Do your trousers have a good break? Are you even familiar with that somewhat quaint phrase? It’s a matter that some people, particularly designers, menswear obsessives and general opinioneers, have strong, and I mean, strong views about. I wrote a piece for Bloomberg this week about the proper length of a man’s trouser and the quotes were scorching hot. Massimo Alba, Drake’s Michael Hill, Alan Flusser and Patrick Grant all articulated very specific feelings about where the bottom of the trouser should rest. And they think they should rest lower than you probably wear them.

It has do with the width of the trouser and the size of the shoe, all should be in direction proportion. A narrow trouser and shoe can be more concise with less break. A wider trouser and proper brogue want a more generous break. But like other matters of proportion, principally the martini, the proportions are in great dispute. Personally, I like a trouser with no break (or the slightest break) that rests just on the top of the shoe. Sid Mashburn, also quoted in the piece, wears them the same way. We’re talking about proper trousers here, with a crease. If you’re wearing chinos with loafers that’s a different matter. I think what the designers in the piece disagree with was the shrinking of the men’s suit. If your suit clings to you then you are in dangerous territory. The best approach may be to start in neutral territory at the top of the shoe and head north slowly, at your own peril.