Our custom-made product is always unique. We build each piece individually to fit a body’s measurement with the added preference. These initial measurements are what we call core, and each new category profile are built from this initial measurement. A shirt profile for example uses upper body core measurements to base needed measurements specific to a shirt. By answering some questions in our initial questionnaire, our propriety T.A.P.E process creates an algorithmic measurement calculating your fit preference. This will affect final garment body width, sleeve width etc. but all can be adjusted manually by our trained Personal Stylist, to fit you and your own preference. Added to this of course are the multitude of personalization’s the further the experience of building a piece exclusively for you. This deliberate “Slow” process at J.Hilburn is in complete juxtaposition to the general ready-to-wear market with its own mainstream manufacturing, responsible for some of the planets biggest waste issues that are well documented in various articles and documentaries on the fast fashion industry.
Recently I wanted to experiment a bit to achieve a softer pant leg with a higher waist, based on pants I was seeing pop up in the market and more notably on celebrities, who in our times, for better or worse, are the current purveyors of more forward fashion. To do this I worked with our tech team and started off with our current pant block, building a higher waist. I felt that with the retro vibe I was going for and a little bit of an homage to maestro Armani in there too, not having belt loops to add a belt for now would be a good start and we added some side adjuster tabs to help with comfort of the waist. The trouser is built to sit on the “natural” waist – which interestingly we haven’t used in menswear for some time, currently fitting below and well below the waist all our current pants, especially 5-pockets. The hip is looser and then to achieve the wider, softer leg there is no leg adjustment to the hem resulting in the fuller leg that should look that it covers about 2/3 of a foot. To complete the look, I see two distinct ways to wear this pant, again taking inspiration from celebrity stylists and signature Armani, with snug knit polos tucked in to the waist or alternatively soft sweater style knits with a looser look created simply by adding a few inches to the chest and sleeve.
Those who know me well, know I abhor talking about trends, for reasons I have documented before, but every now and again the eye starts to shift and sees proportions slightly differently than before. This happens all the time and happened along the way with the current slim silhouette in men’s suiting that clients opt for constantly. To understand how the slim silhouette is todays standard, just look at what men on TV were wearing in the 90’s and into the early 2000’s, with wider shoulders, loose body and low, wide lapels. The pants that accompanied were usually pleated with a tapered but roomy leg. Luckily quality menswear shifts and evolves over time rather than womenswear that can shift in the blink of an eye and somewhere along the way that 90’s slouch sharpened and slimmed into today’s trim fitting silhouette that the majority of menswear proposes.
As a premium menswear brand, I like to have an eye for luxury and create collections that live well beyond a season so bringing new silhouettes to the collection are greatly pondered. I sometimes compare menswear to gardening, when you plant something to see how it will do in the soil and every now and again it is healthy to try something new amongst the evergreens. I felt the time was right to introduce this new Fashion Trouser to clients who may love the custom-made experience exactly for this reason, and being able to build pieces exactly how they want them, even a little ahead of the curve.
