40s Pleated Hepburn Trousers

Blouse: Freddies of Pinewood | Trousers: The House of Foxy

40s Pleated Hepburn Trousers in rust by The House of Foxy

As a self-appointed authority on reproduction 1940s trousers, I was chuffed to finally get my hands on a pair of The House of Foxy’s Hepburn trousers. I liked the look of the tailoring details, contrast stitching, the existence of pockets and the crepe fabric, but I was a little unsure whether they’d sit as high on my waist as I like, the smaller waist-to-hip ratio compared to my other pairs, and whether they’d be long enough for my height. A rather large proportion of my wardrobe is House of Foxy, and I have been very pleased with the quality, fit and authenticity of their garments. The reason I hadn’t added a pair to my wardrobe sooner was they always sell out in my size so quickly when new colour options are released!

Now that I’ve seen the fit, I probably should have sized up from a size 8 to a size 10. The leg length is spot on, and the waist circumference is a perfect fit. However, the short rise length from the waist to the crotch means the waist can’t sit up as high as other repro 1940s trousers. The waistband is sitting against the top of my hip bones so cannot move lower, and the crotch of the trousers is quite uncomfortably high. This means that although the waist measurement is half an inch wider than my other high waisted trousers, this pair looks very tight, and looks more like a modern trouser than a pair of 1940s trousers on my frame as a result. It is important for me to note here that I have a long torso too. Sizing up and moving the button so the waist rests comfortably on my hip bones should help with this.

The darts on the rear of the pants also look like the trousers are designed to sit lower on the waist than I was anticipating. They definitely seem to be wanting to sit on my lower waist rather than my natural waist, so if you already have a pair of, say, Katharine Trousers from Vivien of Holloway or Fancy Pants from Emmy Design Sweden, these trousers do not have a similar rise, so make sure you check your sizing information carefully, particularly if you have a longer torso or larger waist to hip ratio!

Fit issues aside, they are extremely well made out of a gorgeous slightly weighty crepe fabric. They are fastened using a side zip and a contrast button on the waistband. I do like the contrast stitching detail on the waistband and pockets – it’s a lovely touch and probably what first drew me to these trousers. On a different body shape these trousers will most likely look absolutely stunning. If you find the Katharine Trousers from Vivien of Holloway or the Miss Fancy Pants from Emmy Design Sweden to be too long / sit too high, or there’s too much room in the hips, you may want to give these Hepburn Trousers a try. For me, however, I think I’ll be sticking to The House of Foxy for blouses, dresses and jackets.

Explore my 40s Pleated Hepburn Trousers Style Gallery: