Greetings Crom654:
A very interesting question! Traditionally (and in most tailoring
circles) for dress pants, the back-side hem should fall over the back
of the heel of the shoe and end where the heel sole begins. However,
they should not be so long that an indentation break develops in the
front of the slacks legs where the front bottom meets the top of the
shoe. The front leg hems should just touch the top part of the shoe
when standing. If the indentation occurs, the dress pants are too
long. This is information via my grandmother, a talented seamstress.
However, there are now many styles of pants and many styles of wearing
them. As far as the waistline goes, the following is from
"Reproduction Clothing— Men's Pants" by J. Gottfred at
http://www.northwestjournal.ca/VI6.htm:
"Prior to 1800, all styles were rather low-slung, resting on the hips
for support. At the turn of the century, waistcoat styles shortened
considerably, and this resulted in a gradual raising of the waistband
so that the white shirt underneath would not show through. Ultimately
these styles were no longer held up by the hips, and suspenders were
introduced to hold up the pants, as well as to help keep the front
line of the garment as smooth as possible."
Different styles of pants, however, have different attributes and
waist size and hem length vary. Beginning at
http://www.askmen.com/fashion/fashiontip/44_fashion_advice.html you
will find descriptions of different styles of men's pants. For
example:
"Bell-bottom
Everybody's heard of bell-bottom pants. Bell-bottoms are usually
tight fitted from the waist to about knee level and flare out until
shoe level, giving your pants a bell-like appearance."
And from the continuation of the examples at
http://www.askmen.com/fashion/fashiontip/44b_fashion_advice.html:
"Baggy
Some types of baggy pants flare out from the waist down, while others
are just oversized, straight leg pants. These pants tend to bulge and
hang freely over your shoes or boots...Baggy pants are usually worn
with sneakers or construction boots (Timberland or Caterpillar)."
and
"Tapered or narrow leg
Tapered pants start off with a straight or fitted cut from the waist
and gradually narrow along the leg to finish off tight around the
calves and ankle. This type of cut is more commonly seen on dressy
pants because it doesn't camouflage your footwear -- so classy shoes
are required."
A pattern example and measuring instructions for men's pants are
located at http://www.leenas.com/English/draw_men_pants.html and you
may find that explanation useful. A man's waistline is a bit lower on
the torso than a woman's waistline as evidenced in the diagrams at
http://www.rachelleweb.com/air/store/sizes.cfm - you might use the
man's diagram there to judge where your waistline is and how you want
to wear your slacks.
Regarding your query "Let's say you're male, and overweight and have a
bit of a gut. Should your slacks be worn from a half an inch under the
belly button to the top of the shoes? Or what? Just exactly how should
they be worn?"
Your slacks should always be worn for comfort first. If fastening
them under the navel is more comfortable, then you should choose that
presentation. If you are concerned that your "gut" shows too
prominently, you might consider purchasing a slightly larger waistband
size and using suspenders to keep them up. The looser waistband with
suspenders would allow for covering the "gut" better while still
producing a comfortable fit.
Should you require clarification of any of the links or information I
have provided, please request it and I will be happy to respond.
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