Baggy Trousers

Dear Sir
I decided that I needed to reduce the old waistline, and that drastic action was called for, so I went along to the gym. I hadn't been for a while, and I was quite astounded at what I found. No longer was there a smell of liniment. No longer were there burly fellows walloping a punchbag and saying things like 'boxings been good to me Howie' through a flattened nose. Instead, I was faced by an abundance of beetroot faced Lycra clad young waifs. They have also installed TV screens, showing a satellite channel called 'the Hits'? Have you heard of this younger APFFN ers? I had never heard of any of these 'hits', I mean....who the f*ck is Mario? Thankfully I had on my trusty MP3 player and in no time I was sweating buckets in time to the Who and Motorhead. What did astound me, as I watched the screens, is that every artist(?) that came on, was wearing baggy trousers like some refugee from a Sinbad the Sailor film?!? They also performed a similar (dance?) routine which involved them lifting up each leg ( sumo wrestler style) as if their underwear had gotten lodged up their backsides. Am I missing something here. Why the need for baggy trousers? Is it a fashion statement? Is there a genital deformity amongst the young. I feel we have a right to know?

yours


Colonel Upshott Baggley (retired) VC;DSO and bar
late of His Majesty's 18th Lancers

They're cooler than hippy clothes!

Baggy pants are great for shoplifting, too.

Strat, you must be of an age to remember the old swashbuckling movies like the Crimson Pirate and Captain Blood with Errol Flynn? Do you think we are making a return to that era? And as for being better than hippy clothes...give me my crush velvet loon pants, tie dye t shirt and afghan coat any day!

Some guys wear huge pants that reveal a large portion of their backside/underwear.

Some guys wear girl pants that reveal a large portion of their backside/genitals.

Whaddya gonna do?

I do remember them. Errol wore much classier puffy shirts / pantaloons & stuff than the current crop of JD's we have to suffer with.

Speaking of old pirate movies, my favorite was Blackbeard, the Pirate

Apparently, baggy/loose trousers were regular garb in some prisons - the reasonin' bein' that it's harder for the criminal to run away if his pants are falling off.

Comercial "gangsta' " rap artists took to aping this aspect of "prison life" to give of an appearance of "thugged out" and hence "tough".

The muppets in the UK (and now, the world over *shudder*) have happily followed suit.

Personally, I see little logic in having my pants hanging off my ass. I do prefer loose clothing when I'm wearing casuals - but not all THAT baggy and certainly not showing off my butt. 'specially because I also live in a cold ass place like Buffalo where the wind is liable to chill and freeze you butt should you leave it exposed for even mere seconds.

That's right Simon. It also has something to do with not having a lot of sizes to choose from for your clothes in prison and the fact that they are not allowed to use belts (in case they want to hang themselves or others with them).

It is quite curious that this trend originated as an attempt to look tough but now it has launched the use (among the fashion victims) of expensive underwear like Calvin Klein's since everybody in the street can look at your underpants now.

Isn't it amazing the things you can learn from APFFN! Now I know why there is so much baggy trousers going around. Funnily enough tight jeans are the order of the day in the prisons over here. Usually because they have shrunk from the prison laundry. Cons can wear belts if they wish, unless there is a concern that they are going to top themselves. They would then be stripped, issued with a 'noddy' suit which is similar to a kind of karate suit ( think Chuck Norris without the black belt) and dumped into the 'sooey' ( suicide) cell where they would be constantly monitored.

Simon- I do not believe there are any cold places in the States! I have seen the movies...its all sweltering heat, air condition, cowboys and mint juleps.I betcha Buffalo is scorching?

Hit 'im on the 'ead wiv a plastic cup

You are partially correct...

It did start in prisions here in the good-ole U.S. of A.. In prison gangs actually. and yes the "Gansta' rappers" took the trend to the streets to look tougher and build their "street cred"..

What they failed to realise is that within the U.S. federal penal sytem they had a variety of sizes to choose from so their pants could properly fit, but within the prison gangs the "bitches" were required to wear "baggies" for ... ummmmm... "easier access" if you get my drift...

Are the shirts still printed with the funny looking arrows pointing all different directions all over them?

Nah they stopped the arrows uniform a while back. They are now going for the modern American look as pictured above.

I think you're a little behind the times, Eddy.