were confronted with baggy pants worn by the students at the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge to disguise the tennis shoes not allowed in class. With pegs in the waistline area, wide around the knees and flared bottoms 22 to 26 cm large …
Are these old Oxford style pants, taken home by these students, the reason why until today (as proven by the orders from most of our American customers) an American likes his pants baggy, also those for his made-to-measure suits? The horror!
Fortunately at the beginning of the 1930s in England and the rest of Europe, many young men began to order their trousers with a clean cut which fit perfectly in the masculine silhouette. A trend that culminated into perfection with the Savile Row bespoke suit and was followed humbly by Italian and German tailors in the past decades.
Only recently the design of clean cut pants with a perfect fit was hijacked by Italian brands and resellers as ‘truly Italian’… ;-)
Published on 11-5-2010 - Fashion
