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Acres of Pant

ZuZu

Well-Known Member
Totally disagree on the high-waisted, baggy legs trousers, but that shouldn't come as a surprise for anyone who even remotely knows me :p. I swear by them, and would never go back to wearing modern regular waist/straight leg trousers, they're simply way less comfortable than the 30s/40s cut, for me. And I'm with Greg on what he said above, the guys on all the pics you shared look sharp (except maybe for the left one on the first picture, indeed).

That being said, there's no definite body for WW2 neither. Let me introduce you to "Big" Jim Streig, 5.5 victories with VF-17 during WW2:

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No definite body? 90% of the guys in WW2 AAF pictures have proportionally a much smaller upper body- it's a fact. My Dad was the same height as me yet he wore a 40L all his life- I'm a 44. "Big Jim" just helps prove my point by being the exception.
This movie was more accurate in terms of fit. Pretty damn cool if you ask me:

My-Mother-and-Other-Strangers-717816.jpg
These guys may look cool but would look pretty silly walking around like that now.
Totally agree with @Thomas Koehle though, this whole post seems more like a rant about personal preferences than anything else.

A rant? Maybe although I think an honest assessment is more accurate. Big balloon pants with baggy butts may be cool on some guys but 99% don't wear that stuff today for a reason. And my point really was that the WW2 American male body tended to emphasize a weird large-hipped big-asses feminine look. It's there in many photos- I'm just pointing it out!
 

CBI

Well-Known Member
the troubles with OCD jacket folks. A-2's look really odd with sweatpants, bulky running shoes, skeleton skinny jeans, etc. BUT wearing more period correct attire can look totally costume-ish. For the most part, the costume folks say, "I wear what I want and I don't care what people think" which is healthy, good for them! But that fact of the matter is, one can look pretty ridiculous in all out vintage. Somewhere in the middle makes sense to me.
 
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YoungMedic

Well-Known Member
I just read this on ATF's site

"Our trousers are the Wartime cut which have a high waist, full thigh and seat. Trousers made from the 1930's until mid-1942 had a a closer fit like normal dress trousers, which looks far more attractive but field use leads to split seat and crotch seams. Complaints from the troops were dismissed by the QMC at first, but a deluge of letters from officers finally led to the pattern being altered. The thigh, seat and rise were substantially increased to give better freedom of movement for squatting, kneeling, crawling and running."

Might explain the generous or "feminine" appearance of wartime pants.
 

Cocker

Well-Known Member
Also agreed on this! Opinions are the basis for discussions, which are the basis for any forum.

That being said, count me in the proud costume folks group, as this was my outfit for work yesterday: Aero 42-18775-P A2, Bronson racing sweater and... WPG M37 wool trousers! :p

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Micawber

Well-Known Member
I just read this on ATF's site

"Our trousers are the Wartime cut which have a high waist, full thigh and seat. Trousers made from the 1930's until mid-1942 had a a closer fit like normal dress trousers, which looks far more attractive but field use leads to split seat and crotch seams. Complaints from the troops were dismissed by the QMC at first, but a deluge of letters from officers finally led to the pattern being altered. The thigh, seat and rise were substantially increased to give better freedom of movement for squatting, kneeling, crawling and running."

Might explain the generous or "feminine" appearance of wartime pants.

I would agree with that. A looser cut allows for greater freedom and ease of movement. Probably more fact than opinion but for the sake of discussion and maintaining a healthy forum I'll say that is my opinion.

I actually like fishtail back, high waist trousers worn with a pair of braces [or suspenders]. I find that combination the most comfortable for my lifestyle activities.
 

Pa12

Well-Known Member
I would agree with that. A looser cut allows for greater freedom and ease of movement. Probably more fact than opinion but for the sake of discussion and maintaining a healthy forum I'll say that is my opinion.

I actually like fishtail back, high waist trousers worn with a pair of braces [or suspenders]. I find that combination the most comfortable for my lifestyle activities.
The aircrews probably needed extra room for their brass balls;)
 

Cocker

Well-Known Member
I would agree with that. A looser cut allows for greater freedom and ease of movement. Probably more fact than opinion but for the sake of discussion and maintaining a healthy forum I'll say that is my opinion.

I actually like fishtail back, high waist trousers worn with a pair of braces [or suspenders]. I find that combination the most comfortable for my lifestyle activities.

Out of interest, where do you get your fishtail trousers? I've been looking at a couple brands in UK for these, namely Darcy Clothing and Revival Vintage, as I'd really like to try one pair with braces, indeed.
 

Micawber

Well-Known Member
Out of interest, where do you get your fishtail trousers? I've been looking at a couple brands in UK for these, namely Darcy Clothing and Revival Vintage, as I'd really like to try one pair with braces, indeed.

I have a couple of pairs of fishtail cords from Darcy Clothing but prefer the ones I have from Old Town Clothing who are based not too far away from me in Holt, a town in north Norfolk. They are not cheap mind you and they are sticklers about their own patterns being their own designs and not slavishly copied from vintage examples. Their trousers and jackets are cut and made up in house.


I suppose the photo examples may come across a bit costume-ish but most clothing producers are on that band wagon.
 
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Cocker

Well-Known Member
I have a couple of pairs of fishtail cords from Darcy Clothing but prefer the ones I have from Old Town Clothing who are based not too far away from me in Holt, a town in north Norfolk. They are not cheap mind you and they are sticklers about their own patterns being their own designs and not slavishly copied from vintage examples. Their trousers and jackets are cut and made up in house.


I suppose the photo examples may come across a bit costume-ish but most clothing producers are on that band wagon.
Oh yeah, Old Town Clothing! I was in touch with them by mail a couple years ago, as I was very interested in their high-rise trousers, but sadly they weren't willing to ship out of UK.
 

Micawber

Well-Known Member
Oh yeah, Old Town Clothing! I was in touch with them by mail a couple years ago, as I was very interested in their high-rise trousers, but sadly they weren't willing to ship out of UK.

They can be, how shall I put it, a bit eccentric, old fashioned even.. I think their order books are always full so possibly they can't spare the time to deal with the additional admin demands caused by Brexit, but I'm guessing about that. I called into their place in Holt a couple of times and got a bit of a frosty reception as I had not made an appointment but I can cope with frosty especially after things warmed up after saying I had ordered from them previously. I enjoyed going through and selecting bargains from their made up stock rails which they have for the occasional pop up shop they did in London.
 
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