High waisted pants have changed my life.
Before, I was a short meter 80. Now, I'm a tall meter 80. The difference is the pants that make it. Because I haven't grown since around 2005.
But it's like the real and felt temperature. It's 30°C but it feels like 35°C. All the difference is in the eyes of the people who see you. And starting with your own perspective. What positively resurfaces in your mind. And we know that a positive mind positively influences your life.
Anyway, I'm not saying that it was thanks to my high-waisted pants that I got the loan for the house but frankly, it wouldn't be surprising either.
Dressing well is one way to take care of your mental health.
We need to see how the simple fact of forcing ourselves to smile for several seconds is enough to put us in a more positive dynamic. Do you want to be happy? Pretend you are! But this is another story. I'll stop digressing.
Pants have a special place in an outfit . It is the piece that carries your entire dignity. That's why he's so critical. This is why we are reluctant to put a pattern on pants when a floral shirt seems acceptable.
And when the time comes to study the way we wear pants, wondering what we could do better, different, instead of varying the color or material, we must first think about the cut . And with the fit comes 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 talk about.
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 take a pair of pants that are a little bigger and pull them up so they're high-waisted. Do you know the “ camel toe” effect? Well, this is the “exposed beam” effect, for lack of another more elegant term. And you don't want that. Or maybe you're on the wrong blog.
On all of 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. Who cares if it's a high waist or a low waist 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 there are between the seam under your penis and the waistband of your 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 we consider pants to be high waisted?
A tailor will probably tell you it's above the belly button. Except that we don't all have our belly buttons in the same place. Within a few centimeters I mean. And in today's world, it has become excessive. The limit is lower now.
My spontaneous definition is: from the moment the waistband of your pants sits higher than your hips. And then we can say that on your hips, it's a medium waist and under your hips a low waist.
There is an error in this diagram: the three crotches should be on the same line . The middle one is higher although we said that this measurement does not change, only the measurement of the fork changes.
Well, we're going to try to put a number on this front fork to help you know when you go to an e-shop: from how many centimeters are these 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.
PLEASE NOTE : 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 an average of 4cm to the belt.
For example, our Toso pants are rated at 24cm front fork for a 50. The waistband is 4cm wide. I invoke the power of mathematics and therefore tell you that the total length of the fork 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 low to you compared to the rendering of the photos in the e-shop, that may be why.
To put a number on the crotch length at which I think we can speak of “high waist”, I took the shirt off 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 fork. The Scavini pants on the left would be what you might call “a mid rise”. Because it's not low rise, 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 (it's very personal) - the green fatigue pants being the most comfortable of the three: by putting on a belt which hugs just enough without constraining the stomach, I know it will stay in place all day and I am confident that it visually lengthens my legs.
But I also can't say enough about the Berg&Berg with a 31cm crotch which comes dangerously close to the perfect pants for me (both in style and cut). Need a slightly longer front fork.
I asked David to try two of our new pants: the Princeton (released at the end of August 2023) and the Paris which will be released on September 21, 2023. Here's what it looks like:
- Pinceton green chinos: 31cm
- Paris beige pants: 32cm
These are both high-waisted pants (both of which he wears in a 50). We see that the beige pants (the Paris) sit mid-navel. And both are above the hips.
Small aside: what is the difference between high waist and natural waist?
This may already be the first time you've heard this term. If so, you don't even need to worry about it.
But to clarify things, wearing pants at the natural waist means wearing them on the thinnest part of your bust (even if this varies if you are overweight obviously). So saying “natural waist” means designating a specific point on your bust while saying “high waist” 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 front fork.
And I would like to point out that such pants need straps to hold them in place. A belt will compress the stomach too much when sitting.
High-waisted pants are made for you if…
(Agreeing with just one of these propositions is enough)
1. You want your legs to look longer…and thus look taller
That's the magic of high-waisted pants. And that's the main reason I wear them.
Having legs shorter than your bust is not inevitable. Clothing can reshuffle the cards. You can skillfully play with the proportions of your body.
You have to think in 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 short. If your bust appears as long as your legs, it will not have an impact on the perception of your silhouette. If your legs appear longer than your bust, you will appear taller than you actually are.
This is therefore a crucial question if you are short or, without being short, your legs are rather short in relation to your trunk.
Opt for high-waisted pants that will place the belt on your navel and instantly it changes absolutely everything. Starting with your self-confidence. Which is the most important.
2. Obtain 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 even if you do not particularly want to visually lengthen your legs, you can opt for the high waist to energize your silhouette . Placing the belt 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 thinner
By lengthening the vertical lines of your pants you lengthen their silhouette , making them visually slimmer. Low-cut pants, for the reasons mentioned above. High-waisted pants make your look more slender. Especially if it has a pleat along the leg and it is impeccably ironed.
4. You want comfort
The thing about low-rise pants is that you often have to put them back on. Whereas high-waisted pants will not sit lower than the hips if they are the right size. You can use adjusters on the sides of the pants, if they have them, or a belt or, even better, suspenders!
Moreover , the pants that rise the highest should be held in place by suspenders because the belt is too tight and when you sit down, you're guaranteed apoplexy.
But really for me, the best is high-waisted pants that hit the navel or just below and adjusters on the sides . That way you can tighten it just enough and it's perfect.
5. You are looking to develop your style
You may be looking for something new. And I assure you that if you have never tried this type of pants, it may be just what you need. With it, you access a whole new silhouette style. And, although it will feel strange to you (and to those around you) during the first few ports, when you adopt it, there is no way back.
6. You want to say goodbye to the plumber's smile
A high waist means a high front crotch and a high back crotch. They can be of different height (if you have a stomach for example and you prefer that the waistband of the pants goes under it, rather than covering it entirely as was done in the past), but in any case, for all, the rear fork 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, we'll never know from behind if you're smiling or not.
How many times, in the street, I see the lines of certain men. Honestly, I never asked to see this. At no time existence! And it catches your eye too. And their acquaintances know very well that it happens to them. There must be conversations when they are not there. “Say what he’s smiling about, Thierry!”, “But no, not really… ooooooh, you’re talking about that smile.” And no one does anything for them. It becomes a constituent part of their personality.
I imagine speed dating , on the program it says: “Thierry, 55 years old, loves model making and is passionate about aeronautics, dreams of traveling to the Land of the Rising Sun, excellent cook, from time to time shows his ray.” Well no, it’s not possible Thierry! High-waisted pants are made for you, they want you, they demand you!
Those close to Thierry, you who read 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 it.
Really sorry if your name is Thierry. Myself, as Jordan, I know that our first names lock us into a certain image and that it's unfair.
The final word
That concludes this little guide to high-waisted pants. It's in fashion at the moment so it's easier to get hold of it. Although it is not found en masse in the most well-known brands. Far from there. But here and there, we find them. The best way I can give you to try it 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 dig deeper into the topic of pant height (and not just high waist), I wrote this article for you.
