INFATUATE: 1920's Plus Fours

Plus Fours in action

Plus Fours were first introduced in England after World War I. The style was taken from British officers riding britches and adopted as a more stylish alternative to the traditional knickers. Fitted with extra fabric, plus fours bloused over the knee band of the pant creating a baggier feel that fell right in line with the menswear fashions of the 1920's era. The name "plus fours" was derived from that extra fabric, which usually fell to about four inches below the knee.

Bobby Jones

The roaring 1920's saw the creation of golf fashion. Players not only wanted to play well but also wanted to look stylish. Athletes began to adopt to the fashion trend of plus fours, finding the extra fabric had the benefit of comfort. The standard outfit quickly became plus fours, knee socks, and a pull over sweater.

Gentleman

Plus Fours fell out of style in the mid-1930's as walking shorts were introduced as an alternative, but they never quite disappeared. The legendary Payne Stewart wore them for his entire career. Payne was my favorite golfer, a very stylish man, and one hell of a model American.

The below picture shows Payne celebrating after sinking a putt on the final hole to win the 1999 U.S Open at Pinehurst, North Carolina. His 15 foot par putt was the longest made putt to decide any U.S. Open in history. Stewart would not get a chance to defend his title in 2000 as he died just four months later in a plane crash. I hope someone will soon carry on the tradition of wearing plus fours on the golf course.

William Payne Stewart