currently available pleated trousers in the UK, i'd say Aero clothing's are the best, although the fabric choice is very limited (either ginger tweed or cream/brown check).
for flat front 'work' type trousers then it has to be Old Town or Darcy.
I love some like it holy' oxford bag style!
The bottom picture you posted they look outstanding to me!
But sadly they do not come in my size 28" , It's an awkward size to be it seems.
Thank you all sir's for your great input!
From what I have seen on their website, the availability of sizes changes with their stock (which I would imagine is fairly limited). Try sending them an email, you never know your luck.
And with a 28 inch waist, you shouldn't have too much trouble finding vintage trousers.
Having just visited the Bowie exhibition in London, where they have this outfit, you would not believe how, er, petite that outfit is. We're talking a 26 inch waist on not an extremely tall guy, so it was almost certainly all made to order. Looks fantastic though.
Sloan I envy you greatly!
The thin white duke really was as the name describes.
A few questions aimed at Sloan as I am unable to use the PM system
~ How tall roughly not looking at online estimates would you say Bowie was? I can never work it out from photos and he looks rather small in the Lets Dance video!
~The blue life on mars video suit, If I had a reproduction made in black wool would it look okay for walking around the city? I really really love that style! and the Elvis'esq cuffs
~Did the trousers look to be wool? Gaberdine? Cotton?
Hope it's not too much and all the best!
Also I wish to have an outfit not dissimilar to this for daily wear as I think it is a classic and timeless look!
(Looking into bespoke at the moment)
What sort of search terms would I be using to find vintage? I never seem to spot them online.
Thank-you all for the great help!
I personally go with vintage and made to measure where I can't find what I'm looking for. Any decent tailor should be able to make a reasonable reproduction if you specify the rise, widths at each point of the leg.
Sorry I missed your questions yesterday, I'll do my best to answer them all:
1. Having stood next to one of the dummies, Bowie's roughly 5ft 9in, same height as me. I think his slender build makes him look even smaller, but he's got the classic 'T' body shape that pop/rock stars had during the 60s and 70s.
2. I think the LoM suit could easily be wearable in black, though you might want to teak those lapels in a little as they are pretty broad!
3. Almost all of Bowie's suits are wool.
Actually, I managed to sneak a photo of Bowie's Thin White Duke outfit at the exhibition - something that was pretty verboten! It's take from the hip, but it's not a bad shot of the trousers:
Hope that helps a little. I would recommend a trip to the exhibition itself. We spent a good three hours there and the time just flew by - I now have a Thin White Duke badge!!
I really do plan on getting down there in summer!
Thank you All for the advice I will be looking out in vintage and also talking to a stage-wear producer about these trousers!
Special Thanks to sloan for the great pic!
I think as long as you tend to the slim side, you'll be able to rock a similar type of trousers. There's a very good reason he wasn't called the The Big-Boned White Duke...
Well I am currently wearing a 28" round and 32" down pair of levi's skinny jeans (sacrilegious I know! and not at all worthy of the clothes on this wonderful site) they are a tad long but never drag on the road, I often wonder with height and body types this really should go in a topic of its own but another question,
Are there certain jackets for certain body types? or just well and badly fitting jackets? E.G A double breasted jacket and a single breasted jacket can they both look good on a thin guy if they fit right? or would a larger man be more suited to double breasted as in the mobster films etc?
I am around 5,7-8 and tend to have trouble finding suit jackets in mainstream suit stores with 36 chest double breasted jackets to even try on and they tend to be very boxy on the side where they actually look rather silly and very "wearing daddy's jacket" even if they fit in the chest.
All the best and thanks for the great help on this wonderful site!
I suffer the same problem with suits - many of the off the peg come in a more boxy shape simply because that's the average body shape - and resorted to getting made to measure to get the sleeves and back right. I think with any suit/jacket it comes down to the fit. A good tailor should be able to get the balance right, but they should be able to guide you on what suits you best. You might want to try Ede and Ravenscroft, as they do a very classic/timeless Savile Row made to measure at a very reasonable price.
It's a shame really that the general suits in most shops are now 99% black grey or very low quality "tweed"
At least in the 50's 70's you could find fabulous little things in the likes of Carnaby street and they where usually rather fitted!
The quality seems to have lessened from the 18th century onward with terms of longevity of the cloth used and the cuts have changed many times but I honestly went to a suit shop in Cardiff and tried on a pre made "skinny fit" suit And it fit alright, but I could not really move at all and the trousers were cut to rest on my hips and the crotch was practically made for woman , I have tried on vintage suits which were equally slim fitting but felt great and looked wonderful on so I do not know what has gone so wrong!
I shall continue to search for vintage but until I find anything I will look into tailor made as I have found a great little company that has the most reasonable prices!
This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.