General

Baggy Trousers Update

The legal challenge to the ban on baggy trousers in Riviera Beach has finally made it to court, with the public defenders representing three of the men charged arguing “that the ordinance and its enforcement violated principles of freedom of expression and the right to due process.” It is also probably relevant that the only people charged under the ordinance have been young black men. 

According to the Times, the “star witness” was Chelsea Rousso, a former New York fashion designer:

Ms. Rousso, 48, looking uptown chic on the witness stand in a three-quarter-length embroidered jacket and a knit black dress by Ellen Tracy, conceded that sagging pants were not for her. They look “uncomfortable,” she said, and “comfort is very important in the things I wear.”

Still, the principle is the thing, and Ms. Rousso pointed out that everyone from Prince Harry to Zac Efron have sported the look. 

I’ve written about these bans twice for the magazine, here and here. Thanks to Chris MacDonald for the pointer.

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