Showing posts with label hemming. Show all posts
Showing posts with label hemming. Show all posts

Friday, January 14, 2011

Dear Shopping Savage...



Dear Shopping Savage,

What is the appropriate length for a man's work pants? I'm noticing more guys wearing them shorter these days.

Signed,

Pants Length Question

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Dear P.L.Q.,

If you're asking whether or not its acceptable for men to wear high water pants, the short answer is no. The only exception would be for the man who's vocabulary included the name of fashion designer Thom Browne and was familiar with his suit aesthetic. But if the pant hem offender in question is not in the know of Browne then his pants have just become fashion faux pas fair game.

A man's pant break options fall into three major categories: medium, full and short. Most men opt for the medium break as it straddles the line best between the two more "extreme" breaks. It's referred to as the safest of the pant breaks because you would have them tailored to fall midway between the top of the sole of your shoe and its opening. A man of average height is most likely to wear this pant length. The full break is considered trendier since its tailored for a deeper crease in the front of the pant, landing its hem at the heel. Besides the trendy, most taller men prefer this hem to avoid a high water upheaval.

Lastly, the short break, e.g. "high waters", is the shortest of breaks for the most confident of men. The hem of this pant tends to hover, its break barely skimming the shoe's opening. Since the fashion-forwardness of this hem is usually accompanied by a deliberate "look", your average man's pant hem, nor your average man, would fall into this trendy category.

Which means what you are seeing daily are either pants purchased in incorrect lengths, alterations done before laundering or improper care altogether. Cause aside, men have come to compensate for this short-coming by wearing socks in the same hue as their pants to bridge the garment gap. And though its quite okay for a man to match his socks to his pants, it is not okay to attempt to pass off missing material as a fashion standard.

In the future, gentleman guilty of this sartorial snafu should plan to purchase pants long enough to launder and tailor without having to create a pant hem that hangs somewhere in the textile balance. To borrow (and adapt) a childhood rhyme: the water is low and the land is dry, there's no reason for your pants to be so high. Especially without good reason or good fashion sense.

Click here if you want to know if the type of pants you're buying are the best for your body type. It may be high time to break-up with ill fitting pants to get the pant break best for you.

Need sartorial advice? Email me: ShoppingSavage@gmail.com

Sunday, January 2, 2011

Dear Shopping Savage...


Dear Shopping Savage,

I am a woman who stands at 6' and I can't ever seem to find pants that aren't too short or too long. As a result, I spend a fortune on hemming alterations and wanted to know if there was a "do it yourself" way that you could recommend that doesn't take a lot of time, energy or money?

Signed,

Hemming and Hawing

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Dear H.A.H.,

There are two solutions to your problem that meet your criteria, with caveats, of course. The first to consider involves a little faith in the supernatural. Well, not really, but stitch witchery is quite magical in adhering hems without getting too technical. You can find it in just about any craft section and it's very inexpensive and easy to use. One small drawback: the "heat activated" bonding tape will start to loose its holding power after several cycles of care.

Another more involved process would be to contact your local fabric store to inquire about beginner's sewing classes. For a fraction of the long-term cost and time you wait for your hemming alterations to be completed, you could learn a few basic sewing principles, if nothing more than a pant hemming technique or two. Of course, unless you have a sewing machine at your disposal dying to be dusted off, you'll be limited to either using the machines in class or purchasing one.

If all else fails, you could try to find a cheaper seamstress than the one you use now, but as we all know, a good tailor is hard to find. Just remember, no matter which option you decide works best for you, be sure that you wash and/or dry any article of clothing that needs alternations beforehand so the length won't be affected by later washings and care.

As it was once said, if you want something done right, do it yourself; and if you want it done for less, and on your time schedule no less, than you most certainly want to do it yourself. It may sound a little daunting, but if you're really looking for a DIY solution, now's the time to try your hand at one of the suggestions above. Once you've figured out which works best for you, you'll have your hemming problem sewn up, or 'stitched' up, in no time.

Need sartorial advice? Email me: ShoppingSavage@gmail.com