• Waist (8 3/4 + 8 3/4) × 2 = 35 in (89 cm): 1 in ease.
• Seat (10 + 11) × 2 = 42 in (106.5 cm): 2 in ease.
• Crotch seam about 12 1/4 in (31 cm) front + 14 5/8 in (37 cm) back = about 26 7/8 in (68 cm), about 1 1/8 in over the body’s 25 3/4 in.
• Knee 20 in (51 cm); hem 18 in (45.5 cm). Back inseam up to 1/4 in (6 mm) shorter than the front.

These are averages, not rules about who someone is. Many women suit the men’s block, and many men the women’s: choose by measurements and toile, never by label.

• Fuller stomach: draft to the trouser waist below the stomach, then add the tummy change (Fit changes on paper). A lower trouser waist with longer braces or side adjusters often suits better than a high one.
• Athletic thighs: add 1/2 in (1.3 cm) to the back extension and widen both knees by 1/4 in (6 mm) each side.
• Flat seat: reduce B3 to B6 to S/4 + 1/2 in and the back dart to 1/2 in.
• High-waisted (natural waist) trousers: draft from the natural waist and add the front pleats in Darts, pleats and yokes on paper.
• Boys from about 13: use the men’s block with their own measurements (see Children’s blocks: baby, toddler and teen, and growth tucks).

1. Ask where he wears his trousers and draft there; it changes the rise more than anything else.
2. Keep the crease on the grain exactly: men’s trousers are pressed with a crease that shows every error.
3. The back extension controls the stride. Test with a long step and a squat.
4. Do not over-shape the waist; men’s trousers look best with a near-straight side seam above the seat.
5. Use the split back in every formal trouser; it pays for itself at the first alteration.
6. Professionals keep the seat seam allowance generous and tapering, never a fixed 3/8 in.
7. Measure his favourite trouser, particularly the rise and the knee; men are often loyal to a knee width.
8. Check the hem against the shoe: a formal trouser hem usually covers about half the shoe’s heel counter at the back.
9. Use a slight forward slope on the hem (back 1/2 in, 1.3 cm, longer) for formal trousers that touch the shoe.
10. Write the dress side (if he has a preference) on the block for bespoke work.

Front crotch feels tight

Cause: front extension or front curve too short for him.

1. Add 1/4 in (6 mm) to the front extension.
2. Deepen the front curve slightly at 14.
3. Prevention: check front crotch length against the body plus about 3/4 in (2 cm).

Smile lines from the fly

Cause: tight across the seat or front hip.

1. Add 1/4 in (6 mm) at each side seam over the seat.
2. Add front crotch room as above.
3. Prevention: size by seat, not waist.

Trouser slips down at the back

Cause: back rise too short, or flat seat with too little waist grip.

1. Raise B10 by 1/2 in (1.3 cm).
2. Take in the CB at the waist using the let-out allowance.
3. Prevention: fit the waist on the body, seated.

Diagonal folds from inner thigh to seat

Cause: back extension too short.

1. Lengthen the back extension by 1/4–1/2 in (6–13 mm).
2. Drop B13 another 1/8 in (3 mm) and re-check the inseams.
3. Prevention: squat test in the toile.

Legs look wide at the hem

Cause: the straight block is wider than current taste.

1. Taper as in From the block: taper, flare and wide legs.
2. Keep the knee, narrow the hem by 1/2 in (1.3 cm) each piece.
3. Prevention: agree the hem width before cutting.

Front crease does not hang straight

Cause: crease off the grain, or bow or knock knees.

1. Re-cut with the crease on the grain.
2. Use the knee changes in Fit changes on paper: thighs, knees, petite and tall.
3. Prevention: check knees from the front at measuring.

Waistband gapes at the CB

Cause: swayback, or too much back waist.

1. Take in the CB seam at the top, tapering to nothing at the seat.
2. Reduce the back dart.
3. Prevention: check side view for posture.

• Drafting to the natural waist for a man who wears trousers low: the rise is then far too long.
• Adding a front dart by habit. Most men’s trousers are flat-front or pleated, not darted.
• Myth: “Men’s and women’s blocks are completely different.” The framework is the same; a handful of numbers change.
• Myth: “More seat ease fixes every men’s fit problem.” Often it is the crotch extension.

1. Easy: draft the men’s block at quarter scale.
2. Medium: draft it over the women’s block at quarter scale in another colour; list every difference.
3. Medium: draft a full-size men’s block for a family member and make a toile.
4. Hard: draft the same man’s block from the natural waist and from the trouser waist; compare the rise.

As a hobby: men’s pyjamas and trousers for family are good practice; men are often easier to fit at the waist, harder at the seat.

For earning: men’s formal trousers and kurta-pyjama sets are steady work, and a reliable men’s block per customer brings repeat orders.

For teaching: teach the men’s block as “the women’s block with five changes”; learners then see the logic, not two separate recipes.

• Mark the block “MEN’S, trouser waist”, with the measurements and date.
• Store the fly and waistband pieces (next lesson) with the block.

• A standard, widely taught method, written for this book; D&D has no drafting method of its own. Men’s blocks differ more between schools than women’s, especially in front crotch room.
• Crotch-seam lengths are measured on our draft and rounded.
• All figures for a D&D teacher to check on a toile.

1. Can you name five differences between the women’s and men’s blocks?
2. Do you draft a men’s block from the trouser waist?
3. Can you explain where the extra front crotch room comes from?
4. Can you run the four checks on the men’s block?

• Flat front: a trouser front without darts or pleats.
• Front crotch room: extra length and fullness at the front crotch for men.
• Seat: the fullest part of the buttocks.
• Dress side: the leg a man’s trousers are cut with a little more room, in some bespoke tailoring.