"When they go low, you go high," said the former First Lady Michelle Obama in a memorable speech in a very memorable year. She was talking about morals, yes, and one's use of language. But the wisdom of Barry O's spouse could be well applied elsewhere: to fly low is to be lesser, to go higher is to be better – in your deportment, your manners, your cabin class and yes, even in your trousers.
In 2016, Mrs Obama pre-empted a notion that would eventually extend to the no-less-fickle business of menswear in 2020 – chiefly that of waistlines. After almost a decade of false prophets that told us low slung casuality was, actually, the new formality, polish has returned. Smart is irreplaceable, see. It belongs in every well-rounded rotation. And the easiest way to integrate all that newfound structure into the everyday wardrobe? With a pair of a high-waisted, wide-leg, billowing, beautiful trousers.
During the show calendar, higher watermarks ran thick and fast as most brands opted for one of two camps: classic and Thirties (much like Harry Styles, whose frequent time machining has left menswear at large in awe), or a bit modern and boxy. At Louis Vuitton, Virgil Abloh's ode to the French countryside pre-empted his later return to the classic, with loosely-tailored trousers in ice cream shades of rose, lemon and mint peppering the show's opening. Fendi, a handsome spectacle thanks to a garden set meticulously designed by Call Me By Your Name director Luca Guadagnino, presented simpler high-waisters in pondy greens. And in the latter tribe sat Dior and New York outfit Sies Marjan, with futuristic touches and satin-like finishes a plenty.
Salvatore Ferragamo however was one of the few to occupy both sides of the coins. Several looks relaxed into the Italian, classic, louche, "oh what these? I always wear them to cocktail hour" aesthetic that has long been carved into the brand's signature. But there were also modern takes. For every pair of crisp, old school trousers, there was a high-waisted pair of cargos, or even high and mighty iterations finely cut from technofabrics: a thoroughly modern move from a brand approaching its 93rd birthday. Ermenegildo Zegna too packed billowy high waisters below contemporary suiting.
What's more, there's something innately proper about such trouser. They make you feel smarter. No, they are smarter. As the legs of choice for your grandfathers and their grandfathers, high-waisted trousers walk from a time when tailoring was the only dress code for every social event. Of course, that's not to say you go fully suited for seven plus pints on a Friday night (though you can do that if you want). It just means that high-waisted trousers can upgrade your civvies and still live among them. Pair them with a classic white T-shirt. See how fluidly they puddle over a quiet sneaker. It all looks very nice, doesn't it?
Being proper also lends itself to your own bearing. We feel special in tailoring, because we usually save it for special events: foolish, then, not to bottle that commodity and sprinkle it on the everyday in high-waisters. They'll elevate your style. They'll elevate you: higher than the soaring speeches of former First Ladies, higher than your denims, and much, much higher than the previous low slung version of your go-to trousers.
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