By KEVIN ZEBROSKI
Modern pants are very weird. Historically, pants have always rose to meet the waist, or more precisely the navel. This made sense as the widening parts of the torso, the hips and lower chest, were separated geometrically by a horizontal waistband.
The recent trend toward low-rising trousers is an oddity when we consider the natural form of a human being. These pants, now situated on the widest part of the lower torso, are held in their position by a combination of willpower and occasional butt-tugging.
For the purpose of understanding the tailoring difference between modern pants and their forebears it is key to have at least two terms in your vocabulary.
“Rise” is the measurement from the crotch to the top fly button, and this measurement’s length determines how high the pants rise up the waist. In the case of low-rise jeans for men the rise measurement is commonly around eight inches, while the classics were closer to 12 or 14 inches. If you wish to measure your waist rise, it would be prudent to do so in privacy, as draping a measuring tape from your crotch to your belly button is frowned upon in the public sphere.
The other – albeit circumstantially less important—term is “inseam.” The inseam is the measurement from the bottom of your rise measurement (your crotch) to the “hem,” or the part where your pants stop existing. The inseam in low-rise and traditional pants should be roughly the same, and how long you want your pants to be is a matter of preference and safety.
Okay, so why are full-rise pants better? Well low-rise pants are something of a fad, not a modern innovation that will be around for centuries. The reason for this is because they defy a primary aspect of design philosophy, and that is proper function. Low-rise jeans practically spawn the concept of plumber’s crack because of their inclination toward spelunking down your backside. They also are not as flattering as we think they are. The strange billowing effect created by tucking a shirt into your hips is unique to low-rise pants. With regular pants the firmer and heavier fabric of the pants makes the waist appear thinner and flatters the shoulders and chest with its contrast.
Seriously, just look at bullfighters with their ultra-high-waisted pants. They may be narcissistic animal torturers, but they have great costumes. Just do not emulate their color choices. Be a subtle and benevolent bullfighter.
