My son has bought bespoke items at garage sales. The tags inside indicate their origin. Just because they were custom made for someone doesn't make them museum-worthy, unless the person was of historical significance. So I agree that you should change them how you want. If it were me, I would want them to have as long a life as possible, so I would alter them to a less trendy silhouette. But it's your choice.

If I tilt my laptop screen just so, it lightens the picture for me and I can see the gorgeous fabric quality and the back detailing. I think you should definitely keep them and ponder on the best path to take for a little re-model.

Also, remember they're just pants, not the Mona Lisa.
Meaning, I can get decision paralysis about how to remake-- always some missed opportunity-- same as when trying to cull wardrobe, feat of missing something. After some thought, take your best shot snd enjoy. There will be more fabrics, more styles, more pants.

If you think can rework them to get the look you want then by all means go for it. Best of luck with the project!

I just tried some of Diane's juju with my computer, and was able to pick up the stripe & other details (thanks, Diane!) and it hit me that these pants look pretty great on you as is. Any chance you could just take the deepest possible hem to whatever length you like now, leaving enough fabric to lower the hems later, and just wear them slouchy without fussing too much? You could always change your mind and carve them up in the future, but meanwhile they would be wearable, intact, and possibly your new fave trousers.

Thanks so much for your thoughtful feedback everyone! Plenty of food for thought here.

I've taken a few pics before I start working on them, so you can see what I'm dealing with. Let me say again I am in awe of these pants. This is meticulous hand-finished tailoring right down to the last detail.

JAileen, unfrumped, honestly, I don't think these would be out of place in a museum, despite their lack of provenance. Not so much the Mona Lisa as a very fine specimen of an endangered species

tulle, Diane, I think you're right. The less I do to these pants the better. I kind of wish they weren't quite so nice, otherwise I'd be tempted to remodel them quite radically.

They really are beautiful. i understand your hesitation but I still think you can do it.

Thank you for sharing the more detailed pictures. They really are beauties!

I have no hesitation at all about you hemming them to wear them. This is the way of clothes, this is what they're meant for. Their creator would be proud to have someone wearing them who appreciates the workmanship and artistry.

My only hesitation is over whether you could have remorse that you've removed the option to wear them as full length pants. Have cropped pants had longevity in your closet? One thought I have had is that these would also be lovely pedal pushers if you do eventually tire of them as cropped pants, but then you're just getting even further from their intended structure, so I'm not sure how you'd feel about that.

Ok, a couple more pics, taken in better conditions for my own benefit so I can assess the fit properly.

I'm doubtful mainly because they're so very big, and this is the first time I see them properly from behind. I like the front and side view, but that's a heck of a lot of material in the seat. I'm also inclined to agree that they should be full length.

I think my best option is to shorten by restructuring the cuff, and overlaying the fly with a separable zipper to achieve the drape front. But should I even try?

Suz, Traci, thanks for your continued encouragement and faith in my skills. I'm making it all up as I go along

I'm far from a fit expert, but I think the top half is perfectly cute as is. I don't see that these need a major reworking for more drape. As they are, they remind me of a paper bag waist, which I really like. I feel like more drape could take away from the amazing waist details.

My vote is to hem them to regular ppl and live with them just like that for a bit. If you are finding you reach for them but put them back often, reassess the need to crop. This latest set of pictures has me even more convinced these would be great at knee length too, if you can't find your happy spot at pants length.

WOW. The details really are incredible. Enjoy those pants! They look like they were made for you!

I really empathize with your dilemma here. I'm a paper artist, who makes things out of old books, and there's always a tension between being an artist and being a collector. A few years ago, an English professor friend gave me his collection of Harper's Magazines from 1914, with full blessing to use them however I wanted. I've never been able to cut into them. These magazines were widely distributed, and there are plenty of copies preserved in libraries and even floating around eBay. And yet...

I still believe that you should have faith in your abilities. The chances are far greater that the next person to find those pants won't appreciate them or will want to alter them to their own needs, than the chances they'll fall into the hands of a man in the exact right size to wear them as-is. Trust yourself, preserve the details that are wonderful about them, take lots of pictures to document the process, and then own your art.

That _is_ a lot of fabric around the seat. Crotch area adjustments are complicated, if I understand correctly?

Also wanted to add that the altering and reuse of objects--clothing especially--has been a constant throughout time. It becomes part of an item's story for future generations. You wouldn't be "restoring" the Ecce Homo fresco, you'd be engaging in a long tradition of repurposing.

Taking in the seat shouldn't be too hard to do, though. I think these are going to turn out great!

Thanks again everyone for the encouragement! Jen, you should totally make art with the Harper's magazines. One of these days I'll tell you about my passing acquaintance with Paul Ford of ftrain and the legendary Weekly Review. He's very good at hypertext. I love Harper's.

For anyone who's still with me, here's a progress report:

1-3 Full length with a basic hem. Nice enough, but they don't make my heart sing the way they should and then there's that pesky problem with the undercarriage.

4-6 Pinned up in a variant of the original plan and cuffed to flood length. I cribbed this little trick from Jil Sander: horizontal tucks on both sides, above the knee at the back and just below in the front. I like the sense of structure and proportion. The way it brings the backside under control is a tiny miracle.

7-9 Same idea further down the line. I unpicked a section of the leg seam to make room for the tuck. I think this is too deep but I wanted to see how the length played out.

Conclusion: I'm thinking flood length with a deep, structured cuff. The shape cries out for it and the rise needs to be adjustable. There can be no PPL with these pants and I'm OK with that. I just need to tweak those tucks and let the proportions guide me.

That's as far as I got today. Hopefully I'll have more time for them next week. In the meantime, any more thoughts or comments are deeply appreciated.

Much better photos, thanks. I see what you mean now--those are giant pants! I love the front drape you've pinned--could that be achieved with just a substantial hook & eye fastener? The seat IS very full--you would know better than I what to do about that. Would you ever think of wearing the trousers quite high, with suspenders, as the original owner would have, or does that seem too clownish? I look forward to seeing what you decide to do. Trust your instincts!

Oh wow. Swoon- worthy fabric.

I think you're on track for the length that's feasible. They're great with fullness in hip, but I'd like them to not be so dropped in crotch, but not sure what kind of a job that is.