The New York Times’ Style magazine recently featured a Men’s Fashion Issue, which took a serious look at what designers are calling 
many things but is commonly known as the “dropped crotch” look. Writer Sameer Reddy says: “Some critics claim the dropped crotch screams fashion victim, but in fact it owes its exaggerated form to utility. Designed for easy movement and comfort in hot climates, it’s an unexpectedly practical wardrobe addition, and you never have to worry about a wedgie.” On the surface they claim that this fashion travesty has roots in the
cultures of the far east and should bring to mind pictures of feudal warlords or Yul Brynner in The King and I. But when I saw it on more runways at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week than I care to mention, I thought the joke was one note at best, until…
I was stopping by the Amtrak Station while friends ran in to get their tickets before we went to lunch when a young man pulled in front of me in the drop-off lane and exited his vehicle to get something out of the trunk. It was at that moment that I noticed his pants were almost down to his mid-thigh, and his bright plaid boxer shorts were showing about 90 percent. As he skillfully held up the front of his pants with one hand, he carried a suitcase in the other and hobbled into the station. I really thought I had seen the end all be all of the sagging trend, but oh no! Not only is it still in full force, but it also seems to cross cultural as well as racial barriers. News item after news item have decried this particularly stupid trend, but with a little research, I unearthed a treasure trove of information and explanation.
Urban legend has it that sagging comes from the United States prison system. Prisoner-issued uniforms are typically too big, and belts aren’t allowed. Hip-hop artists adopted and popularized the sagger style in the 1990s.
On this season of “American Idol” one hopeful even auditioned with his own song “Pants on the Ground” as a response to the trend, and it became a juggernaut of epic proportions on YouTube. A few weeks later, a billboard campaign was started in Dallas, Texas, and the surrounding area against the sagging pants style. The ads feature entertainer Big Mama Joseph from the movie “Soul Food” saying, “Pull ‘Em Up!” and asks
youngsters to “Keep it a secret!” According to the New York Daily News, New York State Senator Eric Adams launched another billboard campaign against the saggy get-ups in Brooklyn on March 28, 2010.
Then it all started to make sense. Designers often use street style reference to create new and re-invented designs. So, are they really redefining MC Hammer pants or doing a number on prison wear? At least with MC’s drawers, he was able to dance, while the usual sagging suspect on the street has a hard time making it more than a few feet without having to pull up or hold up his pants. This leaves me to ponder the question of whether there are trends that are popular but that fashion should try not to adapt.
During my research I actually found this picture floating around out there. Although I do not know who the designer is, they have managed to capture the zeitgeist of not one but two top trends in men’s looks, the drop crotch and the skinny jean. I must point out, however, that at least these do go to the waistline and just give the illusion of “sagging.” I am sure some idiots out there will buy them, if they haven’t already.
I ask all you sane, rational people, is this some horrible dream? Do we really need billboards to help us figure out what or what not to wear? Do new laws need to be entered into the judicial system to prevent fashion mishaps? What’s next, tirades against the “muffin top?” I certainly hope so because it would be so entertaining, wouldn’t it? I could see something on a billboard like Kirstie Alley says, “Just Say NO to the Muffin Top!” (But obviously, she says yes to muffins.) Please leave a comment and let me know how you feel about it.
