Sansabelt

Sansabelt is a brand of men's trousers.

History

The Sansabelt slack was invented by Silver Manufacturer, located in East Chicago, Indiana, which subsequently sold the company and their patent to Jaymar-Ruby, an Indiana-based clothing company, in 1959. The trousers have a wide webbed elastic band sewn into the waist, which is intended to make a belt or suspenders unnecessary, hence the name (“sans a belt” or without a belt in French). This waistband also slims the midsection. [1]

Jaymar-Ruby's Sansabelt brand was acquired by Hartmarx in 1967 and the last sansabelt pants were produced in the early 90's. On 24 January 2009, Hartmarx Corporation filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

Peter Schwadel, President of MPS & Partners, Inc., purchased the license to Sansabelt in February 2013.

References in Popular Culture

On the American television Good Eats episode "Ear Apparent", when making creamed corn, host Alton Brown remarks "Back before the days when I started seriously eyeing the Sansabelt pants rack, I used to put lots of cream in here. Sometimes a quart for one batch." In episode "Mussel Bound" he says "But I gotta tell ya, I'm already Sansabelt challenged here, (...)" when explaining why he is not going to use butter or cream to thicken a sauce.

In the movie Ferris Bueller's Day Off, a Jaymar/Sansabelt store can be seen in the background at the end of the parade scene.

In the first episode of Wings (NBC TV series), Roy Biggins is accused of having fashion passing him by since he is still wearing Sansabelt pants.

In the Janet Evanovich book, Plum Lucky, the narrator states "They were middle-aged thugs, dressed in bowling shirts and Sansabelt slacks. Their hair was slicked back. Their shoes were scuffed and run down at the heel. Their guns weren’t as big as ours."

References

  1. ↑ Official Sansabelt website

External links