Trousers - can one length ever fit all?



Which length?

The Anne Sheridan trousers are done! Well everything except the length. Here I am with a selection of shoes I want to be able to wear the finished trousers with, but I think it will be impossible to accomodate all. From left to right, we have red brogues, blue mid-heel peep toes, 4 inch silver slingbacks, and my treasured 40's style Terry Dehavilland wedges.

As I'm incapable of making a decision without exhaustively researching, I turned first to my vintage sewing books, the oldest of which was published in 1946:

Guess what? No mention of trousers until the late 1960's, and then hardly anything. It doesn't seem that trousers (or 'pants' or 'slacks', as the Colonial publications call them) were decent to discuss among lady-folk until the 1970's. The best advice (and most hilariously stuck up) I found was in 'The Art of Sewing - Basic Tailoring' published by Time Life in 1975:

'Whether the trouser line is cuffed or cuffless, it must fall in precisely the right place. If too low, it may get stepped upon; too high, it will expose a gauche ring of sock'

Just to make sure, I next looked at some vintage fashion plates and some classic Hollywood photos:

It seems long, but not covering the shoe completely, is the most authentic length for the era.

I pinned one leg to suit the lowest shoe:



Trousers with flat shoe



Then I pinned the other leg with the highest shoe:



Trousers with wedge sandal
After all that deliberating and indecisiveness, there was only about 1/2" (approx. 1 cm)difference! Why didn't I just do this in the first place and save myself some time!


Anyway, now the trousers are done and I love them. I won't take you through the making from start to finish, as there are other blogs that do that much better than me, such as Gertie's new blog for better sewing, but here are some of the details close up:

Left hand button closure (with magician's assistant hands!)



Close up of the buttons





Right hand pocket

Until next time - take care!