“In 1925 the era of the baggy pants dawned. This fashion would influence menswear for three decades. Oxford Bags were first worn by Oxford undergraduates, eager to circumvent the University's prohibition on knickers. The style originated when knickers were banned in the classroom. As the bags measured anywhere from twenty-two inches to forty inches around the bottoms, they could easily be slipped on over the forbidden knickers.
John Wanamaker introduced Oxford bags to the American public in the spring of 1925, although Ivy League students visiting Oxford in 1924 had already adopted the style. The trousers were originally made of flannel and appeared in shades of biscuit, silver gray, fawn, lovat, blue gray, and pearl gray”.
From…MENS FASHIONS OF THE NINETEEN-HUNDRED TWENTIES by Carol Nolan
It was a dark and stormy night. Ok, ok I’ll start over. It was about three years ago. I can’t explain it. I had a craving flung on me-I was caught in the tentacles of circumstance-tossed around in the moment. Sh_t, I don’t know. All I do know is that I walked out of the Polo Ralph Lauren store in Georgetown with a pair of these “updated” Oxford Bags.
I never wore them out of the house and I’m usually not afraid of anything sartorially risky-y’all know this to be fact. These certainly belong in the “what the flip was I thinking” file.
I’m off to drop a ton of stuff off at the Goodwill shop in Old Town. These will be part of the delivery.
Forgive me. Onward Baggily…ADG
12 comments:
No blue weejuns, but how's about a nice green? http://horween.wordpress.com/2010/02/10/cavalier-chromexcel/
Cannonboy...DAMN YOU man. I WILL own those shoes. I've already sent an email to the maker. Thanks.
ADG- The Goodwill! You should eBay those or try to sell them. They looked great on you in the photo.
maybe you could make a quilt out of the fabric. pillows? carpets, throw rugs?
Listen, I'm tall and I don't wear pants that look like you could hide 12 clowns in the legs.
Three words: looks short, stubby. OK, four words: legs look short, stubby.
Enough said.
Richard...thanks. Someone already emailed me and begged for them so they didn't make it to Goodwill.
Toad...I'm kinda small-maybe Barbie Doll pillows or doll house carpet.
Cec.Mc. ... 13 clowns. Get it right!
Oh, shame. Love them but that's probably because I wish I had been at Oxford in the 20s. There's certainly a whiff of Anthony Blanche about them...
I've been watching the remake of Brideshead Revisited.
I had Netflixed the early 80's version a year ago. It's much better, but this current one isn't bad.
I wish *I* could have been a student at Oxford in the 20s. That would have been difficult...but I love the sense of freshness concerning then-controversial behavior, that would seem so contrived or just jaded now.
I'm not a moralizer, but as you become older you do realize that a strong sense of decorum and propriety in society is what gives out-of-the-ordinary behavior a sense of the unexpected; of delicious naughtiness.
Don't get me started on Waugh's musing about guilt and our human "prime objective" to boldly go...and create an alternative universe with an alternative goodness to God's goodness.
The wardrobe in the series is stunning. Pictures of 20's women's fashion look beastly, but it's rendered up here with a sense of utility AND beauty that I had never noticed before.
There's a shot of Lady Julia dressed in all white (some irony here) with pearls and a stunning cloche that almost makes you weep.
I'd wear all the men's clothes too, (which really would have made me avant garde for that time).
I was raised by my father, along with two brothers, and men's clothing has always held a richly textured uncrackable code of adult sophistication appeal to me. I've been known to sneak my husband's stuff when he's not looking.
I suppose that would fit in well with the tragic Sebastian's proclivities.
But, what will you wear over your knickers now?
ELS...there's a whiff of all kinda shite around here.
CeceliaMc..."delicious naughtiness" ...I'll be stealin' that one from you.
Patsy...who said I wear knickers?
Richard - the bags have been nabbed. Like I said in my email to ADG - Bu**er Goodwill.
Reminiscent of Talking Heads frontman David Byrne and his "big suit"...
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/232/514990387_b0bc918b83.jpg?v=0
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