Cuffing 60's-Look Dress Pants

[Deleted member 16736]

I know the 60's don't get discussed a lot here, but I'm wondering about how to cuff some 60's-look men's dress pants. I went to the 1966 Sears catalog and it shows a 2" cuff with what looks like no break. Is that accurate? Thank you.

 

[Annixter]

I think both cuff width and break depend on the wearer's preference more so than the era. Are you interested in referencing the way in which a particular group of people wore their trousers in the 60s?
In general, 2" seems to be about the widest cuff I've seen, but I've seen plenty in the 1-1/2" range too. As for break, that's too subjective for a general answer, I think. Some people liked no break, some liked a medium, and some liked a full.

 

[Annixter]

You might look around for some photographs for reference. I'm not making in qualitative comments about the photos I've posted below, but they are some for reference.

 

[Deleted member 16736]

Thanks. I had been rarely almost exclusively on old Sears catalogs, but actual photos help a lot.

 

[Annixter]

No problem. I'm sure a person educated in 1960's fashion styles and tailoring publications could give you more definitive answers, but I'm sure there's no formal consensus as far as cuff sizes and breaks go. I'd say go with whatever looks good on you.

 

[Deleted member 16736]

No problem. I'm sure a person educated in 1960's fashion styles and tailoring publications could give you more definitive answers, but I'm sure there's no formal consensus as far as cuff sizes and breaks go. I'd say go with whatever looks good on you.

Like so much 60's fashion, men's cuffs were all over the map in this decade. Generally what I've seen is that conservative dress pants had a high rise by modern standards (but not compared to 40's pants) and the cut was trimmer than 40's but certainly more full-cut than today's pants. I've seen trouser hems in a 1966 catalog listed at 17.5", FWIW. Pleats were single, not double. I think I'll follow the general guideline of cuffing pleated pants (2") and not cuffing unpleated. A high rise with a 2" cuff and a more fitted leg is a good look to my eye and I think it looks well on tall guys. We'll see how it goes. Several advantages to dressing 60's in my case are: 1) it blends in with the crowd for those like me who don't want to attract a lot of attention; 2) you can find vintage deadstock clothing and in larger sizes; and 3) you can find clothing for your wardrobe in the store.

 

[Señor Soft Collar]

1 3/4" cuffs. Nothing more and nothing less.

No or a very slight break.

 

[Deleted member 16736]

1 3/4" cuffs. Nothing more and nothing less.

No or a very slight break.

Gracias, Senor.

 

[RegentSt1965]

Ah, 60's cuffing - the point at which it all went bad. In the UK at the start of the 60's it was still 50's conservative, but no real break (unless on formal clothes or waiters) by the time the world stopped being monochrome ('63) it was plain bottoms or 1 1/2 and no real break. 14 1/2"-16" opening depending on trouser size (. Every 1/4 " mattered when you hopefully asked Messrs Burtons to create the perfect suit (they tried their best but it was quite foreign to them) Imported Italian suits were plain bottomed 15" with no break and a bit of a gap when hitched up. 501's (when you could get them) sat at with a gap thanks to a small turn up. Of course, as bikers wore theirs with a big turn-up, mod(ernists) had little or no turn up but an Ivy'ish gap.
Then, with flares and the tyranny of the tailor's double break, it all went to hell until quite recently.

 

[kyboots]

I started college in the late 60's and I remember we quit cuffing then. It was straight down bell bottoms. Are you wanting to bring that back? If you are we need a hit man!

 

[cpdv]

Think early to mid 1920s.