Brands for Jeans/Pants
Colder weather will be here soon and need to redo my pants wardrobe.
I wear basic things, jeans, 5 pocket pants, and chinos mostly. Nothing crazy.
Looking for my size/fit has always been difficult. I mostly wear 29/28 and tend to wear more of the “skinny” fit (tighter through thighs tapers to ankle) because of my stature, I tend to look taller in this fit.
Bonobos has been the only brand that has what I would consider my best fit but looking to expand on things they may not have.
My main complaint is some brands don’t carry anything below a 30 inseam or have “low rise” (thanks to this MFA I’ve come to learn how important rise is).
Are there other brands that carry pants in these size and fits? Budget would probably be <$100
14 Replies
29/28 is waist/inseam? How much rise do you want?
skinny fit does not make you look taller
skinny jeans and chinos are also very off trend rn and I don't think anyone here would recommend buying them
Everyone does have a definition of what skinny and slim mean, though.
I will.
I hear you gimp but "tighter through thigh, taper to ankle" is pretty clearly not it
OP is shopping at Bonobos, he's not wearing SLP like you
Tbf slp does provide the things he’s looking for, just not at the price.
Levi’s does produce in w28. Select cuts come smaller (typically womens so the crotch and seat are different too)
But I would honestly just look for a pair of Levi’s that you like the waist, seat and thigh, then do a straight knee down as wide as either your knee or calf, leaving slight allowance.
I’d recommend cuts but they change how the cuts fit every year and it’s not even consistent between retailers.
Bonus if they’re used so you already know how they stretch. Some pairs of Levi’s stretch more than others by material choice, even within same cut, in same store, in same size.
Spier and Mackay high rise chinos are only $68, are available in slim fit (though I would recommend contemporary), and they will hem them to your length for free with your order. They're not really HIGH rise (only 11.5") but they're decent for something inexpensive and readily available.
For jeans, I am a recent convert to vintage Levis, and since they shrink over time a lot of them are available on Ebay in smaller sizes with 29/28" inseams from what I've seen, so maybe something to consider. Just make sure you see actual physical measurements (measure pants you have and like and compare) and don't go by the tagged size.
I’m not particular on trends so that’s not an issue.
But I do think I misspoke when I said skinny. Looks like I meant Slim. To also address the looking taller part, is more that better fitting clothes make me look taller. I think the current trend is baggier pants and I often feel like it’s not a good look on my frame
Not sure. I have a pair of chinos that look weird on me because the crotch hangs low and I’m told that’s because of the rise. Is that right?
when you wear bonobos skinny chinos, you won't look like you don't care about trends, you'll look like you cared about trends in 2015 and then gave up
and they definitely won't make you look taller - I would not suggest making "does this make me look taller" a consideration at all when buying clothes
Looked up what I have and it’s Bonobos travel jeans in tailored and a lot of my Levis are 511s so whatever that style is, is what I like, feel good in, and look good in.
Any suggestions on something like that? Have I just completely misspoken on what I thought I was looking for?
I think a better choice would be pants that fit more straight/classic like Levi's 501, 505, 514, etc., or J Crew Classic chinos
you don't have to wear loose/wide pant silhouettes - classic and straight cuts are very safe and will look neither dated nor super trendy
Always felt the issue with this cuts is that I end up not looking good in them but it may have been that I wasn’t getting the right sizes. I’ll give them another go since I’ve just have completely ignored them for a long time
yeah try em out and post in #outfit-feedback
ssssssssort of. The height from ankle (cuff) to crotch is the inseam. The height from crotch to waistband is the rise. (Front seam to waistband is front rise, rear seam to waistband is rear rise.)
So, think of it like math. Because it is...
If you get 30" inseam + 10" rise, and your crotch is in the right place, and waistband is on your hips, that's standard jeans look, right?
If you get 28" inseam + 12" rise, your belt will be at the same place but crotch will be low.
If you get 32" inseam + 8" rise, your belt will be at the same place but your balls will be squished like that old joke.
If you get 30" inseam + 12" rise, your waist is 2" higher than the above cases, so you go from low rise to high rise, sort of. (Low, mid, high, are all subjective.)
So for the right comfort level, you need the correct numbers. You can sort of "center" the pants at the "correct" crotch position for your body. Long inseam = pants drag on the ground or break over shoe (good or bad, depends) or you have to cuff them (good or bad, depends). Short inseam = your socks show. Low rise = belt on hips (lower is showing people your asscrack), high rise = belt on natural waist (around the navel), mid rise = in between. You can move that "center" up or down a bit, but too low and you look like you're either wearing diapers or tragically hip (again, good or bad, depends), too high and it crushes your balls (no way I can defend this one as a fashion statement)
Your absolute most standard jeans look is: no break, so, inseam such that cuff is right at your shoe or just the tiniest bit over it; and low rise, so belt is on hips. But there's a lot of variations of what works. Hope this helps