Wool vs Cotton Dress Pants?
What are the pros/cons of ? Business-casual wardrobe improvement
18 Replies
imo wool
+ drapes well
+ is less likely to wrinkle
+ may have some sort of interesting texture
(-) often more expensive than cotton
(-) can be more difficult to clean
(-) cheaper versions and/or blends may have a shine or sheen
imo cotton
+ usually less expensive and more readily available
+ easier to clean
(-) prone to wrinkle if improperly laundered or not ironed
(-) tend to be basic in style
i own both for what it's worth because their differences to me justify it but your work environment and your preferences may push you one way or another
Wool can be scratchy for some people, even the high end stuff. it tends to be better at thermoregulating though and more wrinkle resistant than cotton. Also dries faster and dye is more color stable, so the color doesn't really fade over time like with cotton.
If you like the look and feel of worn-in cotton over time, wool doesn't really do that.
They are marginally more annoying to clean but I treat them the same as my other clothes; garment bag + cold delicate wash + hang dry.
They usually cost more than cotton but you can look around secondhand for generic wool trousers for cheap, ex: TheRealReal and poshmark
Tech fabrics (either fully synthetic or a mix) are another option.
Only thing I would add to the above is that whilst wool is more annoying to clean than cotton, it tends to need far less cleaning in my experience.
Are most of them fine with a cold delicate wash? I was looking at some secondhand wool pants on eBay and a lot of the tags have dry cleaning only instructions
Never run into any that aren't
I've machine washed over a hundred
Great to hear, thanks!
Just don't use oxi clean or a sport detergent
Or baking soda
Can you wear wool pants in summer and warmer days, or is it strictly for colder weather?
I've heard mixed opinions on this
same as cotton, just depends on the fabric and lining
i prefer them over cotton for warm weather but tech blends and full tech fabrics are even better
most trousers are pretty thin merino wool so theyre generally fine, unless they have crappy lining
(polyester and cotton vs silk or artificial silk)
I'm thinking of getting myself wool trousers even for summer, can't really do tech fabrics as it's usually consisting of polyester that makes me really warm
uh
poly is just a class of fabrics
depends on how its extruded, woven, and treated
the tech fabrics will breathe better and keep you cooler than wool alone
if poly is used as a filler or for price cutting, then yeah, itll be warm
oh, I always thought tech fabrics was consisting of polyester 👀
poly, nylon, etc
cheap poly =/= tech fabric poly
you dont need to go for tech fabrics but figured id clear that up
Appreciated mate. Might actually try it out, was thinking of getting some wool trousers but should look into tech also then.
Any suggestions on tech pants? Albeit I'm in EU but could look at something similar
not as familiar with some of the UK brands but Uniqlo does a lot of inexpensive ones under their airism line, some imitate wool look and feel
a lot of common brands will also have some tech pants
usually described as tech, commuter, travel etc
lululemon is known for theirs as well, tho dont overpay
not sure on theorys pricing in the UK but their neoteric line is excellent, can look for it on clearance or secondhand
a lot of wool trousers are made of wool gabardine and are a pretty decent summer fabric too, so you should be good
theres also tropical wool which is even thinner
i think arket does some wool trousers and blends as well
Thanks!
Yeah haven't found any tropical wools here (sweden), but it's usually either 100% wool trousers, or like a 65%/45% Wool/poly blend
ah yeah id be cautious of the wool mixes from non tech brands, since the poly is usually filler
if i can remember some more swedish brands ill try to post here
Fair enough! Might order a 100% wool one, found one here on a day's march