How to choose bespoke trousers

Trousers are the most worn and the least considered part of a man's wardrobe. Choosing a jacket takes hours of thought about cloth, lapel and buttons; trousers are usually passed over on the assumption that they will match the suit.

Yet half the silhouette depends on them. The jacket builds the line down from the shoulder, the trousers build everything below the waist — and badly fitting trousers weigh down even the best jacket.

Ordering trousers on their own is a skill of its own: here it is not the measurement that decides, but the fit.

The fit is decided at the waistline

How trousers look is determined first of all by where the waistband sits. A low waist is a habit of the last twenty years; in a classic cut the waist sits above the hip bone, closer to the navel.

This is not a matter of taste but of geometry. The higher the waist, the longer the line of the leg, the less shirt shows under the jacket and the less excess cloth gathers at the front.

The whole fit of a pair of trousers is decided at the waistline — everything else follows from it. No alteration at a low waist can recover a broken silhouette.

This is why the first fitting looks at the waist rather than at the hem. When the waist sits correctly, the trousers stay in place without a belt.

Waistband, belt and inner support

A belt should complete the line, not hold the trousers up. Properly cut trousers stay up on the waist measurement itself.

In bespoke work the waist is usually secured from the inside: side adjusters, or a tape that keeps the shirt from riding up. These details are invisible, but the difference is felt by the end of the day.

Dinner trousers carry no belt at all — there, side adjusters or a waist sash take its place.

Pleats and width

Front pleats give trousers volume and let the cloth move when you sit down. This is not an outdated detail but a structural solution.

One pleat brings cleanness to the silhouette, two bring comfort. Flat-front trousers look drier, but pull across the cloth on a fuller build.

Width depends on the relation between knee and hem. A gentle taper from knee to hem lengthens the line; a sharp taper shortens the leg.

These proportions are hard to choose on paper, which is why at the first fitting trousers are usually cut wide and then narrowed by degrees.

Cloth and weight

Trousers take far more abrasion than a jacket, so the choice of cloth is stricter here. Cloth that is too light loses its shape quickly.

For the climate of Baku a high-twist wool is the most reliable answer: it breathes, releases creases quickly and holds its shape through the day.

Weight is measured in grams per metre of cloth (g/m). Lighter cloths are taken for the warm season and heavier ones for the cold months — and for separate trousers one usually goes a little heavier than for a suit.

The collections of mills such as Loro Piana, Zegna and Drago include cloths woven specifically for trousers, with a more durable finish.

Hem and length

Length is where trousers go wrong most often. A hem that is too long piles up over the shoe and undoes all the work.

The measurement is taken with the shoes the trousers will actually be worn with. A centimetre of difference is plainly visible.

A turn-up gives the hem weight and keeps the line low; it goes well with pleated trousers. On a flat-front, narrower cut a plain hem looks cleaner.

Made-to-measure and bespoke

Ordering trousers on their own is often a first step: it costs less than a full suit and shows how the measurements work.

At Atelier Baku 1984 trousers are made both bespoke and by the made-to-measure method; the making takes up to four weeks.