Lauren reporting …
As you may know, I have a bit of an obsession with vintage trousers. This comes from my love of vintage style clothing, naturally, but also my deep seething dislike of modern women’s pants and how they fit (don’t actually fit) the modern female body.
Over the past couple years I have made a lot of pants and to be honest I no longer have most of them. Mostly this is because my waist is expanding (so I would need new pants anyway), but also I made mistakes on some of them and just didn’t enjoy wearing them.
At the same time, I had a great reluctance to purchase retro/repro trousers due to materials choices, the cut, and the pricetags. It wasn’t until a friend of mine gave me a pair of Vivien of Holloway trousers that I became a new VofH addict.
Now, the pants that were given me ended up too small rather quickly (that expanding waistline again…) but I felt confident ordering more of the swing trousers from the UK, and luckily Vivien of Holloway makes this style in a gazillion colors.
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| Trousers: Vivien of Holloway 1940s Swing Trousers in Bottle Green Cardi: Emmy Design Sweden Head Scarf: Burnley & Trowbridge Shoes: Restricted |
I took a risk and got the bottle green swing trousers, then worried about what I was going to wear them with. I worried right up until the day they arrived, but shortly thereafter I found that they go with just about *everything* I own. Hooray!
More importantly, it’s the fit of the Vivien of Holloway pants that I love. They are generous in the tummy area, where I need generosity- but they fit nicely around the waist. The legs are wide and end in a cuff – I hemmed mine so I could wear them with flat shoes.
The fabric is alright – I know they make these trousers in a variety of fabrics, usually blends. This particular pair is 65% polyester / 35% cotton and they were a little sheen-y before I washed them. They also have these trousers in a majority wool blend, a more drapey poly/viscose blend, and 100% cotton denim.
My one gripe is with the lack of pockets. There’s a token patch pocket on the right hip, large enough to fit a smartphone, but otherwise no pockets. That’s not enough to keep me from buying more of these though – I ordered a pair in dark red yesterday and can’t wait for them to arrive.
All in all, I highly recommend the Vivien of Holloway 1940s Swing Trousers. They’re comfortable, flattering, pretty well made, and fairly priced.
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Do you have a recommendation for vintage trousers? Let me know in the comments!
6 Comments
Unknown
October 8, 2016 at 11:27 AMThis dress is really unique,i love the color combination.Its really adorable and fantastic
cybil
October 10, 2016 at 12:37 AMi have been dying to try a pair of these from VOH-i was not sure about the fit though, and it's a rather high $ risk! I've gotten a few pairs from heyday vintage which are fabulous! good fit and very easy to adjust at the waist. great quality too! after reading this, i think I'm going to take the plunge and get a pair from VOH, i really like the little pocket detail. i, too despise modern pants as they always look like crap on me! thanks for the post 😉
Anonypilgrim
October 10, 2016 at 11:12 PMWhat is the point of pants without pockets? *sigh* However, based on your recommendation, I'll take a look.
Monica in Western NC
October 11, 2016 at 2:03 AMand now to learn how to swing! no pockets needed for dance trousers…especially with the Lindy Hop.
trendy παντελόνια
February 16, 2018 at 2:06 PMI really like these trousers. I love the design and the colour on these ones and how well they match with the whole outfit. Thanks for sharing!
Cee
November 29, 2019 at 6:37 PMCan I ask how you washed them? They're listed as dry clean only. I have a VOH skirt that I'm nervous about washing.