No Need to Let Good Slacks Go to Waist

Waistlines are a touchy thing for guys. They like to remember themselves in high school when the tape measure didn’t have to be more than 32 inches long. As they get older, they watch that waist bulge past 33, 34, 35 and more. But admitting it to themselves, and buying appropriate pants, is difficult.

That’s why you see so many guys with slacks that have pleats pulled apart and bulges over their belts. If the slacks are in good condition and made of wool, it may be time to bite the bullet and tell the tailor those painful words: “Let them out.”

“Any good worsted or tropical wool slack, especially in dark colors, is fine for letting out,” says Matt Blanchard of Polo Ralph Lauren in Costa Mesa. “With cotton or lighter colored slacks, there’s always the possibility that you’ll be able to see pinholes or a color difference in the area that’s been let out.”

Keep in mind that better-fitting slacks will make you look slimmer no matter what your waist size. And once you have slacks altered, you can always have them taken when the sit-ups start working.

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Ear drops: Long earrings are always in style, but, like hemlines, they vary. Lots of women are still wearing earrings that drop onto their shoulders, not realizing such may be out of date.

“The old ‘shoulder duster’ isn’t as popular as it used to be,” says Barbara Martinez of Shreve & Co. Jewelers in Costa Mesa. “The style today is an ‘old-fashioned’ dangle, where the earring drops down an inch below the lobe.”

If it’s an earring you really care for, it may be possible to shorten it to a more modern length. But if you’re stuck on that long droop, hang with it and just don’t wear it to any chi-chi parties.

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A Really Big Shoe: There are a few guys walking around on what you might think are large feet, but they just have ill-fitting shoes.

“Women are very attuned to foot size,” says clothing buyer Bill Rigioni of Huntington Beach. “They know not just whether they’re a 7 1/2 or a 9, but also whether they’re a narrow or wide and by how much. Guys just get an 11 when they might need a 10 1/2 EE.”

A shoe that’s wide looks smaller than one that’s long. When buying shoes, always have your shoe size checked to see if it’s changed over time. If you can get away with a wider or a narrower width rather than a longer shoe, take it.