Got tired of waiting for designers to make pants I like.

I am not a suit guy...not even a slacks guy. All my pants are cotton, either chinos or jeans. But I have always liked well tailored pants that have a nice hang to them. Unfortunately all todays pants have skinny skinny legs, like girls' capris. I've also been looking for wide whale cord slacks...full but not baggy...not a high waist...with slanted front pockets...god, I had them years ago and they went out of style and never came back in the classic fit. Even the high end stores I browse through don't have the fabric. But today I found the fabric, in Korea. I ordered enough to make four pair of pants in four different colors. Ivory for the best of summer, Ivory beige for fall and spring (both very tennis and yachty looking), and Navy Blue and Dark gray for evenings and winters. And I have a pair of pants that I will donate to make the basic pattern in terms of rise, fit in the thighs and calves and seat, belt loop placement, and how the front closes. I've had bespoke clothing in the past, but not since I retired. I've been living off the rack, but pickings get slimmer every year. And as years become more precious, I find myself viewing each day as a celebration worthy of looking as informally elegant as I can. Pocket squares, Italian cashmere jackets and sweaters, silk knit ties, oxford cloth shirts (no wrinkle free crap or spandex), and now my bespoke cords, topped off...or more like bottomed off with Italian made loafers...or my beat up old Converse All Stars. Yes I still wear my blue jeans a lot...but even with no place to really go, I am enjoying the art of dressing up, even just to go to the market or drive into Beverly Hills for a plate of Cacio e Pepe, and to flirt with the young girls...who are now in their forties and fifties for me. At this point in time, life is all about the quality.

 

If you cut them loose enough they are not warm but allow the circulating air to keep you cool. Mine won't be insanely loose, but in a classical cut that will make them both stylish and very comfortable. The weight of the wide wale is something that has stayed with me since my first pair at age ten. When I out grew them, I suddenly couldn't find them. Over the years I've found lots of "almost but not quite" examples. Yesterday I met with the owner of the shop I've bought clothes at for years. I took him the fabric, we looked at different pants to discuss the drape of the fabric, the length of the rise, what special features I wanted (no lining so that I can wash these). With the holidays I won't have my first fitting until around New Years, so with luck they'll be on me in February. Four colors...Ivory white, cream beige, medium gray, and navy blue.