Trousers Too Big 1925

The main peril is, of course, accidentally looking like a clown.

But there is also this, if you accidentally order your trousers a little too wide. By David Louis Ghilchick, 1925.

"Perils of the Dance - The terror of the Oxford trousers" - David Louis Ghilchick, Punch, 1925

I think this is a less lively depiction of dancing than the drawings of Lewis Baumer in the previous two posts; perhaps Ghilchick was less interested in dancing, or perhaps it just isn't the point of this cartoon.

But there is a fashion among tangueros for rather wideish trousers, which certainly do look very nice in motion, if you get it right, and especially if you dance well; they drape a little, they flow a little, and the way the toes peep out, in their soft, pleasingly stitched and coloured dancing shoes, is charming. If you overdo it, you can look like a traffic cone. If you are not so young and you really overdo it, you can look like a Vampire. And if you dance badly you just look foolish.

And, this can happen.

But risks are the whole point of difficult garments. Seeking to answer the question "can I carry off this possibly ill-advised style?" correctly is a rather basic part of being a human whose immediate needs are met. It exercises the artistic sense, and teaches modesty and wisdom. Enjoy your trousers. Beauty is always dangerous.