Eight years. That’s how long it took me to sew the Fez trousers pattern by La Maison Victor. Not because it’s difficult, it sews up in an afternoon. Because I didn’t dare cut into that precious length of fabric…
Back in 2017, I came home from Vietnam with (among other things) four metres of blood-red damask silk bought in Ho Chi Minh City. I had been sewing for barely a few months. So I was perfectly qualified to take on a fluid silk. 😆
Ahem.
| ITEM | SHOP | QUANTITY | PRICE |
| Fez trousers | La Maison Victor | 1 | already paid for itself |
| Damask silk | Vietnam | 1.7 m | ? |
| 4 cm elastic | Stash | 66 m | €2 |
| Lightweight fusible interfacing | La Réserve des Arts | 0.2 cm | €0.50 |
| Thread | Stash | 0 | €0 |
| Total | €? |
The Fez trousers pattern
But Vietnam and silk, that was now or never. When the Fez trousers appeared in the May-June 2018 issue of La Maison Victor, the first LMV magazine I ever bought, that settled it: it would be this pattern, in this fabric.
Then I started to worry that damask silk in this shape would look like pyjamas. The fabric stayed at the back of the shelf.
So this summer, every time a heatwave reared its head (and heaven knows the first one turned up far too early!🥵), I found myself rotating the same two or three outfits and washing them on repeat.
This summer, the urgent need was heatwave clothes I could actually wear to work.
Key features of the Fez trousers
La Maison Victor described it like this: “Wide-leg trousers are everywhere at the moment. So we wanted to create our own version… quick and easy to make! Legs not quite ready to be on show? These airy, extremely comfortable trousers give the impression of bare legs without the commitment.”
The Fez trousers have moderately wide, straight legs, with a fairly short crotch. They sit rather low by current standards: on me, they land just below the navel.
Yes, you’ll have to take my word for it, even though you can’t see my navel in the photos.
What sets them apart:
- a flat shaped waistband at the front, elasticated at the back
- no pockets
- four pieces in total: front waistband, back waistband, front leg, back leg
Under normal circumstances, there are no darts… read on and all will become clear!
Four pieces. No fly, no pockets, a waistband elasticated at the back: this really is an afternoon project, and an excellent candidate for a first pair of trousers if you’re just starting out.
Good news: it’s free now!
Good news if you don’t own the magazine: when La Maison Victor closed down, the pattern was put online free of charge in French on the Femmes d’Aujourd’hui website, in A4 or A1, your choice. The sizes available run from a 30 (W 66 cm | H 82 cm) to a 48 (W 94.5 cm | H 122 cm).
These aren’t my first pair of Fez trousers. Last year I made two pairs in double gauze:
- a first test pair in a plain double gauze from my stash, jazzed up with a DTF* print of a Tissœurs design, my own fabric label,
- and a second one in the Berlingot double gauze from the Sorbets 2025 collection. On that second pair I tried adding slant pockets. Critical error: they gape at the hips. Which goes to show you can still get it wrong even when you know the pattern.
*Direct To Film, a print transferred onto the fabric.
And yes, we all miss La Maison Victor, its lovely designs and its easy-to-follow instructions.
Sewing the Fez trousers in silk
What finally made up my mind was the relentless heatwaves (and the Thread and Needles challenge).
Being a proper northerner, I do own summer clothes for very hot weather, but they’re more holiday clothes than anything else 🏖️🧳.
And yes, in the world before, it rarely went above 26 degrees in Paris.
I sewed a size 38. Looking back, that surprises me slightly: a 40 would probably have made more sense to get comfortably over my hips. Ah well, they go on with a bit of wiggling.
I don’t remember having any particular trouble tracing off the magazine pattern sheet.
But do be careful: the seam allowances are included neither in the magazine nor in the PDF, as is standard for sewing magazines. Remember to add them, or you’re in for a nasty surprise.
The fabric, a damask silk from Vietnam
Like a lot of traditional Asian fabrics, it was only about 116 cm wide. I had four metres and only used two and a bit. The pattern calls for 1.50 m in a 1.40 m width. Less greedy than I had feared.
And honestly, sewing this silk wasn’t too painful. Of course, I did spend a while lining my pattern pieces up properly on the cutting table and I ended up with waistband pieces that aren’t absolutely identical… but it worked out anyway.
Clover fork pins, a microtex needle, ordinary thread, a fine three-thread overlock to finish the edges, and Bob’s your uncle.
The modification: a side panel & pleats for extra volume
This is the real modification on this version. I added a 12 cm panel down each side, and created two pleats 6 cm deep at the front to take that width back in at the waistband.
The result: more volume and ease across the front leg, and above all the chance to use both faces of the damask. The darker face over most of the trousers, the lighter face on the panel. Are you still with me?
The finishings
On the finishing front, I kept things as simple as possible because I was hooooot!
- waistband interfaced on both faces with an ultra-fine fusible interfacing, to give it a bit of body without risking turning the fabric into cardboard
- waistband finished on the inside with voile bias binding folded over the edge, to keep everything light
- elsewhere, a light three-thread overlock, or the fabric selvedge used as it comes
- a double-turned hem, 3 cm then 4 cm, to add some weight at the bottom of the leg and improve the drape of the fabric
Sadly I have no disaster story to tell you about these trousers… I know, it’s deeply disappointing.
The verdict
I find them supremely comfortable and, to my eye, very smart. A bit like “secret pyjamas”… which is quite the paradox given how much I had dreaded the pyjama effect!
But in the end, I don’t think they look like pyjamas, do you? Then again, I’m hardly impartial: tell me what you think in the comments, I’ll take honest opinions 😉
In summer, there is nothing quite like silk: viscose can try to imitate it, but it will never replace the original.
Eight years of dithering for one afternoon of sewing. Procrastination in action. Then again, would I have needed this sort of trousers as much back then? Probably not!
Frequently asked questions about the Fez trousers pattern
Is the Fez trousers pattern free?
Yes. Since the magazine closed down, the Fez trousers pattern by La Maison Victor can be downloaded free of charge in French from the Femmes d’Aujourd’hui website, in A4 or A1. It was originally published in the May-June 2018 issue of La Maison Victor. The free version covers sizes 30 to 48.
How much fabric do you need for the Fez trousers?
The pattern calls for 1.50 m in a 1.40 m width. In my 116 cm wide silk, with two 12 cm side panels added, I used 2 m.
Are the Fez trousers suitable for beginners?
Yes, they make an excellent first pair of trousers: four pieces, no fly, no pockets, a waistband elasticated at the back. Allow an afternoon, and remember to add the seam allowances, which are not included.
