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On Trouser Pockets

sambleckley.com

331–340 of 400 posts

Re: On Trouser Pockets

#331
post #219

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So not wanting to wear cargo pants because I think they look like shit makes me classiest and racist? This kind of behavior where people are labeling anything and everything racist is very much harmful, and makes every sensible people less sensitive to racist claims.

No, saying cargo pants are ugly because they look like what a laborer (or a "pretend-laborer" to use the article's wording) wears is classist.

Well, jeans were invented for miners, pretty sure you see everyone who wears them as a manual laborer too, and by that extent, if you are ok with jeans, but not with cargo pants, then issue is not with the wearer.

Re: On Trouser Pockets

#332
post #7

Very cool! I’ve gotten into pants-making over quarantine, I’ll have to try this out. I had never considered pockets like this before (that I remember), but when I read the title my first idea was the article’s implementation

Any suggestions on where somebody would start with pants making would be appreciated.

It depends on what level you're starting from. During non-COVID times, a reasonable path was to buy a sewing machine from a local shop and part of that transaction would be a short class to help you understand and use your machine. Nowadays, that may be difficult, but depending on your timeline that may be an option in the future. On a similar lines, a good fraction sewing machine shops and fabric stores offer classes, which can also be incredibly helpful. Generally, the progression is something like intro to sewing and then intro to garment sewing.

If you've never done garment sewing before, an apron is a good first project. It'll get you used to your machine and how to sew some simple hems and run a draw string. It's also something that's usable, which is nice. After that, pajama pants are a reasonable starting point to the world of pants. Really, any simple pattern should be fine, so something similar to this:

https://www.simplicity.com/simplicity-storefront-catalog/pat...

The key point on pajama or lounge pants is that they don't contain pockets or a fly. However, they do give practice on how to sew all of the fabric together on the crotch, which can be tricky to start. To add a fly, you'll have to learn how to sew a placket as well as how to either sew buttons and button holes or a zipper. Again, neither is particularly difficult, but they do require practice and there a lot of tricks to make it easier, which is partly why a beginning sewing class is nice. To add pockets, it depends on how nice you'd like it to look. Patch pockets have their own set of technique and how to interface, but are the mostly straight forward. You can substitute rear patch pockets with welted pockets and there are good online tutorials for those. As far as the front, I'll contend that slash pockets are easier than a j-style pocket that jeans typically have. Basically, the more complicated the pocket, they more pieces and interfacing that's required and it can be a pain.

If you really want to go the online route, Thread Theory has reasonable patterns that can be downloaded:

https://threadtheory.ca/collections/sewing-patterns

As far as traditional pattern makers, stuff from Simplicity is pretty simple, but stuff from places like Vogue is a pain.

Ok. That was an overload. Bottom line: (1) Get a machine (2) make an apron (3) get a pattern for pajama pants (4) slowly add features to your pajama pants until you want to make nice pants (5) get a pattern for nice pants (6) classes help a lot. Iterate on that as long as you're having fun.

Re: On Trouser Pockets

#333

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As a complete antithesis to this point of view, I like the silhouette that work/service pants give me. When paired with a good polo shirt, it gives off the confident vibe that I know perfectly well where I'm going and what I'm doing and that there's no need to interrupt me for whatever reasons, because I'm probably doing something important. I've never had so few religious people/coupon hawkers annoy me on the street…

What you’re wearing is _still_ fashion. It’s based on a different aesthetic.

I do not think you would find a single person who would call it fashionable. I don't dress based on aesthetics, I dress based on practicality and comfort. How it happens to look is a consequence, not a goal.

Form follows function. I don't wear boots because I think they look good, I wear them because they're comfortable to walk around in for a whole day and last much longer than regular shoes.

I don't wear polo shirts because they look good, I wear them because they're comfortable and because the collar is practical to avoid sunburn on my neck. They also tend to last longer than t-shirts.

I don't wear work pants because they look good, I wear them because they're comfortable, last longer than regular pants and because they have a bunch of practical pockets.

The end result may be that I do fit a certain type of look, but that is incidental and was never the goal in itself.

Fashion trends are pointless and destructive. They herd us into cheaply made fast fashion and is a great factor in our willfull destruction of the environment.

Re: On Trouser Pockets

#334

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For the people who want a ton of pockets on their pants, cargo pants are pretty much the only option. Do you earnestly believe that all of these people "just like military cosplay"? Edit: Or maybe I'm wrong, and there are other kinds of pants with many pockets.

"Some X are Y" does not imply "all X is Y"; I held the former while you infer I hold the latter.

Fair enough, but I inferred the "all X is Y" bit from the first sentence, in which you said "I don't think you missed the mark" regarding a paragraph which, IIRC, did essentially imply that cargo shorts are by nature deceitful.

Re: On Trouser Pockets

#335

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Further, we are all curvy in different ways. I couldn't wear either of the trousers he made, without the fabric bunching. Other women might fit one or the other, or none. I like my pockets in the back, for example, but I need zips so things don't fall out and maybe a way of securing them so things don't get stolen and well it's all too hard so I just carry a purse unless it's running pants and I just need to slot my…

> we are all curvy in different ways How hard can it be to 3d scan a person and output a custom fitted garment? Print? Robo sew? Anyway it seems like a bounded engineering problem.

https://ai.facebook.com/research/publications/vibe-dressing-...

Re: On Trouser Pockets

#336
post #290

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>Cargo pants are not the solution here, as they are huge and baggy and the pockets flop around with anything in them. You're getting the wrong pants if that's the case. For a time now, I've been buying work pants almost exclusively. Not the cargo pants with flappy hip pockets, but the lighter duty work pants or "service pants", though I'm not 100% sure of the correct english word for them. They're work pants, but not…

> I'm not 100% sure of the correct english word for them. In the UK we might call them "combats" or "combat trousers", and the best ones tend to come from military surplus stores.

I considered that term, but the ones I like the most are made from heavyweight cotton twill, similar in weight to denim but with a different weave and feel. Whereas I think combat pants are generally some sort of polycotton or cordura ripstop fabric.

So it's "service" as in service tech or mechanic, not military service.

Re: On Trouser Pockets

#338

The dismissiveness in this thread is unreal. From the comments you'd think the article only had one sentence insulting the Sanctity of Cargo Pants. If you happily wear baggy jeans or cargo pants, these are not for you and you don't have the problem they solve. It's an elegant solution to wear slim fitted pants without awful hip pocket bulges. Cargo pants are not the solution here, as they are huge and baggy and the p…

Interestingly I have a pair of pants (these: https://www.duluthtrading.com/mens-duluthflex-dry-on-the-fly... , see pocket detail here: https://www.duluthtrading.com/dw/image/v2/BBNM_PRD/on/demand... ) They implement this pocket strategy and work well for me. The author would likely be interested to know that this topic was covered in detail as an engineering exercise in NASA flight suits. More functional pockets for…

I was always envious of my dad's AF flight suits in the 1960s. Zippered pockets everywhere. There was even a knee clipboard!

Re: On Trouser Pockets

#339

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I also really want these! I wear slim-to-skinny jeans and my phone eventually stretches the jean fabric above the pocket and you can see a white outline of my phone. As manufacturers kept increasing mobile screen sizes I'd have to make sure my phone could actually fit in my pocket when buying pants as not every brand consistently use the same pocket depth. Last time I wore cargo pants (probably the late 90s) I rememb…

That sounds like a problem with the obnoxiously large phones as well :p

Sadly the large phone thing seems here to stay, and it’s driving out small phone options :(

Re: On Trouser Pockets

#340
post #304

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I carry a filled Zippo... for lighting others' cigarettes That seems a bit of an odd thing to carry; how often do you use it?

Before covid-19, pretty frequently. For instance, I once noticed that the end of my shoelace broke off. If you want to prevent continued fraying, you can use a lighter to melt the end of the lace. Besides that it's a well-designed, classic looking, functional tool that I enjoy handling. I live in New York, where smoking is more common, and I've found an abundance of social situations that become available when a stra…

Does that actually work as well as an actual aglet?
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