Bast Recast Deep-Dive: Pantaloon 1878
The word “pants” has a muddled history.
According to one account, the word has its beginning in Saint Pantaleone, a Christian doctor in the third century who wore trousers instead of togas (long robes), which were popular at the time.
Another account states that it was originally the name of a character in the Italian commedia dell’arte. He represented a Venetian type and spoke in Venetian dialect and wore close-fitting trousers down to the foot. (Most commedia characters were known not only by their name, their calling, their dialect, and their manner, but also by their costume.)
The French picked up on the name Pantalon (their version of Pantaleone), and passed it to the English as Pantaloon, both of which were used both for pants and for the character. Pantaloon is an old fool, whether in Italian, French or English.
The original word for the garment covering the legs of men was pantaloon. The word pant was often used as a synonym for pant leg, that is, the covering of only one leg. In this case, the complete garment would have two pants, or better, a pair. Pantaloon as a garment could be used in the singular, but most often the plural was preferred.
In the U.S. in particular, the single word “pant” came to be used in the retail clothing industry in the late 19th century and onward to represent what everyone else would call either “pants” or “a pair of pants.”
Sometimes clerks would use pant alone as a part-for-the-whole expression, meaning a garment with pantlegs. But “pants” as we know them really got their start as a colloquialism in the U.S. in the 19th century. There is still a widespread feeling that “pants” are not quite as dignified as “trousers.”
Our Pantaloon is a reproduction of one of the earliest Levi’s jeans (from around 1878) and is very much tailored in design and manufacture. It is from a period where there is only one back pocket, no belt loops and a curved waistband. Even the pocket shapes are tailored rather than the scoop design that we see today.
All garments were single needle tailored using period correct ecru stitching made with Celafil® TENCEL™ thread from Crafil. As with other garments in the collection, they were sewn on vintage machines; the roping effects on the hem were created using a Union Special 43200G machine in order to add character to the garment. Chain-stitch buttonholes were sewn with a Reece 101 Iron Duke machine. No additional pocketing fabric was utilized; instead, the blouse jacket ecru fabric was used.
This style has been interpreted in three fabric bases: indigo 3×1, black 3×1 and indigo 2×1 twills, two of which featured the use of TENCEL™ x REFIBRA™ in the blend.
The constructional concept behind the fabrics used in the pantaloons was to go against convention. Usually when designing a denim fabric, the warp count is coarser than the weft yarn, but here it is the reverse. This results in weft being more exposed on the fabric surface, which emphasises the unevenness and neppiness of the hemp.
Additionally on the dyeing, the black version was formulated to be on the blue side rather than the bronze side, which is the choice of designers currently. The indigo 2×1 twill was given a more superficial dyeing followed by G2 Dynamic fabric finish in order to make the washdown super easy in the laundry.
The team at Jeanologia were reluctant to wash the garments because they looked so great in the raw state. However, as it was their job to wash them, they first had to adapt the laser patterns in their design database since this garment silhouette was like nothing that is manufactured today.
A low E.I.M. score was achieved on all styles, even though on some styles—and especially the black—the finish achieved was rather complex and aggressive.
The finishing touches on the garments include a Bast Recast hemp canvas waistband label, hand stamped printed with the Officina+39 Recycrom™ dyestuff range, Carved in Blue® branded buttons and rivets and Warp Face recycled paper hang tag and joker label made from denim scraps left over from the project.
Click through the slideshow below to discover the 1878 Pantaloon.
Discover the 1874 Denim Blouse from Bast Recast here.