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How to Wear Trousers Properly and AvoidGaposis

by James C. Williams18 September, 2011

www.historical-tailoring.com

Have you noticed that modern day fad of wearing your trousers too low? Today’s trousers areoften worn at the hips, or even lower, which can be quite disturbing! This practice has carried

over into the living history world, unfortunately, and you can easily spot reenactors with three offour inches between the trouser waistband and the top of the vest. Or the corpulent reenactor,having put some weight on, with trousers hanging below the belly. Has this ever happened to you?It is relatively easy to avoid this fate, and in this post we will go into some of the ways to improvethe fit of your trousers.

A Quick Study of Period TrousersTo begin with, let’s take a look at a few photographs

from the period. By studying original garments you canget idea for the way they were worn, constructed, andfit.

In the first photograph, notice how the waistbands ofthe trousers are all covered by the waistcoats. I partic-ularly like the lighter-coloured trousers, as they lend acertain contrast and interest to the rest of his ensemble.

Here I included what appears to be two enlisted men, due tothe nice view of the trousers and waistcoat. As you can see, theyare fairly baggy, as was the style during the 1860s.

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In the following photo, you can see a hideous example of a frock coaton the left. He seems to have something very bulky in his pocket. Com-bined that with being too tight across the chest, it looks very sloppy. Itwas most likely not made for him. The waistcoat peeking out beneaththe coat looks much nicer, however, and again note that it covers thewaistband of the trousers. The gentleman on the right is wearing fairlybaggy clothing. Look at those huge lapels! But no hint of a shirt in thewaist area.

Here is a gentleman wearing a silk shawl-collared waistcoat, againcovering the tops of the trousers. Waistcoats were cut a little longer thannatural waist, while trousers were cut right up to the natural waist.

This man’s vest is almost entirely unbuttoned. Nice fit of the trousers,and note the curved corners on the waistcoat front. You can still stylizewithout compromising fit.

James Williams, Historical Tailor

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Check out the fabric on these matching trousers andwaistcoats. Very unusual! It looks almost like a tweed to me.

I like the fit of these trousers the best out of any pictured so far. Noticethere are no breaks or wrinkles in the fabric. The hem is nicely done, andthe trousers are not overly baggy. Another benefit of wearing your trousersat the proper height is to give yourself an illusion of height. Very good forshorter people. In this example, they appear to be made of a woolbroadcloth.

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These trousers are nicely fitted as well. The man on the left has his vestbuttons undone, and you can see precisely where the trousers hang on thewaist. While you can’t see much of the other gentleman’s trousers, noticethe nice length on the hem, and how they seem to taper down to theankles. It was very fashionable to wear ‘peg-top’ trousers that were verybaggy, tapering down to a narrow bottom. He’s wearing a very nice topcoat, as well.

Here is a very well-dressed gentleman. I lovethe fit of the coat. Again, study the relationshipbetween vest and trousers, and how they interactwith each other.

James Williams, Historical Tailor

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Finally, here is a period photograph showing several corpulent gentlemen. Notice how thetrousers rise over the stomach, just as they do in the other photos. This gives a slimming affect,and makes the wearer appear slightly taller.

Getting the Correct FitGetting trousers that fit correctly can sometimes be a challenge. If purchasing a ready-to-wear

pair of trousers, you will very rarely find something that fits you properly. These trousers areeither based on average measurements, or are sometimes graded up or down in size from originalpatterns. The problem arises because people are very rarely the same size and shape as thepatterns. If you are one of those lucky people with a proportionate body, then by all means go withthese types of trousers. If not, however, you will always find some defect in the fit.

When trying on a pair of trousers, you must wear them at the natural waist, located about thelevel of the navel. In the back of the trousers, the waistband should rise up two or three inches(this is somewhat variable), in order to facilitate the use of braces. I prefer to cut my trouser backson the higher side, so that they cover the small of the back completely. The waist should besomewhat fitted, but not completely tight. And when following period drafts, such as Devere, youwill find the back seat area to be rather loose. This allows range of movement, and the extra fabricis hidden by a coat.

One major problem with many ready-to-wear trousers is that the rise is not deep enough. Therise is the measurement from the fork (crotch) of your trousers up to the waist seam. If this is notdeep enough, then your trousers will never fit at the correct height.

After the pants are fitted correctly, you must make sure the waistcoat is at the proper length,being about an inch below the natural waist in the 1860s. This ensures that the waistcoat coversthe trousers completely. And the extra height in the back of the trousers means when you bendover, your shirt will still not show. It also greatly reduces the chances of a button popping off!

As you can see, there is a lot to think about when trying to avoid that common ‘gaposis’ problem.I encourage you to try out these methods and start wearing your trousers at the proper height.You will find it a lot more comfortable once you get used to it.

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For more information on historical tailoring, fitting, and clothing, including learning to draftyour own trousers that fit properly, please visit my website at www.historical-tailoring.com.

The original article can be found at https://notebook.historical-tailoring.com/2011/09/how-to-wear-trousers-properly-and-avoid-gaposis/

Image SourcesFalmouth, Va. Group in front of post office tent at Army of the Potomac headquarters.Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, [LC-DIG-cwpb-03803 DLC]Washington, District of Columbia. Group on steps of Quartermaster General’s office, Corocoran’s

Building, 17th Street and Pennsylvania.Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, [LC-DIG-cwpb-04251 DLC]Washington, District of Columbia. Group at Quartermaster General’s office. Corcoran’s Building,

17th St. and Pennsylvania Ave. N.W..Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, [LC-DIG-cwpb-04284 DLC]