Hemming trousers - break or no break?

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mr_alex
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Hemming trousers - break or no break?

Post by mr_alex »

Hey gang!

I just got a new pair of Wested trousers and need to get them hemmed.

On that note: Is it more Raider's accurate to hem the pants so that they have no break and float just above the boots? Or is there a break in the pants? If so, how much?

Looking at the main Indygear pants page, it seems that the pants were hemmed a little short (floating/no break) so that they wouldn't get caught on Indy's boots. Image

However, in this Raider's promo photo the pants seems to be longer and with a significant break.
Image

Thanks for your help!
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Indiana Jeff
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Re: Hemming trousers - break or no break?

Post by Indiana Jeff »

Personally I would hem them with a break. As a baggier fit, without a break they just look too short. If they were a more tapered leg you could get away with a shorter cut.


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DeWayne
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Re: Hemming trousers - break or no break?

Post by DeWayne »

The break. Definitely.
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belloq
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Re: Hemming trousers - break or no break?

Post by belloq »

I vote for a break (with the top of the pants at your real waist line.) I think the pants have slipped down a bit lower than Ford's actual waist line in that particular shot in the Well of Souls.
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Re: Hemming trousers - break or no break?

Post by mr_alex »

Thanks for weighing in, friends. I'm definitely inclined to go with the break. I agree with you, Jeff, that since the pants have such a baggy fit, the pants risk looking too short if hemmed without a break (I made this mistake with my first pair of WPG pants).

Does someone mind explaining what this bit on the main Indygear website means? This is the source of my "did Indy's pants have no break?" confusion:
A standard military hem is at most three inches, but it appears as though the Indiana Jones pants were hemmed at about four or five inches, most likely so Harrison Ford would not get them caught on his ankle-high boots while filming.
Thanks!
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Indiana Jeff
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Re: Hemming trousers - break or no break?

Post by Indiana Jeff »

That is in reference to how much material is folding inside the leg to sew the hem. At three inches, the hem stitching would be even with the speed lace hooks on the boots. At 4-5" the stitching would be above the top of the boot. Neither measurement is referring the length of the leg which is what would create a break or not.

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Re: Hemming trousers - break or no break?

Post by mr_alex »

OOOOOOOH! :notworthy: That makes a lot of sense. Thanks so much for clarifying, Jeff!
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Re: Hemming trousers - break or no break?

Post by Velahrn »

In my opinion, no break pants, like here, in the Duke of Windsor photo, gives you a clean, neat look.

Image

Historically speaking, British preferred a break, and Americans no break (the Duke proffered the American look, and ordered his pants in New York).

Image
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agary7046
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Re: Hemming trousers - break or no break?

Post by agary7046 »

Found an interesting picture that might help. Image
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Re: Hemming trousers - break or no break?

Post by mr_alex »

That does help! Thanks for sharing. I've seen this photo, but never token note of this detail before.

What I've settled on doing is getting the pants hemmed so that there's no break when the pants are up at my waist, but if they slide down to my hips then the break appears on its own.
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Re: Hemming trousers - break or no break?

Post by bearbeast »

agary7046 wrote: Sat May 13, 2023 12:08 pm Found an interesting picture that might help. Image
Love this pic, thanks for sharing! :TOH:

Cheers,
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Re: Hemming trousers - break or no break?

Post by mr_alex »

More photo support for 'no break', especially given that his pants are sitting closer to his hips than his waist in this picture...

Image
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Re: Hemming trousers - break or no break?

Post by bearbeast »

I suppose that depending on the scene they had both versions. For action scenes I'd think they prefer the shorter hem so it doesn't snag... :-k

Bear
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Re: Hemming trousers - break or no break?

Post by Canyon »

Image

I love this picture so much! I always imagined that it was me taking that picture as a 10 years old on the film set... :oops: :D
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joeyofarimathea
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Re: Hemming trousers - break or no break?

Post by joeyofarimathea »

mr_alex wrote: Wed Jan 26, 2022 3:55 pm Hey gang!

I just got a new pair of Wested trousers and need to get them hemmed.

On that note: Is it more Raider's accurate to hem the pants so that they have no break and float just above the boots? Or is there a break in the pants? If so, how much?

Looking at the main Indygear pants page, it seems that the pants were hemmed a little short (floating/no break) so that they wouldn't get caught on Indy's boots. Image

However, in this Raider's promo photo the pants seems to be longer and with a significant break.
Image

Thanks for your help!
Kind of a little rant here....

Would someone please explain ( demonstrate w/ photo) what exactly this term "break" means?

Speaking of terms.... this Indygear hobby sure has taken on a language of its own.....

What exactly is twill ? And what makes it Cavlary? Can twill and or cavalry only come in wool? or can it be in a variety of fabrics? And does screen accurate mean only what it looks like on screen or what was actually used?

Ie: if we know for sure dark brown was used but it appears black in a scene... then which would be accurate? Just curious.....thanks for reading.
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bearbeast
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Re: Hemming trousers - break or no break?

Post by bearbeast »

joeyofarimathea wrote: Mon Jul 17, 2023 9:42 pm
mr_alex wrote: Wed Jan 26, 2022 3:55 pm Hey gang!

I just got a new pair of Wested trousers and need to get them hemmed.

On that note: Is it more Raider's accurate to hem the pants so that they have no break and float just above the boots? Or is there a break in the pants? If so, how much?

Looking at the main Indygear pants page, it seems that the pants were hemmed a little short (floating/no break) so that they wouldn't get caught on Indy's boots. Image

However, in this Raider's promo photo the pants seems to be longer and with a significant break.
Image

Thanks for your help!
Kind of a little rant here....

Would someone please explain ( demonstrate w/ photo) what exactly this term "break" means?

Speaking of terms.... this Indygear hobby sure has taken on a language of its own.....

What exactly is twill ? And what makes it Cavlary? Can twill and or cavalry only come in wool? or can it be in a variety of fabrics? And does screen accurate mean only what it looks like on screen or what was actually used?

Ie: if we know for sure dark brown was used but it appears black in a scene... then which would be accurate? Just curious.....thanks for reading.
Hey, Joey!

The pants break is the fold that pants make just before meeting the shoe. The 'sag' if you will. They are a little longer and when resting on the shoe they will bunch up. That is the break.

Twill is a type of weaving for material, for fabrics. It's that diagonal pattern you see on them, as far as I know. It can be made in other materials too, Karolian Dry Goods makes pants in cotton twill, and they are awesome. Regarding cavalry twill, I had to look it up. Apparently it is less shiny, has two lines running in parallel in the pattern. And it is usually used for riding gear.

And in regards to what is screen accurate. It's gear that looks exactly like what was used on screen. And the questions you have are long debated: each scene can have different looking gear, due to lighting, or simply due to actually using different props...

Cheers,
Bear
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joeyofarimathea
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Re: Hemming trousers - break or no break?

Post by joeyofarimathea »

Thanks for the follow up!
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Re: Hemming trousers - break or no break?

Post by bearbeast »

joeyofarimathea wrote: Tue Jul 18, 2023 10:49 am Thanks for the follow up!
Anytime! :tup:

Cheers,
Bear
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