Why the change from natural waist?

[tmal]

When and why did it become the thing to do to set your pant waist at your hips or near about?
The natural waist (today's hi-rise) is much more comfortable, more natural,and it looks fine. So why the change?

 

[GHT]

When and why did it become the thing to do to set your pant waist at your hips or near about?
The natural waist (today's hi-rise) is much more comfortable, more natural,and it looks fine. So why the change?

Why do we change anything? Because people are fickle. The low hip fashion really took off in the early sixties when London became the mecca for fashion. Many styles came and went in the following years, not least navy style bell bottoms, or, as they were later called in their next incarnation, flares.
You could ask what happened to the turned up cuff, or why did the fly change from buttons to a zipper? Fickle and fashion made a few people a lot of money, and a lot of people credit card addicts.

 

[Canadian]

Perhaps so men of girth can wear 36 inch waisted pants, and think they have a 36 inch waist.

 

[scottyrocks]

As with so many other changes of the '60s, so women could show off their midriffs.

 

[Wesslyn]

I say who cares? High pleated trousers rule! They are absolutely more comfortable. Wear what you dig. Besides, you'll get a more "vintage" look with em.

 

[MondoFW]

I say who cares? High pleated trousers rule! They are absolutely more comfortable. Wear what you dig. Besides, you'll get a more "vintage" look with em.

I agree. I think the high waisted trousers look more masculine and less sloppy than the extremely low rise. Unfortunately these are hard to come by among the contemporary market

 

[Edward]

Fashion certainly, but ultimately a lower waistline requires less cloth, thus saving on production materials (which can be considerable in a mass-market product run); it also requires less tailoring skill to pattern and manufacture, as compared to a pair of trousers high enough to need to deal with the curve at the small of a man's back.

 

[Seb Lucas]

Why do we change anything? Because people are fickle. The low hip fashion really took off in the early sixties when London became the mecca for fashion. Many styles came and went in the following years, not least navy style bell bottoms, or, as they were later called in their next incarnation, flares.
You could ask what happened to the turned up cuff, or why did the fly change from buttons to a zipper? Fickle and fashion made a few people a lot of money, and a lot of people credit card addicts.

That's it exactly. Why narrow hat brims or wide? Why fat ties or skinny? Fashion is about constant change and a quest for novelty. There is often no reason for a change other than the change itself. I'm not a huge fan of the look of high rise pants (nor low rise) but I understand their attraction, especially for those of us with fuller figures.

 

[Big J]

Some good comments. Changing tastes, styles, production cost reductions.

I like high waisted pants a lot, and discovered them through my interest in golden era flight jackets. They do look good. I feel that they are smarter and flatter a man's body shape.

I have noticed though that as men seem to pack on weight in the area that is the 'waist' of high waist pants, if changes in weight make the fit problematic much more readily that with lower rise pants?
With modern pants men can let their belly and 'love handles' bulge over the top, but I don't think you can do that with high waisters.

So maybe there's a kind of complicity between customers who don't want to mind their weight and kid themselves their body hasn't changed, and the fashion industry that is feeding this delusion and cutting its overheads at the same time?

I don't know, just some random thoughts.

 

[Anthony_Eden]

We are all finished as lovers and Don Giovanni ;-)

From modern ladies eyes (and beautiful ones) I read in a terrible article from current Esquire, the following :
- Eva Longoria says "Men should never wear high waisted pants",
- Carla Bruni "What should a man never wear? bow ties"
- Helena Christiensen is against knee socks.

All our chances to seduce top models are close to zero in those days... ;-)

https://www.esquire.com/uk/women/news/a6917/16-unforgivable-style-mistakes/

 

[Mathematicus]

This only confirms the incompetence of most women about men clothes.

 

[Stanley Doble]

I know absolutely nothing about fashion but if I were to guess I would say the high waisted trousers were part of a trend toward exaggerated cut suits that started in the late 30s because of Gone With The Wind.

Someone has tracked down the origin of the Zoot Suit to one man who had his tailor make a long tailed suit coat and matching pants copied from Clark Gable's Prince Albert in Gone With The Wind. This was in 1939. The zoot suit became a fad among young men especially jazz fans.

The long tail coat led to other exaggerated features like padded shoulders wide lapels and draped trousers. These were trousers with high waist and wide legs 'pegged' or drawn in at the cuff. Wide ties and a broad brimmed had completed the ensemble.

Not everyone went for the full blown Zoot but it did affect men's fashions for example the double breasted suit coat, wide tie, and full trousers were popular through the forties.

In the fifties this was replaced with the natural look or Brooks Brothers style - narrow lapels, no padding, skinny tie and stingy brim lid.

 

[Just Jim]

We are all finished as lovers and Don Giovanni ;-)

From modern ladies eyes (and beautiful ones) I read in a terrible article from current Esquire, the following :
- Eva Longoria says "Men should never wear high waisted pants",
- Carla Bruni "What should a man never wear? bow ties"
- Helena Christiensen is against knee socks.

Who are these people, and why should their opinions matter?

 

[Edward]

This only confirms the incompetence of most women about men clothes.

I would suggest that three is rather a low sample on which to draw a firm conclusion about the competencies of "most".

The specific ladies quoted, of course, very much belong to the contemporary fashion world, so I wouldn't really expect their tastes to reflect my own.