Alain Delon and Jean-Paul Belmondo were the quintessence of sixties France who emanated this provocative ambience
wherever they set foot. They would often be seen in white trousers, usually in the flat-fronted style that were
stationed slightly above the standard waistline. Perhaps it’s the slight dash of Mittel-Europa blood, but like Delon
- Gunter Sachs mastered the look of the white trouser with effortless ease. They both regularly wore the trouser
with a multi-stripe cotton shirt that was always tucked in. There’s the famous photograph of Sachs and bride to be
Brigitte Bardot stepping off the aeroplane in Las Vegas, wearing that exact combination with at least three buttons
undone for his necklace to come into view. A similar combination on TheRake.com is Rubinacci’s white linen casual trousers paired with G. Inglese’s blue cotton multi-stripe shirt.
G. Inglese have other stylish equivalents, but in a selection of different stripes and collars. Sachs also regularly
wore an open necked silk shirt and if the weather permitted a finely tailored navy single-breasted jacket which is
the ideal partner for the white trouser. To accentuate his long-limbs he followed the Italian tailoring
characteristics by opting for jackets cut with a shorter back. The ocean blue cotton jacket by Gaiolaand the navy-blue linen-cotton jacket from
Doppiaa are uncanny Italian takes on the
aforementioned jackets.
White trousers are a key component of the highly desirable Riviera aesthetic, therefore mixing and matching with
pastel polo shirts, floral or striped shirts, Breton stripe tops and unstructured tailoring will help create
effortlessly chic ensembles for a variety of warm-weather scenarios. It’s advised not to wear the more voluminous of
white trouser but there is an exception and no one sported it better than the Riviera’s most famous exile, the Duke
of Windsor. David, as the royal family used to call him wore high-waisted, wide-leg double pleated trousers with
turn ups in various shades of white. His sartorial instincts were leaning to the practice of sprezzatura which made
him unafraid of accompanying the trousers with brighter polo shirts which can be found in McLauren’s selection and particularly their Balmoral
polo in a moss-green hue. He often chose to wear an ascot under the polo which intelligently and stylishly nullified
any potential clash between trouser and polo shirt.
The conundrum of whether to risk wearing white trousers can be decided in its favour if you have the relevant
footwear. White trousers don’t fall well with shiny shoes stationed at the bottom. The lines of the white trouser
are easily visible, so it’s also best to avoid a beefier shoe such as chukka boots which can appear quite
overbearing. You shouldn’t discount boots though, a nice, sleek pair of Western style, Cuban heeled boots can
transform the look to be rakishly rock 'n' roll, just like David Hemmings in Michael Antonioni’s film Blow
Up. Barbanera’s black vintage calfskin boots are the archetypal example. Neat loafers of the plain Belgian
variety work well, but endeavour to bypass the tassel loafers and gingham shirt look. White on white in some
instances can be a cool look, but make sure they’re a fairly neat shoe encompassing a deteriorating shine. More
casual styles of shoe tend to be best, such as moccasins, boat and driving shoes, sleek sneakers, espadrilles or
slip-on loafers. Even white bowling shoes that Mick Jagger used to don, oozed style.
Here on TheRake.com you can peruse the selection of white trousers from some of menswear’s most reputable brands, but
it will all be for nothing if you don’t try and stick to the aforementioned guidelines. Wearing white trousers this
summer is certainly worth the risk with the right accompaniments. Similar to Jagger and Sachs, don’t be afraid to be
a little playful with the trouser, within reason.
