High waisted pants changed my life.
Before, I was a little 1.80 m. Now, I'm a big 1.80 m. The difference is the pants that make it. Because I haven't grown since about 2005.
But it's like the real and felt temperature. It's 30°C but it feels like 35°C. The whole difference is in the look of the people who see you. And starting with your own look. Which resurfaces positively in your mind. And we know that a positive mind positively influences your life.
Anyway, I'm not saying that my high-waisted pants are the reason I got the house loan, but honestly, that wouldn't be surprising either.
Dressing well is one way to take care of your mental health.
You have to see how simply forcing yourself to smile for several seconds is enough to put us in a more positive dynamic. You want to be happy? Pretend to be! But that's another story. I'll stop digressing.
Pants have a special place in an outfit . They are the piece that carries your entire dignity. That's why they are so critical. That's why we are reluctant to put a pattern on pants when a flowered shirt seems acceptable.
And when it comes to considering how to wear pants, wondering what could be done better, differently, instead of varying the color or the material, you have to think first about the cut. And with the cut comes the place where it sits at the waist.
If you think that pants are simply two legs, four or five pockets, a fly, a button, a certain width at the thighs and calves and that's it. We have a few things to say to each other.
The high waist might just be a revelation for you.
Let's agree: when do we consider pants to be high-waisted?
It’s not enough to just take a pair of pants that are a little bigger and pull them up so that they’re high-waisted. You know the “ camel toe” effect? Well, that’s the “exposed beam” effect, for lack of a more elegant term. And you don’t want that. Or you’re on the wrong blog.
On all your pants, if you have them cut the same way at the bottom, the length from your crotch to the bottom of your leg should always be the same. It doesn't matter if it's high waisted or low waisted or whatever. That's not what's important here.
What differentiates high-waisted pants from low-waisted or mid-waisted pants is the length of the fly. Or rather , it's the number of centimeters between the seam under your penis and the waistband of the pants.
Also called the front fork.
And of course there is a rear fork which we will come back to. Let's focus on the front fork first.
So when do you consider pants to be high-waisted?
A tailor will probably tell you that it's above the navel. Except that we don't all have navels in the same place. I mean, give or take a few centimeters. And in today's world, that's become excessive. The limit is lower now.
My spontaneous definition is: from the moment when the belt of your pants sits higher than your hips. And then we can say that on your hips, it's a mid-rise and below your hips a low-rise.
There is an error in this diagram: the three crotches should be on the same line . The middle one is higher while it was said that this measurement does not change, only the crotch measurement changes.
Well, let's try to put a number on this front fork to help you know when you go to an e-shop: from how many centimeters is it really high-waisted pants?
How do you measure the front crotch of your pants?
Using a tape measure, measure from the top of the waistband to the seam below the penis.
ATTENTION : some brands take the measurement not at the top but at the bottom of the belt (this is the case on our e-shop). It is therefore necessary to add 4cm on average to the belt.
For example, our Toso pants are rated at 24cm front crotch for a 50. The waistband is 4cm wide. I invoke the power of mathematics and therefore tell you that the total length of the crotch is 28cm.
But on the Berg&Berg brand e-shop for example, the crotch measurement is taken from the top of the waistband to the crotch seam. So if a measurement seems too small compared to the rendering of the e-shop photos, that may be why.
To put a number on the fork length at which I think we can talk about “high waist”, I took off the shirt and tried on some of my pants.
What you need to look at in these photos is how close the belt comes to the belly button.
- Scavini beige pants = 29cm
- Berg&Berg brown pants = 31cm
- Fatigue pants Bronson Mfg green = 34cm
Ok. For me, we can talk about high waist from 30-31cm front crotch. The Scavini pants on the left would be what we could call “a medium waist”. Because it is not a low waist, that’s for sure. Same thing for our Toso pants at 28cm .
If we talk about sensations, I feel better in the two pants on the right (this is very personal) - the green fatigue pants being the most comfortable of the three: by putting on a belt that hugs just enough without constraining the stomach, I know that it will stay in place all day and I am confident that it visually lengthens my legs.
But I also can't say enough good things about the Berg&Berg with a 31cm fork, which is dangerously close to the perfect pants for me (both in style and cut). It would need a slightly longer front fork.
I asked David to try on two of our new pants: the Princeton (coming out in late August 2023) and the Paris which will be released on September 21, 2023. Here's what it looks like:
- Pinceton green chinos: 31cm
- Beige Paris pants: 32cm
These are both high-waisted pants (both of which he wears in size 50). You can see that the beige pants (the Paris ones) sit mid-belly button. And both are above the hips.
Small aside: what is the difference between high waist and natural waist?
First of all, this might be the first time you've heard this term. If that's the case, you don't even need to worry about it.
But to clarify things, wearing pants at the natural waistline means wearing them on the thinnest part of your bust (although this varies if you are overweight, of course). So saying “natural waistline” means designating a specific point on your bust, whereas saying “high waistline” means designating an area of your bust (starting from the hips).
So if we refer to the photo where I am wearing the green fatigue pants at 34cm, it would take a good 8 centimeters for my pants to be at the natural waist, or 42cm of front crotch.
And I would like to point out that such pants need suspenders to hold them in place. A belt will compress the stomach too much when sitting down.
High-waisted pants are for you if…
(Agreeing with just one of these statements is enough)
1. You want your legs to look longer…and thus appear taller
That’s the magic of high-waisted pants. And it’s the main reason I wear them.
Having legs shorter than your torso is not inevitable. Clothing can change the game. You can skillfully play on the proportions of your body.
You have to think in terms of silhouette and the main question that arises is the balance between the top and the bottom. If your bust appears longer than your legs, you will look small. If your bust appears as long as your legs, it will not affect the perception of your silhouette. If your legs appear longer than your bust, you will look taller than you actually are.
So this is a crucial question if you are short or, without being short, your legs are rather short in relation to your torso.
Opt for high-waisted pants that will place the waistband on your belly button and instantly it changes absolutely everything. Starting with your self-confidence. Which is the most important.
2. Get a more dynamic silhouette
(Of course, here, the sweatshirt at the waist marks it even more and also helps to energize the silhouette.)
Even if you are tall and don't particularly want to visually lengthen your legs, you can opt for a high waist to energize your silhouette . Placing the waistband a little higher encourages the eye to focus more on the upper body and guides the gaze towards the head.
3. You want to look slimmer
By lengthening the vertical lines of your pants you lengthen its silhouette , making it visually slimmer. Low-waisted pants cup, for the reasons mentioned above. High-waisted pants make your look more slender. Especially if it has a crease along the leg and it is impeccably ironed.
4. You want comfort
The thing about low-rise pants is that you often have to adjust them. Whereas high-rise pants won't go lower than your hips if they're the right size. You can help yourself with adjusters on the sides of the pants, if they have them, or a belt or, even better, suspenders!
Besides, the pants that come up the highest should be held up by suspenders because the belt is too tight and when you sit down, you're guaranteed to have apoplexy.
But really for me, the best is a high waisted pant that hits at or just below the belly button and has adjusters on the sides . That way you can tighten it just the right amount and it's perfect.
5. You are looking to develop your style
You may be on the hunt for something new. And I assure you that if you have never tried this type of pants, this may be just what you need. With it, you access a whole new style of silhouette. And, even if it will feel weird on you (and those around you) the first few times you wear it, once you adopt it, there is no going back.
6. You want to say goodbye to the plumber's smile
A high waist is a high front crotch and a high back crotch. They can be different heights (if you have a belly for example and you prefer the waistband of your pants to go under it, rather than covering it entirely as was done in the past), but in any case, for everyone, the back crotch covers the buttocks well. This is one of the great advantages of the high waist!
So when you bend over to pick something up or you're in a three-piece suit and a water leak forces you to drop your jacket and rush under the sink, no one will ever know from behind whether you're smiling or not.
How many times, in the street, do I see the parting of some men. Honestly, I never asked to see that. At no time in my life! And it hits you right in the face too. And their acquaintances know full well that it happens to them. There must be conversations when they are not there. “Say, what is Thierry smiling like!”, “But no, not really… ooooooh, you’re talking about that smile.” And no one does anything for them. It becomes a constitutive part of their personality.
I imagine in speed dating , on the program it says: “Thierry, 55 years old, loves modeling and is passionate about aeronautics, dreams of traveling to the Land of the Rising Sun, excellent cook, from time to time shows his parting.” Well no, it’s not possible Thierry! The high-waisted pants are made for you, he wants you, he demands you!
Thierry's loved ones, you who are reading this article, tell him once and for all! The embarrassment of telling him will be nothing compared to the mountain of happiness that awaits him if he starts wearing them.
Really sorry if your name is Thierry. I myself, as a Jordan, know that our first names lock us into a certain image and that it is unfair.
The final word
That concludes this little guide to high-waisted pants. They are fashionable at the moment so they are easier to get. Although you can't find them in large quantities in the most well-known stores. Far from it. But here and there, you can find them. The best tip I can give you to try them without breaking the bank: thrift stores.
Every year, there are old gentlemen who leave their wardrobes so that others can try out new cuts. Thanks to them.
And if you want to delve deeper into the topic of trouser height (and not just high waist), I wrote this article for you.
