Over the past thirty years, we've witnessed the waistline seam placement of pants move up and down on the human form. Growing up on Chicago's South Side in the 1970s, I witnessed every type of pants fashion fad, from Hollywood high waists to hip-huggers. The double-knit craze brought on a no-roll waistband, and even though men's trousers got clingy and without belts in the past, you never saw a guy with pants sitting below the waist unless his stomach pushed them down a bit. Truthfully, menswear always seemed to be the stronghold when it came to where pants are worn. Traditionally, men have always kept their pants riding on the natural waist. When the 1980s exploded with wild fashions, including Hammer pants, mostly influenced by pop idols, menswear still held firm on where to wear the belt.
A crack appeared in the firm waist grip held by everyone in 1980 when the designer-jeans craze started. And even though the shift in pants waistlines south of the navel did not appear in those infamous Calvin Klein jeans commercials starring Brooke Shields, the attention to how this garment fit garnered worldwide attention and would encourage change. And later, with CK Calvin Klein, when everyone started individualizing their fashion style instead of being dictated to by European designers, the fashion industry used the trickle-up theory to produce baggy-cut cargo pants with dropped front waists, inspired by Hip Hop and Rap icons and the Cross Colours brand. And even though the antithesis of early street wear appeared as either push-back or a jump on the bandwagon when New York 7th Avenue brands ushered in the look of the 1990s, with grunge offerings, the biker heroin-chic thing, and others, the waistline of pants still did not officially move.
Most people actually rejected the street trend of wearing pants on the hips until a young, vibrant designer emerged from England: Alexander McQueen. He showed a collection in the early 1990s, and the "bumster" became a term for low-rise jeans that exposed the rear. From this time forward, we have witnessed the low-rise jean and later low-rise pants dominate all markets.
And then one day it happened. The "muffin top" appeared alongside low-rise pants, ushering in a silent fashion ideal, whereas the average consumer believes that anything goes, even if it really does not work for your body type. And I'd like to ask: Does the low-rise pant still look correct today? And perhaps ask another question: Do you feel good about a portion of your “bum” hanging out of your pants when you sit? Well, if you're telling the truth, you know we need to change this trend. Men need to wear fuller pants at the natural waist again because the time for low-rise and bumsters is over—no more muffin tops.
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