10 July,2011 10:07 AM IST | | Anjana Vaswani
Popularised in the late 80s by Don Johnson's super-sexy detective avatar in Miami Vice, cropped and rolled-up trousers for men have made quite a comeback. Here's a look at the hot trend that's been hogging the spotlight on both, international and Indian ramps this year
In a memorable scene in the 2005 movie, Memoirs of a Geisha, based on Arthur Golden's bestseller, before Chiyo can complete her transformation from Maiko (an apprentice Geisha) into celebrated Geisha, Sayuri, she must learn how to reward those who seek her company at the tea house, "with a glimpse of the wrist... a demure little trace of naked skin."
Now, apparently, designers have recognised that men can send out subtle sexy signals too ufffd and with their ankles at that, provided they are shapely and just moderately-hairy.
1 Woolen jacket thrown over cropped, tapering black pants worn with black slip ons
2 Cut-off chinos and a ganji under a cotton shirt left unbuttoned. Tan leather chappals add to a look that says, relax
3 A light, striped shirt with a khadi tie and soft blue rolled-up jeans for a casual work ensemble
"And you need to be tall because cropped trousers will make you look shorter," stresses menswear designer Narendra Kumar, candidly admitting to having worn a pair of cropped trousers to a fashionable soiree just three weeks ago. "I do own short-length trousers but I can get away with wearing them; they are not for everyone. If you are too hairy, for instance, you may look like a Gorilla in these."
The man who dresses India's rich and famous makes an important point but one that you may be inclined to overlook when you see Hollywood veteran Sean Connery oozing style in Louis Vuitton's Core Values advertisement campaign which has him flashing his mankles on a makeshift wooden landing set on the surf outside his home in the Bahamas.
Before you rush out to buy a pair of cropped trousers though, it's important to remember that that's Sean Connery ufffd an extraordinary gentleman, a man who brought on goosebumps just by raising an eyebrow and introducing himself as, "Bond...James Bond." It's no surprise that he can pull off the look. Can you?
Mathieu Gugumus-Leguillon can.
In advertising: Sean Connery oozing style in Louis Vuitton's Core Values advertisement
On film: Raj Kapoor in Awaara is synonymous with the image of him in
ankle-revealing pants
The French designer who has made Mumbai his home and designs apparel for South Mumbai lifestyle boutique Bungalow 8, also advocates a measured dose of restraint. "It certainly works better if you are tall," he agrees, sharing that employees at his workshop sometimes frown at his rolled-up trousers. "This is for the man with an eye on fashion...someone who is stylish and confident enough to look comfortable in them."
In an interview with The Times, British fashion guru Jeremy Langmead recently pronounced mankle pants, "unacceptable." But Gugumus would argue in favour of his cherished, rolled-up-pants, that he claims he wears everywhere. Eager to demonstrate the versatility of the garment, he generously offers to model three different looks for us, teaming a light, striped shirt with a khadi tie and soft blue rolled-up jeans for an office ensemble, while he pauses to deliver a cardinal rule: "They make your silhouette light and modern and you can wear them with chappals or shoes ufffd but never wear them with socks!"
Tintin did wear cropped trousers with socks, you may recall, and never once in the 80 odd years of the comic strip's existence, has he been hailed a style icon.
Don Johnson, on the other hand, redefined the word 'cool' and spawned a fashion virus infecting the TV-viewing world when he teamed his iconic short-length white trousers with white shoes (sans socks) for the role of ace detective Sonny Crockett in the hit 80s show, Miami Vice.
Thirty years earlier, closer home, long before Amitabh Bachchan had women swooning at the sight of his deliciously hairy chest in Silsila, actor-director Raj Kapoor won worldwide acclaim for his role in Awaara, that is practically synonymous with the image of him in ankle-revealing pants.
Unlike Kapoor and Johnson however, you don't even have to make that trip to the tailor's to get your cropped trousers custom-made. There's scarcely a designer who hasn't included them in his Spring line this year.
Every major international fashion label, including Dolce & Gabbana, Fendi, Ermenegildo Zegna, Paul Smith, Emporio Armani, Yohji Yamamoto, Dunhill, Junya Watanabe, Lanvin and Miharayasuhiro had their models showcasing their mankles on ramp for their Spring-Summer 2011 collections. And according to UK retailer Peacocks, mankle pants or rolled-up trousers are selling thrice as fast as ordinary trousers.
Not to be left behind, the Spring-Summer collection of New Delhi-based designers Rohit Gandhi and Rahul Khanna include ankle-baring trousers, which the duo confirm, "are in this season." Highlighting that "Spring-Summer is all about a more relaxed and casual feel," the designer team advises, "Team them with just about anything. Wear them with rugged boots or down-jackets (jackets with a formal cut but those that can be worn casually). One can never go wrong with T-shirts, and layering is always a good option."
Wiping the beads of sweat that are trailing down his forehead on a muggy July afternoon, Gugumus doesn't disagree, but recommends his casual ensemble, a pair of rolled-up straight-fit pants teamed with an unbuttoned shirt thrown over a vest, to tackle Mumbai's heat and humidity.
American designer Thom Browne who is deemed responsible for the start of the "dare to bare your ankles" rage had however intended it for formal attire when he launched a line of shrunken suits back in 2006, the year he was crowned, Designer of the Year by the Council of Fashion Designers of America.
Not quite as formal, yet undeniably chic, is the outfit Gugumus finally models for us. It includes a smart woolen jacket (that he can't wait to get out of), thrown over cropped, tapered black pants, and after debating whether to wear his un-laced tan shoes or his un-laced black pair, he finally decides on the latter, telling us that he finds laces restrictive and pulls them off all his shoes. "Maybe that'll spark a new trend," he smiles amiably, explaining how this ensemble is one he would reserve for a special night, "but not for a club."
Drawing on his three-and-a-half years of experience here, he feels, "Only a small, select group of adventurous fashion buffs or young men are most likely to experiment with the new trend."u00a0
Based on pictures of him on the Internet in eccentrically rolled-up capris, we think actor Akshay Kumar could do the look justice. Whether he would carry it off with Jude Law's flair, remains to be seen, but even Hollywood's hotties need to tread carefully when it comes to this trend, it seems ufffd dressed in beige rolled-up trousers for a New York City event, TV show Gossip Girl's Penn Badgley's look seemed to suggest that he and his trousers were victims of a malicious, shrinking, washing machine.
