Club Obi Wan

What's a military hem? Does anyone have pix or instructions of how Indy pants should be hemmed? I got a pair of vintage ones and I don't want to wreck them by doing it wrong. I got them ages ago from someone here on the board, I can't remember who, exactly... or even vaguely.

Isn't military hem when the pant legs are hemmed at a slight angle towards the heel? Kinda when the front of the leg folds nicely over the shoe and the back ends just above the heel?

As for how to hem your vintage pants, I dare not say much... I believe my Westeds have a straight hem - never thought about it, really.

A 3-4" inside hem and the front sits one inch higher than the back, thus creating a slight taper down towards the back of the shoe. You can see this in 2 spots in the movie clearly...when Indy is on the ground and Belloq makes his first appearance and also when you can see Indy fighting with the first german by the plane.

When I brought my pants the the seamstress and asked for the military hem, she knew exactly what I wanted without explaining it.

As a good seamstress or tailor should...

Regards! Michaelson

Snake, I had a pair of vintage french military pants done w/ a military hem, but I've also got officer's pinks w/ a straight hem - and I really can't tell the difference for the most part.

So if you wanted to just go ahead and commit to a straight hem for now to have it done in time for the QM, you could always think about having them rehemmed on an angle later. (Right?)

(Just make sure they keep the extra material inside like Agent5 says, if you want to go for a screen-accurate hem later.)

J

Good call, Jerry.

Yeah, well, you're taking advice from a guy who couldn't figure out if he should buy one rubber chicken, or two, so I wouldn't put too much stock in my opinion...

The break of the leg (just the pants, bink) ought to be affected by this change in the front of the hem, but I've seen enough variation that I could go w/ either. But Agent5 is right from what I can if you are going for screen accurate.

J

webhead73 wrote:I have never heard of someone hemming their pant legs like that, being shorter in front than back. I will have to ask my wife (former seamstress for the LaJolla Playhouse in C.A., Broadway in N.Y. and my personal costumer!) to see what she thinks.

All of my Air Force blues pants (dress pants) have a millitary hem (1/4" - 1/2" shorter in the front.) The other branches are probably the same.

A military hem is done so that there is no break in the front of the pants. The pants and crease should fall straight down and touch the top of your shoe, not lay on it causing a "break" in the crease. The back of the pant is hemmed at a length that comes to the center of the leathers (halfway between the top of the shoe and the start of the sole).

I don't know if it is common out of the states, but it is the standard for us here in the states. As Arok states, it's the norm for the Air Force, and I'll vouch for the Coast Guard.

Mike

floatinjoe wrote:A military hem is done so that there is no break in the front of the pants. The pants and crease should fall straight down and touch the top of your shoe, not lay on it causing a "break" in the crease.

Yep, I should have been clearer - that's what I meant. The whole point is to 'cheat' a bit, so that the pant leg comes down to exactly where it should both front and back - even though these are two different heights! Thus avoiding the break.

Maybe that's one of the reasons why I keep looking at my vintage military ones funny...having grown up w/ long arms and legs (yep, another primate here), I'm used to things being too short...so w/o that reassuring break I know I'm just on the edge of looking like my pants are too short again...

Weirdest thing...they seem to be getting tighter in the waist over the years, too...hmm....

J

In the Marine Corps the dress trousers are to be hemmed at an angle from front to back with a slight break in front and the rear touching the welt (where the sole joins the leather) in back.

It's how I do all my dress pants now, in insures my socks are covered in all normal motion.

anyone have photos of this?

I'm sure agent5 does, I think I used his shots for reference, but I can't find them at the moment...

EDIT: No good side view in this thread, but at least at the bottom you can clearly see what is meant by the 'three inch hem' in case there was any question about that.
viewtopic.php?t=9566&highlight=military+hem

###### if I had seen that photo one day ago I would have hemmed them differently, ######.

Did you hem the waist instead?

Wow, those are really going to be REALLY short pants. I guess that might work for REALLY Young Indiana Jones...