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Sacrilege? ETA better pictures!

approprio

(website)

Veteran

I've just found these amazing vintage men's dress pants in a thrift store for the price of a sandwich. No tailor's mark but definitely bespoke, possibly Weimar era German. Gorgeous fabric, unbelievable finish and fabulous condition for their age. These are pants for a very big man, in every sense of the word.

I could probably sell them on for ten times what I paid for them but I'm contemplating remodelling them. These are the sort of pants I want to wear all the time but can never find (huh?! what about the three pairs of black slouchy tailored pants already in my closet?!) *ahem* Well, almost never.

I've pinned them up in the picture to show what I have in mind. It involves moving a few buttons to fit the waist, reshaping the legs slightly and sewing a seam at knee level, although I'd probably go shorter than this. It's not intrusive, it preserves the tailoring detail, but actually, it feels like butchery.

Alternatively, I could keep them around as an inspiration piece. Or I could make my friendly neighbourhood vintage dealer very happy.

What do you think? Alter? Conserve? Pass on?

ETA: a few additional pictures of these awesome pants. Still not sure I've done them justice.

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47 replies

Latest reply was from unfrumped

Sally

Veteran

I love them. I say keep them as you have pinned. I'm no expert so wait to see what others say. Great find!

Banoffi

Veteran

As you said, these are the sort of pants you want to wear all the time. So I say get them altered and enjoy.

Chris987

Veteran

They are yours now, do what you like with them! Don't worry about anyone else's rules, do what makes you happy.

chewyspaghetti

Veteran

Have them tailored do you can wear and love them! That's what clothes are for.

LaPed

Veteran

alter and wear away! they're beautiful. plus, you rescued them -- so you deserve to enjoy them.

Thistle

Veteran

Alter and wear, if you'll actually wear them.

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Liz, I'd love to offer my 2 cents, but black doesn't photograph well, and I can't see the fit of these other than the silhouette. I'm inclined to say alter and wear them too.

Suz

(website)

Veteran

What Angie said. This is your joy, to work with brilliant design and fabric -- and you know how to do it well. It isn't sacrilege I don't think -- as an artist, don't you love to see someone take your work and riff off it? Straight copy is sacrilege. Respectful theft or adaptation is a gift.

minimalist

Veteran

These sound like a lot of joy in waiting.

To reduce the butchery aspect, perhaps there's an old-style tailor around who still sees well enough to work on black and who'd have pleasure in rejuvenating a garment made this well?

UmmLila (Lisa)

Veteran

It's hard to see the details, but I think you should just alter them to fit you and be happy with your treasure.

April

Veteran

Oh, yes, things should be altered and worn by people who recognize their quality and beauty. Clothes are not paintings. They were meant for multiple uses, and to be passed on, tailored, taken in, let out, and so on.
At least clothes from that era (before disposable fashion had arrived) were.

And what can you do with the extra fabric?

Jaime

(website)

Veteran

Well the little buckle on the back sold me. Definitely would alter and wear. As April said, clothings are not paintings - they are meant to be performance art.

Eliza

Veteran

Wow- hard to see all the details, yet there is that compelling buckle and great looking waist. Wear and enjoy as you like them. Very cool!

Windchime

Veteran

I can't imagine those wonderful pants finding their way to someone who would love and appreciate them more than you clearly do! So I'm adding my voice to the chorus of those who think you should alter and enjoy.

I recently visited a re-creation of a historic Dutch village. The style and fabric of your vintage pants reminds me of some the docents wore.

Cococat

Veteran

I would alter, wear and enjoy. They're fab!

I have my father's pinstripe wedding vest from the 40s and I have worn it several times. It's very precious and I love wearing it.

Deborah

Veteran

No question in my mind... alter... wear... enjoy

Ledonna N.

Veteran

Keep wear

Style Fan

Veteran

They were meant to be yours. You have the talent to alter them and wear them. Enjoy.

Astrid

Veteran

Yes, I would also alter them. You have the skills to do them justice and are going to appreciate them!

Inge

(website)

What a find, Liz! I'm leaning towards altering too (and love what April and Jaime said).

Traci

Veteran

Any chance the hem can be taken up without removing the extra fabric, so you'd have the option to let them back down later?

approprio

(website)

Veteran

Thanks all! I slept on it and you're right. No reason to be precious, they're just a pair of pants in need of improvement and I'm glad you can see the potential. I was hoping to get to the studio to work on them today, but events are conspiring against me so they'll have to wait until tomorrow.

As Angie says, black doesn't photograph well, but I'm going to try and take some more pictures so you can see the beautiful workmanship that went into these. There are some issues with the fit of the seat, so I'll try using the excess from the legs to reshape the crotch seam a la CdG's Ganryu jeans.

April, Jaime, since you put it like that, it's not just my right, it's my duty to give them a new lease of life and bring them up to date. And Windchime, that's fascinating. I was pretty sure they were formal dress pants but now I wonder if traditional Dutch clothes might carry more clues about their origins.

Ganryu Comme Des Garcons Drop Crotch Cropped Jeans - H. Lorenzo - Farfetch.com

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approprio

(website)

Veteran

Traci, sorry, I missed your reply. That's a good point. They're slightly tapered to a cuff, which is so beautifully worked that I can't bear to loose it. It might be possible to keep the fabric in the leg without too much extra bulk, but then I loose the option on reshaping the crotch seam. I need to ponder that.

Kaelyn

Veteran

I agree with what others have said--these pants clearly make you very happy. You should keep them and alter them to suit your needs. I see no harm in altering a vintage piece if you're going to enjoy wearing it!

tulle

Veteran

As Angie said, it's a bit hard to see what's going on with those trousers, but I can imagine the fabric and tailoring, and that little buckle in the back would seal the deal for me! I would not advise just anybody to cut into such beautifully made pants, but, as Suz says, this is what you DO, and you know exactly what you want from them, so you should absolutely make them new again: comfortable, warm, historical, but uniquely yours.

RobinF

Veteran

Definitely alter and wear! What a fun find!

unfrumped

Veteran

No point in saving for someone else who may never come along. So if all depends on whether ghd treating are feasible. Good practical issues.
Also It sounds likd you may have to choose amongst some results. I skeays get tied up in that. To keep or not to keep this of that.
So channel thd tailoring muses. I'd ghere s result that thd oants " want" so you follow that? What end product will help you really wear them and not keep them as a relic yourself. Maybe the fabric suggests a direction, in terms of others you already have- should these be more classic , or versatile, or more quirky? That sort of thing. .

Barbara Diane

Veteran

Can't wait to see them on you once you are done.

approprio

(website)

Veteran

tulle, that's exactly why I feel so nervous about it!
I've just been telling a fashion designer friend about them. She was very excited to see them until I told her what I was going to do. Then she winced and told me to take lots of pictures.

unfrumped, still trying to figure that out. I could limit it to the waistband and wear them long with a slouchy hem, which looks more classic but won't be very practical. Or I could shorten them for the full "awkward crop" style, which works with my current direction but might not have so much staying power.

Either way, they will be very quirky pants.

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