Just ain't as high up as they used ta be., The unending quest for "Film Noir pants" Options

[TopsyTurvy]

Whenever I see old films, footage and shows (30s - 50s), there's one thing that gets me going every single time.

Those slacks.

The sweet, deep-pleated cuffed stunners that hang perfectly from the midsection by a simple, thin belt. Yet not like your modern Haggar, Slates or Perry Ellis Macy rack residents, these slacks were pinned higher up on that waist. Much higher.

You'd see it in old Sears catalogs. Old photos of any joe walking the boulevard. Any scene in a Film Noir flick. And, last but not least, on every single episode of I Love Lucy. Yes, perhaps Fred Mertz was the king of the high-ups.

You might be saying, Fred Mertz?? How ridiculous! Well, even if Mister Mertz isn't the ideal image of what I'm talking about, he still had 'em. Geez, everyone had 'em back then. Why can't I find them now? And why did the waistline drop to the casual Docker standard of today?

I've been into vintage duds for the last decade, thrifting through racks for that perfect pleat...and I've found some gems here and there, but perhaps only 2 pairs of all the old slacks I've ever bought really topped that bellybutton and jabbed the rib...and still aren't what I consider to be the perfect pleat.

Another thing...if they were so high-waisted, how did they keep them up? Suspenders were a given, if you had a zoot or if one just felt like it...but how did that thin leather belt keep them pinned? Those two slacks I mentioned were high up, but weren't easily kept that way. There was constant adjustment for them to hang jussst right. But everyone in the old days seemed to just naturally have it so.

Ah well. They just don't make 'em like they used to. Anyone else out there know what I'm talkin about?

Still looking,
Tops

[Vladimir Berkov]

Try Ralph Lauren Polo. At least for summer slacks. Their pleated, cuffed linen slacks have the high rise to the waistline like you (and I) are looking for. I have found belts to be unsatisfactory though, and generally stick to suspenders except when I have to go without a jacket for any length of time. And I have found suspenders to work better, and feel better anyway.

[lindydiva]

I don't know if the original poster is still here, but those trousers had what is called a Hollywood waist. I'm not sure how the name came about...

However, you won't find them anywhere, new. Just the same, there are patterns out there, and designers who will make vintage inspired clothing.

The men (with whom I'm acquainted) who dress vintage style find them at thrift shops, in vendor stalls at retro events, and have garments made. Also, it's possible to find thrift store clothing that can be altered to be "close enough for government work". Apparently you already thrift, that's a start!

I'd also recommend theatre costume shop sales. You're mostly likely to find those in LA in NYC, but sometimes community theatres will cull their stock. Once I scored a pair of pinstriped white flannel bags (for a show I was costuming. The actor complained that the pants wore him...but they looked swell!).


They stayed up because they were tailored to fit, rather than hang.

I wear quite a bit of vintage and reproduction clothing. Much of it I've found in thrift and consignment shops. Depending on your geographic location, you may well have a number of local sources.

-Eileen

[gregoryagogo]

I'm too busy looking at the women's dresses to notice slacks!! Ha Ha Ha!



Gregory