What turned into a quick post about my new workhorse trousers turned into a reflection about how seventeen-year old me would shake his head at such a purchase.  Upon further review, I’ve decided to put together a multi-part story on why it took me so long to finally get a nicely fitting pair of pants on my legs.  I’m hoping you’ve been through the same, dear reader.

The Evolution of My Pants, Part II: The Suit that Squeezed Me

Whenever you dig through stacks of photo albums and find yourself five, ten years ago, the first mental task seems to be determining how much you have changed.  Terrible bowl haircuts.  Anti-establishment piercings.  I’ve learned to grimace less at these pictures, commemorating a time when I was growing from boy to man.  It’s a worthwhile experience I eagerly await for my children.  At the same time, I still can’t help but take note of my stylistic follies, even now.

Mens’ fashion moves relatively slowly, but when it does, it arrives in sudden jolts.  As mentioned in Part I, part of my decision to wear girl jeans was simply because a complete lack of slim-fitting options for men.  Of course, skinny jeans are the default choice for most young men; Levi’s 514’s tapered into 511’s, which funneled into 510’s.  Thin was in.

From this sea change of taste came a consequence: slim and tight as the standard of fashion with all garments, not just denim.  Tighter shirts, tighter jackets, tighter everything.  What many men – myself included – did not recognize is that standards in clothing are not universal.  Sometimes we fail to account for good taste.  Even the most flawless style icons can befall this trap.