Slim Fit Blues or: The Curse of the Cyclists Thighs

Although modern and "relaxed" fits have gotten entirely out-of-hand as of late (often leaving inches of fabric billowing around my legs), I have the opposite problem a lot of times when trying on pants that seem like they should fit me.

In short, I have thunder thighs.

Okay, so I'm certainly no Alberto Contador, but more often than not, pairs of pants in my usual sizing (34x34 or 34x36) that were made in the mid 80s (or so) and before often look like they were painted on my legs when I put them on.

For your sake, I'll spare you the visuals. For reference though, I'll call forth these very cool gray pinstripe Levi's jeans from what I'm guessing are the early to mid 80s or so.

Gray and light gray pinstripe. New wave, no wave, way cool.

34x34? Sweet!

Like the kick-ass cords in this post, the pictured Levis were only $1, so I didn't even bother trying them on at the thrift store before making my purchase. I had the same problem with these, though, that I had with the aforementioned corduroys, as it looked like my legs (especially my thighs) had been vacuum-sealed when I put in the work of slipping them on. Actually, "slipping" is probably the wrong term, as I nearly needed outside assistance getting them off again.

I ran into the same problem in recently buying some vintage madras pants off ebay. The waist fit great, the length was just about right, but the legs were nearly as tight as the lycra I wear when I'm actually doing long distance rides.

Damn, did I just admit that I sometimes wear lycra?

Oh dear.

Yay or nay? The Hickey.

A wise man probably would have thought twice in starting a style blog, knowing full well that they are often incredibly self-conscious. I am not a wise man, though.

Despite not posting regularly, I have been scooping up some interesting things over the past couple weeks, and I might as well lay out a few of them, including this amazing/atrocious vintage Hickey Freeman jacket.



Did I mention that it's insane?



Sized at 40 Long, this jacket is by default a, "nay" for me (I wear a 42XL or 44XL, depending on the cuts), but I bought it anyway due to the cheap price ($3.50) and the good name of Hickey Freeman. I'm guessing it's 60s or so from the tag. It's definitely 100% wool and doesn't have even a slight nibble of damage, so I'll have to find a good home for it at some point. The pattern-matching is impeccable and the tailoring is fabulous, as one would expect.

Speaking of homes, this is the sort of jacket that certainly would take a certain... je ne sais quoi to pull off. Or perhaps just a bit more swagger than I have right now. In all honesty, though, it's not too far off from some of the louder Huntsman Tweeds that I've seen crop up in the series of posts on Permanent Style.

Be honest. Would you wear it?

Yay or nay? The Trenker.

Sometimes I see a unique item of clothing at a thrift store, and before I've even really thought about what I'm going to wear it with (or what my wife will think of it), I'm out the door with purchase in hand.

I suppose that's the best way to describe the purchase of this hat, which I got earlier this summer on a whim for $3.



It's a vintage, 100% wool Bavarian-style hat (which I've seen referred to as a "Trenker hat," after the film star Luis Trenker) and I think it will look pretty okay if I team it up with the right combination this fall or winter. Maybe with something like this?

My wife, however, thinks that it looks far too Sound Of Music and is giving more than subtle nudges that I should re-donate it before it even makes one appearance on my head outside our house.

Who's right on this one?