Retrofitting The Man – Part 2 | Pants

Yesterday, Sam from CrabAppleNYC.com posted his second post in his series on Retrofitting The Man. In this part of the series, Sam takes aim at my selection of pants and points out that I wear “shapeless, pleated khakis” almost daily and that these type of pants add girth and make me look wider. And the extra length (which I was completely unaware of) help to dwarf me. All true points when I got back and look at some pictures.

In only the way he could, Sam offers up a few selection to help me move into the 21^st century of style.

The Daily Driver Pant

Much like in his post on shoe suggestions, Sam offers up a few options that I can pick from. Knowing that I have large thighs, much like this guy, Sam picked some pants that work with these limitations. The first option he lined up was the J.Crew Bowery Pant. These pants look relatively right for what I want in a new look. They are classic and classy, all at the same time. And they will fit into the high end of the general style of my workplace. I am traditionally a khaki pant kind of guy, but I wouldn’t have a problem moving into a variety of colors – espeically black and raw steel. The one drawback to these pants is the price. $69.50 to $118.00 per pair is quite steep considering A) I need to buy multiple pairs in the near future and B) that I have the typical fiscal responsibilities that a father of two with a wife and house. Perhaps we can find something that fits and looks similar to these pants, but is in a more reasonable price range.

Other Options

No sooner do I get done thinking that Sam lost track of my rough budget limitations that we talked about than I turn around and read his next section. Here, Sam recommends both Dockers and Land’s End Canvas slim-fit chinos. Both of these pants run in the much more reasonable $30 – $40 price range and they both come in a range of colors.

I will absolutely admit that a ‘slim-fit’ pant scares the hell out of me. The thought of ‘spandex thigh’ comes to mind. You know, that pant fit were your waist is fit perfectly, but the world can see the dent in your cellphone because your pants are so tight around your thigh. I suppose I’ll have to head over to Macy’s or Sears and try on a pair of these pants to see how they fit. But, the color availability and price range definitly appeal to me.

A More Casual Approach

I live in jeans. Let me give you a little history on me. I grew up the son of a plumber. I’m blue collar from the beginning. Jeans are for work and play in my book. As I grew, I moved into the snowboarding scene and started wearing skate industry pants (yes, I owned a pair or two of Jnco jeans). These jeans, especially those made by Bullhead and Billabong, are actually pretty good looking (assuming you avoid the crazy stitching and weird pocket designs) and amazing durable. Actually, I just retired a pair of Bullheads I’ve had since college (~10 years). I’ve now moved into the GAP and Old Navy lines of jeans. They are inexpensive and fit well. Sam, however, recommends a pair of classic Levi’s 501s. I’ll definitely be looking into a pair or three of these as my jeans are starting to show their age after only a year or so – a major downfall of the GAP / Old Navy brands in my experience.

Overall Impression

While I really like some of the options Sam suggested, I’m a little dubious of others. As stated, I think the J.Crew options look great, but are way too pricey for a guy on my budget. I’m still not sure that a guy of my build would look right in a slim-fit chino. But, the price range that these fall in seem to fit the bill for budget requirements. The jeans selection really has me spooled up to buy some pants. I’ve been dying for a new pair of jeans that fit that jeans and sneakers look and can also be put together with a nicer pair of shoes and a collared shirt for a nicer occassion.

Tomorrow’s post about shirts, sweaters and outwear has my interest peaked as this series has been great so far!

Be sure to post a comment and let us know what you think about this series!