[MovingForward]

Hello,

I had my suit pants tailored, asking for a small break. The seamstress made the back lower by what seems to be 1.5 inches. When I stand, they seem to fall fine. However, when I sit, the right pant leg bunches up in the front as the back of the pant drags up against my sock. Do you feel she did too much of an angle? And if so, how much lower should the back be?

 

[Searching_Best_Fit]

I blame the socks. Try the no socks look.

But seriously, since it is the sock that clinch the back of the hem, have you try sitting without the sock to see the same problem exist? I am not sure if the hemming is the culprit here.

 

[MovingForward]

I blame the socks. Try the no socks look.

But seriously, since it is the sock that clinch the back of the hem, have you try sitting without the sock to see the same problem exist? I am not sure if the hemming is the culprit here.

Thanks, I don't have the pants now since they are at the dry cleaners. I can try them without socks to see if it is different when I get them back.

However, I did previously take a photo of what they looked like after I pulled off the pants from the back of my sock. The flash was used so the pants look a different color. I noticed too that there is a little dimple on the front even when resting them flat unworn.

 

[dks202]

Are your socks over the calf? If yes, that's what happened to me when I bought new pants. New styles are narrower in the leg. I never had this problem until last month when I purchased several new Brooks Brothers trousers. The narrowness of the opening now drags on my OTC socks. That's my theory anyway.....

Also that hemming.... My Class A uniforms have a small cut or slice to eliminate the dimple...

...One solution is to hem your trousers on a slant, so the front is higher than the back. The technique is also known as a military hem or guardsmen's hem, although military tailors have other tricks beyond slanting the hem to get the right, extremely clean effect on uniform trousers.Feb 9, 2017

 

[never behind]

I wear OTC socks and have noticed my lightweight trousers can catch on my leg when I sit down. They are also hemmed lower in the back than front, although I’m not sure to the degree of yours. Ive never measured it.

I’ve never tried the no sock test.

If they bunch, I just give them a slight tug and all is well. Annoying but it is what it is.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Searching_Best_Fit]

However, I did previously take a photo of what they looked like after I pulled off the pants from the back of my sock. The flash was used so the pants look a different color. I noticed too that there is a little dimple on the front even when resting them flat unworn.

That indentation is cause by the slant hem. Just imagine if this is done on paper with slant folding. With enough slant the inside fold needs to be cut to make it smooth. Without cutting it will have that indentation

 

[Troones]

That dragging on the sock happens to me as well. I blame my thick calves rather than the pants in my case, but it happens with every pair I own. I just live with it now.
I think the break at the front looks perfect in the standing photos. I never thought to ask for this slant hem but I'm definitely going to for my next trousers that I have hemmed. I like slight break but for the back of the leg to not get caught up in my shoes.

 

[Andy]

Your trousers should always have cuffs. See the FAQ linked from the Home Page, but if not...

This is from The Encyclopedia of Men's Clothes:

If you don't cuff your pants have the tailor slant the bottoms so that the hem is lower at the back to the top of the shoe heel. Tailors call this a "fishtail". Cuffs are hemmed straight across.
​

Looks like a greater differential than usual.

 

[EclecticSr.]

I refer to them as "cadet hem" and "fishtail" to the back of trouser waist with such feature. As to the dimple or pull at the blind stitch, just have your tailor correct it. I believe that there is a anti static spray that is supposed to prevent the kind of clinging you're referring to, I can't attest to it's effectiveness. The clinging has nothing to do with tailoring.

 

[eagle2250]

^^
I've also heard the cadet hem being referred to as "the West Point cut," featuring the slanted hem (lower at the heel) and generally including a pronounced puddl;ing of the trouser legs at thew hem...a look to which I never personally subscribed. :icon_scratch:

 

[EclecticSr.]

^^
I've also heard the cadet hem being referred to as "the West Point cut," featuring the slanted hem (lower at the heel) and generally including a pronounced puddl;ing of the trouser legs at thew hem. :icon_scratch:

I dislike puddling

 

[MovingForward]

After making a small cut to eliminate the dimple, should I hem my pants with less of an angle. The angle is at 1.5 inches currently.

 

[Searching_Best_Fit]

After making a small cut to eliminate the dimple, should I hem my pants with less of an angle. The angle is at 1.5 inches currently.

If you are willing to change the angle, try 0.5 inch: that is, the rear is 0.5 inch lower than the front. I find that does not create the dimple at the front, and there is no need to cut the hem or the clothes.

On the other hand, if 1.5 inch is desired, i would think to cut the thread on the seam at the inside and sew the blind stitches one at the front and one and the back. I think this needs to be tested first before the actual work is done. I am not 100% certain here.

 

[EclecticSr.]

After making a small cut to eliminate the dimple, should I hem my pants with less of an angle. The angle is at 1.5 inches currently.

When doing a cadet hem, regardless of angle a tailor would/should snip off some fabric at an angle at each end (front crease rear crease area) as to avoid bunching at those points once turned in. Lesser the angle lesser the bunching but still bunches. If your happy with the angle of your trousers just check if the tailor performed what I have described. At any rate, I did mention taking them back and have corrected.

 

[Searching_Best_Fit]

^. ^^. and ^^^: just to add that for a 0.5" slant, there will be little folds at the front and back creases inside the hem. These can be stitched by hand-sewn blind stitches with loose-enough thread to allow it *floats* a bit and allow it be pressed without dimple. With 1.5" slant and machine blind-stitched (tight stitches), the fold will cause the dimple, and I do not think hand stitch it will alleviate the problem.

That said, the inside hem can be cut near that point so that there is less to no tension on the inside to form the dimple, but that hem is cut so it needs to be tidied up along the cut edges.

PS: cutting along the seam does not solve this problem, after some deeper thought and some paper trials. My bad.

 

[EclecticSr.]

PS: cutting along the seam does not solve this problem, after some deeper thought and some paper trials. My bad.

I don't know if you merely cut along the crease or removed some fabric.
What I tried to describe is to actually remove the fabric by cutting it away at an angle. Just cutting it straight would cause it to fold on itself when turned in. That portion that bunches needs to be removed but the cut should be well above the hem on the inside. I don't advise you to attempt this unless you have some tailoring skills.

 

[SG_67]

I would think this would be more of a concern with wider leg openings.

 

[EclecticSr.]

Okay, I've had my second cup of coffee. Turn fabric up into itself as in trouser leg opening, it has less room to occupy than when it hung freely causing it to bunch/wrinkle/pucker. Add an angle then that puckering becomes pronounced, more so at one end. Solution, give the fabric relief by eliminating an appropriate amount front and back so that it can lay smooth. Again I warn, do not attempt if you have no tailoring skill.

 

[Peak and Pine]

If I may...

The turn-under cloth of a slanted hem becomes excessive at the low end and recessive at the high end, i. e., too much cloth at the heel, not enough at the front. It's geometry.

At the high end you make one cut, almost to the hem. This creates an expansion slot, and it will expand forming a vee and should be blanket stitched at the edges to prevent fraying or if your're fastidious (Latin for anal) like me, you will create a small fabric triangle to cover the slot.

On the low end you will have too much fabric and so what. But if this bothers, or snags because you're wearing Christly too tight pants, then the excess is folded over and bound. Or you could cut the tuft off and sew the cut edges together.

My personal standard for pant length is, when standing shoeless, 2 1/4 inches from floor. Shoes on, this creates a very minimal break. That's for a standard straight hem. For a guardsman's, the same 2 1/4 inch measure is used, then the front is raised 3/4 inch and the rear lowered 3/4. This creates no break, which is why a a guardsman's done in the first place.

None of the above is meant to dictate, suggest maybe.

 

[Searching_Best_Fit]

If I may...

The turn-under cloth of a slanted hem becomes excessive at the low end and recessive at the high end, i. e., too much cloth at the heel, not enough at the front. It's geometry.

At the high end you make one cut, almost to the hem. This creates an expansion slot, and it will expand forming a vee and should be blanket stitched at the edges to prevent fraying or if your're fastidious (Latin for anal) like me, you will create a small fabric triangle to cover the slot.

On the low end you will have too much fabric and so what. But if this bothers, or snags because you're wearing Christly too tight pants, then the excess is folded over and bound. Or you could cut the tuft off and sew the cut edges together.

That is a great explanation as i was going to use some graphic to explain this simple geometry problem.

One thing I might add, if that was not clear before, is that by sewing the hem with hand stitches, one can adjust the tightness or looseness of the stitch so that the folded fabric need not be closed tightly to allow some rumblings inside the leg opening. That way and with small amount of the slant, one can forego the needs to cut the fabric.