Trews

[Mikilt]

From the standpoint of jackets and so forth, are trews and kilts interchangeable? Cut differently than trousers, are they ever appropriate for casual dress? Do they have the same range of formality that a kilt has?

I would buy and wear simple tartan trousers, but trews may be a different animal.

[IsaacW]

Proper highwaisted trews can be worn as you would a kilt with kilt jackets, etc. I have seen them worn casually as well as formal. I have a pair that I picked up last year and have not worn them "casually" but have worn them with tweed jackets for daywear as well as have done the eveningwear thing with them.

[cck]

The trews that I have are high waisted and would look good with a kilt jacket. While I have never done it, I am under the impression they could be worn as formal attire. Since I like their look, I have fudged a bit and worn them with a regular jacket and a sweater to cover the high fit.

[Tarheel]

Looking through many photos of trews (now that I know what they are and why one would have them) I think of the cut/height as the same or equal to the pants worn by matadors, Spanish dancers and James West (1960's TV western series hero) looking great with a kilt jacket.

[IsaacW]

Now that I have a variety of kilt jackets, I need to give it a daywear attempt with one. Here is with a normal tweed jacket...






And as eveningwear with a regulation doublet...

[Livonian]

Trews are cut like any good, tailored trouser. They sit high on the waist because, anatomically speaking, that is the best point to hang them from... they can drape cleanly and be cut however the wearer wishes (the high waist also means that your shirt stays tucked all the way in, all the time). All of the trousers which I regularly wear are cut almost exactly like trews, so you can forget the often-repeated notion that trews are not for anyone with excess girth... they look no worse than any other trouser on a large man, and far better than a low-cut pair of chinos or jeans slung under one's gut. In my own experience, a full-rise trouser (above the navel) is the only sort in which I am comfortable appearing in public... it simply looks neater and smooths out the trouble areas.

Provided that they are not fishtailed to be worn with braces, in which case the waistband would have to be covered by a vest, sweater, or jacket, trews could feasibly be worn almost anywhere, although they will not always be a particularly inoffensive choice.

[IsaacW]

Trews are cut like any good, tailored trouser. They sit high on the waist because, anatomically speaking, that is the best point to hang them from... they can drape cleanly and be cut however the wearer wishes (the high waist also means that your shirt stays tucked all the way in, all the time).

I prefer a higher waisted pair of trousers. Unfortunately, the the current fashion of low waists, it is hard to find a good pair of trousers with a proper waist. Higher waists allow for a nice waistcoat to be worn without a peek-a-boo shirt issue.

Isaac

[Livonian]

Finding well-styled trousers is certainly a chore... even the "old fogey brands" have fallen victim to downwards-creeping trouser rise. Sadly, most kilt hire shops seem to like putting kilts where one's jeans sit, resulting in knees which are almost completely covered.

[MacEanruig]

Your choice in regards to the correct jacket or coat may depend on whether the trousers were of lower cut. If they were, then a PC will be higher depending on the tailoring, and some shirt may be exposed.

In my opinion, if you are wearing the military-style fishtail trews, then you should have no worries.

I believe trews offer an excellent alternative to the kilt, especially depending the prescribed dress code provided for any particular special event. As Isaac's photos show, they can be worn casually as well.