Trousers pt. 2: rise

You know my opinion on belts and belt loops and long time followers will also know what I think about turn-ups.

As for rise, it’s abundantly clear what I think, but I thought I would explain why and why I think you should consider a more generous rise.

I get a lot of comments and messages with regards to this, which of course is very motivating and pleasant. Only a fraction of the feedback with regards to rise and trousers in general is not particularly positive and said fraction are also the ones whom wear low rise trousers with both a belt and braces while sporting a jacket with lapels so skinny they’re nearly invisible. Apologies, I couldn’t help myself. If that’s what you like, more power to you.

This is the second article in the trousers series, in the first one I presented two models of trousers.

I should add that in this article I am not just talking about rise, but rise with pleats. Either one or two. 

What to consider?

With regards to rise the most important part is that you have to choose rise length based on your hight and your body proportions. This is mostly for people whom are on either side of the hight spectre. 

If you are taller, the only reason to add length in terms of proportions, would be if you have a tall upper body compared to you lower body. Obviously this goes the other way around if your upper body is short.

Why high rise?

In my case it’s as A4 as it gets with regards to where my waist sits and my hight, I’m very much average on both. 

So, again in my case, adding length to the rise puts my perceived waistline higher, which has the benefit of making one look taller, not to mention it looks more elegant. 

The second benefit, although, in my case, having very broad shoulders, this might not necessarily be a benefit, a higher waistline will also accentuate your upper body from the chest and up, and as such accentuate the V-shape.   

Another aspect that isn’t mentioned often enough is comfort. Granted, I am now talking about high rise with pleats, but it gives you more space which in turn makes it easier to sit and move comfortably in general. For any first time wearers this might be the first thing you notice. 

Pleats

If you look at this the other way around, from a pleats perspective, I would definitely choose a higher rise if choosing pleats. It’s not that you can’t have pleats with lower rise and I have to emphasise, this is all just my opinion. But what usually happens with pleated low(er) rise trousers is that you will end up with a very rounded seat area due to the pleats flaring out. With a higher rise the pleats starts higher up and gives extra room from the hips and down without it bulging out unless you’re moving. 

If the rise is low the pleats will most likely stay in a fixed rounded position. The only trousers were I find this to look good is with gurkha pants. 

Taper

You can taper the trousers, after all I do so. You might encounter some purists still stuck in the 1930’s saying your suit trousers can’t be tapered and so on, but in my opinion (three words you seldom hear from those types of people) you should go for the fit you like and makes you feel comfortable.

What you should  be aware of, is that if you go too tapered on the upper half you stand at risk of the pleats opening/stretching horizontally which is not a good look (in my opinion of course). It might also affect the pockets and you end up with the dreaded bunny ear pockets. 

An option here is to size up and taper down from a bigger size, as the pleats will be slightly more spread and the drape will be preserved. 

In addition, how you taper your high waisted pleated trousers is also to be determined by the cut. Some trousers will look excellent when tapered and some not so much. 

A good example of this is the difference between my Ring Jacket trousers and Universal Language trousers, which were presented in the first article. The former looks great with my preferred taper, in my opinion. The latter can look a little too pumpkin-fit-like. That said, the latter are odd trousers, primarily for summer, so a look leaning towards gurkha pants isn’t necessarily a bad thing. 

Lastly, I would go for turn-ups if the trousers are pleated, especially if there’s two pleats.