The Finishing Details – Trousers

When a pair of trousers is finished, a customer notices the cloth, the line of the leg and the way the pleat falls. What they rarely notice are the decisions hidden inside the garment. Those are the details I spend most of my time thinking about, because they make a remarkable difference to how the trousers fit, wear and age.

One of the most important is the ease worked through the waistband as the trousers are made up. It is one of the biggest differences between a fully machine-made garment and a bespoke one. By manipulating the cloth, together with the darts and the way the pattern is cut, you’re able to throw shape into what begins as a flat length of cloth. On our forward-facing pleat trousers especially – the style we’re best known for – it is what allows the pleat to fall correctly from the waistband and continue cleanly down the crease. If it’s done well, nobody notices it. The trousers simply look right.

Even something as simple as a button has its place. Most of the positions are fairly standard, whether it’s the bearer button inside the waistband, brace buttons or a button fastening on a pocket. Each one sits where it does for a reason. They’re small details, but they’re all part of making the trousers function properly as well as look neat.

Much of what we do inside a trouser is provision for a life it has not yet had. A bespoke garment is made to last, and a customer’s shape may well change over the years, so we leave a certain amount of cloth – inlays – through the seat, the fork and along the leg seams. If they’re ever needed, they can be released to give the garment a little more room. There is judgement involved, though. Leave too much cloth inside and you limit your ability to shape the garment properly during making. Like so much in tailoring, it’s a question of balance.

Those inlays sit beneath the waistband curtain, which keeps the inside of the trouser looking neat while covering the extra cloth. Depending on the lining that’s been chosen, it can also provide a small personal detail that only the wearer will really appreciate.

Almost everything you can see inside a finished trouser has been sewn by hand – the fly facing, the pocket facings, the waistband lining and the hems. It’s mainly the parts you can’t see that are machined, along with a few areas where extra strength is needed. The side pockets, in particular, involve a great deal of hand stitching, and what makes a good pocket is the balance of that work. The stitching needs enough tension to be durable, but not so much that it disturbs the cloth.

Pressing plays its part as well. There is cloth manipulation throughout the making of the trousers, but much of the final shaping happens under the iron. That is where the calf is worked into the leg, the shins are gently shrunk, and the finished line of the trouser begins to appear.

How a trouser is supported is largely a matter of its purpose. We often recommend side adjusters because they are practical and allow a little flexibility in the waist. Some customers also choose brace buttons, giving them the option of wearing braces or relying on the adjusters. For more formal garments – morning dress, dinner suits and white tie – I generally prefer trousers cut for braces, with a higher back and fishtail. It keeps the line clean and uncluttered.

If I’m looking at another maker’s trousers, one of the first things I notice is the shape of the side strap and buckle. It’s one of the few details that varies noticeably from one cutter to another. Beyond that, I always look at the handwork. How cleanly has the garment been put together? How refined is the sewing? How much of it has been done by hand?

Most of the details that matter are hidden once the trousers are finished, and that’s exactly as they should be. If someone wanted to judge the quality of a pair of bespoke trousers, I’d suggest looking beyond the cloth and paying attention to the workmanship. The care taken in those small details tells you a great deal about the garment, even before it’s ever been worn.