Fashion glossary series - PSI - Topic of the day 2/11/24
PSI stands for pounds per square inch, and pant shoe interaction. What do you look for in PSI? What separates the good from the bad?
20 Replies
I think this is honestly one of the things that has such an absurdly disproportionate impact on a fit. The PSI hits the drape of the leg which hits the silhouette. Has to work with the fabric, the footwear, the vibe. It feels like alchemy rather than science and I barely understand it. The easiest copout for me is to just hem high enough that you get close to no break so the pants can drape as clean as possible. I am trying to work outwards from there.
I started to notice PSI thanks to meatwater's incredible use of it so shouts out :meat: Still definitely something I'm working on as I pay more attention to pants in ways I hadn't before (rise, drape, length, material, what shoes to pair with, etc.)
I think the place i notice it most is in suits
But then i really really notice it
In the words of Supreme Court justice Potter Stewart: "I know it when I see it" (Jacobellis v. Ohio, 1964).
I like a break, AND a rolled hem.
I also have absurdly long legs so I am generally saved from myself.
My personal psi is always ‘the shoe is lava’
PSI is the thing i probably struggle with the most as i slowly wean off slim fit pants
PSI makes or bricks a fit and I am still figuring it out. Definitely take a lot of inspiration from folks here who dress better than me
looking at my recent fits the sweet spot is either 'quarter break', 'quarter inch of ankle' or 'intentionally being mod'
Yeah this is recognizable. Cuffing/rolling the pants to no break is still so ingrained and turns out to be a hard habit to break. Whenever I do try to let the pants and shoes interact it still feels like I brick it more often than not
I look for 36-38 psi on my fronts and rears cold
I also look for no break with the pants hitting the top of my shoe
hardest thing to figure out is the artful pool (full break+). I always lean towards the same silhouettes for it - straight cuts in light woolens or heavier linens (the margiela / auralee ripoff). Shoes always end up being a "sleek chunk" with a sidezip or a derby.
Love what Phoebe Philo does with pooling as well -- strong evolution from old margiela womenswear looks. Use of the strong heel changes things drastically
All this is to say, it's the most fun "interfacing" to try to figure out for me and on me. When it fails, it's a disaster. That utter failure makes it fun for me -- bigger rewarding feeling when you can make a silhouette work
What is PSI?
pant/shoe interface or interaction -- the way the pant falls on a shoe
this is great
the 3rd/4th pic psi is like peak to me
I think it’s just residual brain damage from being a former sneakerhead but I have such a hard time enjoying outfits on myself where I can’t see my whole shoe
Like I understand that these all look fantastic but I know that I would hate them for myself
it just occurred to me that part of my issues with PSI may be i have big (long) feet :keepincool: in the absence of wider pants generally i've been leaning into more ivyish fits where a swarth of white sock isn't insane
i also love pooling on others but go for no break myself
if yall remember previousmaybe from the subreddit, the way his pants fit lives rent free in my head
there are some very good examples of "good" PSI in #waywt today imo
all good despite having different types of hems, shoes and fits but they all just make sense to me https://discord.com/channels/1116793467654381685/1116800072093532191/1206460584535789588 https://discord.com/channels/1116793467654381685/1116800072093532191/1206487641663475762 https://discord.com/channels/1116793467654381685/1116800072093532191/1206628582580031538 https://discord.com/channels/1116793467654381685/1116800072093532191/1206661162419232818 https://discord.com/channels/1116793467654381685/1116800072093532191/1206684025939435540 https://discord.com/channels/1116793467654381685/1116800072093532191/1206686509923835964
Hey thanks