People make fun of old guys, asking, Why do they wear their belt so close to the armpits? I am an elderly gentleman, not to mention an old guy, not to put too fine a point on it. Life's experiences and empirical evidence may serve us well in this case, and since you have not lived long enough to observe it yourself, I will tell you why.
Stick with me.People of a certain age (mine) tended to buy quality items "back in the day." These things virtually never wear out. Also, many old people endured hard times as they clawed their way through the world and "waste not, want not" became their mantra. I am still wearing slacks and sweaters, suits, even, that I bought when I was, as you might describe yourself, "middle-aged." They are still good. Would I go out and fritter away my hard-earned wherewithal on new? I think you know the answer to that.
Now an interesting if not marvelous thing tends to occur in the human physique as it ages. The elderly shrink as they get older, and the older they get the more they shrink. Observation, empirical evidence. Case, the first person. I, in my younger day, stood six foot three. If I straighten my spine against a wall and stand tall (yet flat-footed) the tape will catch me at just. . . just barely, six feet even. You do not have to have a degree in astrophysics to understand that my pants are too long. And both the solution and the answer to the original question is evident.
Thank you for asking; and thank you for your patience.
