You know pants, right? You're swiping through your friend's Instagram stories when suddenly you see a headless man tugging hard at the crotch of your chinos, causing the fabric to stretch out to look like Katharine Helmond's face. Dew. Brazil. Three taps later, another version of the guy appears in another pair of chinos from his brand, cheekily monologuing about how well his pants accommodate his athletic butt, and just before – Oh my god! – the barbell was right before he went into his set of squats. While wearing chino pants. A few more taps later, a third guy from the cubicle farm says that chinos from this other brand look like sweatshirts and look like khakis, but they mostly look like tights and look like mountaineering jackets. I said I could feel it. He owns all 7 colors!
Chino Startup Industrial Complex says our pants should be optimized like a LinkedIn bio. These companies promise that they have fixed all the “wrongs” with chino pants. They've become stretchier, slimmer, sportier, and more tapered until they can't be tapered any more. They just took the pants concept, ran the algorithm through it, and came out the other side in khakis that got you from rise and grind to tee time in zero seconds flat.
But what about these target market chinos? They are missing something important.
Even if Bottega Veneta isn't shy about talking to Bottega Veneta about the world of fashion and how it exists, including runway shows and seasonal trends. [cough] There's no avoiding the general pendulum swing of fashion, with award-winning magazines, stunningly photographed, and celebrity-studded fashion shoots. Change in menswear happens slowly. But they happen nevertheless. What's happening now is a return to bigger pants.
GQ has been talking about oversized pants for the past few years, not just chinos, of course, but also dress pants, denim, and suits. We're standing on the bow of the Good Ship Menswear with binoculars, trying to see what lies beyond the horizon. Our job is to address this issue as quickly as possible. For a while, there was a cyclical trend in fashion revisiting the vibes of his '80s and his '90s, when oversized, slouchy styles were the norm. But please listen. Big pants will not appear.They are here.
Plus-size pants are already big business, which is why all the major brands in the mall are getting in on it. I've been going there for a while. And those big chinos? These solve all the problems that “optimized”, targeted, marketed chinos seem to be trying to solve. The right pair will become a gateway to your wardrobe.
Take a look at Gap's modern khaki in a baggy fit with GapFlex. I get it, the name rolls off the tongue. This is because we are advancing chino pants while speaking the common language of chino pants sold to our target audience. “Baggy fit” here actually means not slim fit.bigErmbut but big. (Of course not “huge”.) They are still well appointed and businesslike above. It's not tapered to the point where it clings to your calves, but the legs are not wide like a zoot suit, but classic straight like a Levi's 501. Is the last word in your name “GapFlex”? This is the brand's marketing term for “a little stretch”.
Add it all up and Gap's khakis tick the right boxes. It is made of cotton, a good quality and honest fabric. The important part is forgiving, accentuating the squat buttocks and letting the thighs dance lightly. As comfortable as a well-worn sheet, yet as versatile as any other chino ever made. Go into grind-set mode with a sport coat and sneakers. Try pairing it with loafers or a cardigan. Yes, of course, pair flannels and boots with local craft beer. Don't worry about spills. Like the chinos sold for Target, Gap's Modern His Khakis are water and pilsner resistant.
Like the last Tyrannosaurus rex to roam the Earth, Target chinos are on the brink of extinction. They just don't know it yet. These gap his khakis, and similar slightly larger khakis from J.Crew, Banana Republic, Abercrombie, and yada yada yada, stay exactly on the swing of the men's style pendulum without feeling like you're wearing stuffy “fashion” I am in tune with. F. He will do his best. Optimal It's part of the menswear bell curve. Not too far forward, not too far behind. Holding my butt for days.
