Minerva Bloggers Network - Manly Trousers

Whew! It's already time for my 4th Minerva project - that went fast! This time I decided to tackle trousers. I love wide, tailored 1940's-style trousers with a masculine look. View C from this Vogue pattern fit the bill:

Vogue 8836

I used a light weight navy suiting, with some matching navy poly lining and came up with this:

 

These are possibly the widest trousers I've ever worn - you have to be careful not to get tangled up in them when you walk. But they feel very glamorous and are surprisingly comfortable.

Some details:

There  are 2 generous pleats either side of the waist, which drape over the stomach, and 2 pockets:

Pocket and pleat detail

 There are 2 false pockets on the back - just flaps sewn directly onto the trousers. Sometimes I love the little details on a project most of all; these little flaps make me smile every time I look at them:

 In the photo above you also get a little glimpse of the belt loops.

Carrying on with the masculine theme of the trousers, I used a metal zip for the fly front. Here is where I slightly deviated from the instructions and added a panel behind the zip. This extra step isn't in the instructions, but all the trousers and jeans I've ever owned have this - seems a bit strange that Vogue would leave it out...

Fly front, with extra panel behind zip

I also added a half lining to the back section of the trousers, to give the fabric some support and also to prevent any transparency issues:

 

Half-lining at back of trousers

 I'm loving wearing these trousers, and would recommend this pattern to anyone looking for an alternative to the all pervasive skinny jean. And they were really quick and easy to make - they only took a few evenings to complete. All of the draping on the front makes them easy to fit  - I'm about a size 29" waist and a 38" hip, so I cut the size 14 (28" waist) and it fits just fine.

And that's that! If you like the look of these trousers, click here to buy your own kit. And click here to see all the other Bloggers projects.


Take care!