Slim Fit Chinos: Dockers D1, D2, and D3
Fit is everything. And ever since the Slim Fit Shirt Paloozas hit the site, you guys have been politely asking for more. With the recent seasonal warm up, more than a few of you have emailed asking for a slim fit palooza focused on pants. Jeans are getting stashed in favor of lighter chinos for spring and summer, and men just don’t want those ballooning khakis many of us were raised in. And thus, the search begins.
They will all be flat front. They will all be affordable. And they will all be easy to get your hands on and your legs in either through the web or in an easy to find store.
Size/Body Type Reference Information: I’m 5’9″-10″, 165-170lbs, wear a 32×32 in most pants, and have larger than normal but not gigantic upper legs.
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Dockers D1 Signature Khaki Slim Fit – $36.99 (reg. $55.00)
NOTE: The selection that was, or in this case, was not available at the Macy’s closest to the Dappered home offices was really picked over. Color and size options were extremely limited. There wasn’t a single pair of D1 slim soft fronts in a reasonably close size, so it was the perma-creased D1 Signature Khaki that got the once over.
Fit isn’t half bad. Despite the photos (maybe an odd freshly unfolded flare?) they felt trim through the thighs. Seem to run a little long in the leg, and the cotton was soft and moved well. The deal breaker is the crease. A chino with those permanent creases are tough to dress down. The soft front D1s don’t have that crease, and can look just as sharp with a good ironing and some light starch. For colors, try the lighter “cloud” or the medium gray “fog.”
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Dockers D2 Straight Fit Plaid – $31.99
(reg. $52.00)
Wow these are un-flattering. If there was, in fact, a party in my pants and everyone was invited… I think they’d have plenty of room to stretch out and relax. One would think the D2 would be only slightly more roomy than the D1. That’s not the case. The color and pattern were eye catching, but once they went on? Huge disappointment. The fabric also felt odd too. Thinner with some sort of odd finish, unlike the D1.
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Dockers D3 Soft Khaki in Garnet – $30.00 (reg. $52.00)
To be completely fair, Dockers makes no claims that these are slim fit. But with a gigantic color selection that includes brighter more style-forward options like these, you’d think the fit would be closer. There’s an old joke involving a pirate captain, his many colors of pants, and his habit of saying: “Crew! Bring me my red pants!” before battle, so if injured no one would see him bleed. Battle or no battle, I wouldn’t ask for these ginormous parachutes.
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Final Grades
Dockers D1 Signature: C+ They get a solid B to B+ on fit and price, but that crease is a D-.
Dockers D2 Straight Fit: D- Nice lipstick, bad pig. Maybe the plain colors fit better?
Dockers D3 Soft Front: D+ Great feel, great color, way too roomy.
The Best Dockers Option: Has to be the Dockers D1 in the soft front. No crease, close fit, huge color range. No matter where you buy them, steer clear of the “signature” (crease) and go with the “soft.”
They all look horrid.
I think Dockers changed their sizing in the last year or so.
In April 2010 I bought a pair of D2s that fit me beautifully. They’re probably my favorite pair of pants that I own.
February 2011, I buy another pair. The fit is WAY off. Waist is far too tight to the point they had to be returned. I exchanged them for a pair of D3s, which fit me quite well around the waist (in the same damn size no less) but ballooned just about everywhere else – until I got them tailored.
The moral of the story, either Dockers is tinkering with their sizing quite a bit – or every pair (even with the same measurements) fits differently and it’s a crapshoot. Stupid Dockers. Grrrrrr.
I gotta disagree on the grading, Joe: They all look like Fs to me. I realize on the first pair that you said sizes/colors were picked over, but all three of them are about 2-4 inches too long and too baggy all around. However, I do concede that it can be hard to find pants that fit well if your hips and/or thighs are disproportionate.
Agreed.. all of them are awful. I recently bought a couple pairs of the Gap twill slim fit khakis and they fit perfectly. Even run slightly longer so you can roll the legs a bit for the summer time. Only negative is the button-fly. Overall, they’re probably the best pair of casual khakis I’ve ever owned… and at a non-sale price of $59.95, still very affordable
I’ve never worn the D1 signature, but the D1 soft fit is realllly comfortable and pretty flattering.
These *all* look really, really bad though.
I’m usually a 34×34 but had to size up to 36×34 for these. But that’s always the case with khakis over jeans.
I have a couple pair of the D1 “Soft” khakis, and they seem to fit my shape a little better than Joe’s. I did have the leg tapered a touch by my tailor, and I wear them a little short, no break at all. The rise is a bit high, but I can live with it. Stricly a casual look for me, but they are great pants for spring.
I was just in a Macy’s that was pretty well-stocked this past weekend trying on several of these different fits and styles. I knew the D3 would be too large, so I was trying to decide between some of the soft front and plaid options in D1 and D2.
I’m generally a 31X32 when it comes to jeans and dress slacks, but trying on these D1s they were WAAAY too tight in the thighs, and my thighs aren’t all that huge. I then tried the 32X32 and they were a little better in the thigh, but a bit of an annoying gap in the waist.
I moved to the D2s and had the reverse problem. The 31X32s fit fine in the waist, but the legs were a little wider than I’d hoped, but I could deal with it. But the plaid pattern I wanted of course was only available in the 32X32s, which I was swimming in.
Dockers/Macys could definitely stand to do a better job with stocking/designing all of the styles in all of the colors/patterns.
I just got back into khakis a month ago and decided to try on the D1 slim soft fronts — I normally wear a 32-33 waist in most pants, but in order to get pants that fit even close around the waist and legs I had to go to a 36. Unflattering to one’s vanity, but they’re still the best fitting pants I have.
I agree with everyone else here — these pictures are all unflattering — but I get the impression you’ve done a lot of injustice to the fits in the picture because of the inseam length, which should probably be shorter. Do you seriously wear your pants that puddled around the ankles? Because ex. 1 & 2 are about 1-2 inches too long.
Largely unrelated, but Tucker Blair, http://store.tuckerblair.com/ has a 50% off code valid until 11am EST today: fanpage50
Dress up your new khakis with a great American made belt that won’t cost you a fortune ($22.50 for the surcingle, shipped). I couldn’t quite pull the trigger on the needlepoint.
Has anybody else noticed that Dockers/Levi’s are seriously “missing the boat” with extended sizes (length)? I am wear 32×36, 32×38 (with Cowboy boots) or 33×36 and have the waist taken in a “bit” and you can’t get a nice “normal” pair of Dockers/Levi’s in these combos?
The new Gap vintage khaki’s fit good (don’t get me started on the stretching waist), but Gap screwed up w/ the “look” of these w/ the jacked up coin pocket, etc. The old BR khaki’s w/ button fly’s were the best…
Seriously Dappered guys who makes a nice khaki in the sub $75 range w/o the permanent crease, non ironed, variety of colors/weights etc?
Yea these are all terrible. I have tried the dockers D1 slim before and didn’t find it to be slim in the least.
This is surreal. I just tried on a pair of D2’s the other week and they were just about perfect. (I’m only 5’7″ and wear a 30×30). It was at Reny’s (which is like a weird Maine slightly more classy version of like a TJ Maxx) so maybe it was from a previous line. In any event, these pictures don’t jibe with what I tried on.
I got sucked into their excellent “Wear the Pants” campaign a year ago and, needing to refresh the pants in my wardrobe, bought a bunch of different styles. I’ve made similar Docker’s purchases since. I always end up disappointed (often after missing the return deadline and being stuck with pants I won’t/can’t wear). I set a new rule for myself: no more Dockers, no matter the ad campaign, no matter the great discount in my email inbox.
I’m a Land’s End Canvas chinos guy now, but I would like to diversify. Any suggestions?
I bought a couple pairs of D1s (maroon and kahki) on clearance at Macys about a month ago. I had a tailor taper the leg hole below the knee and now they are the best fitting pants I own. They are seriously perfect. So, for me at least, it was that very straight leg that was the problem.
I had a similar problem, and I think you’re right about changing their sizing – bought a pair of regular fit D1’s last spring, also my favorite pair of pants (not too snug in the thigh, straight fit, not too skinny or baggy, through the leg). They were on sale a couple of months ago and so I decided to buy 2 more pairs of the D1’s and when I got them the waist was fine, but they were significantly baggier in the thigh and leg. I was quite disappointed and ended up returning them.
I also own a couple of pairs of the slim fits, and I like them – definitely a bit more snug through the thigh and leg. Not quite as dressy but they definitely make a good substitute for jeans.
Yea, I’m pretty sure the D1’s look so awful because they simply do not fit him. Maybe it’s a case of them being pinned for the model shots but they look a hell of a lot better on Nordstrom’s page: http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/dockers-d1-slim-leg-chino-pants/3116848
Hmm, would definitely like to see a review of the Lands’ End Canvas Slim Fit Chino. Strongly considering purchasing the brick red color.
Right, I said they run long. I’m a solid 32×32 in 501s, and it’s obvious that these run long. But I tried on the 32×30, and they were short. No break. The D2 didn’t get an F because I give credit to dockers for the pattern. Everything else was bad though. The feel of the D3s fabric and the color options are what saved it from F territory. I wasn’t judging solely on how they looked on my camera phone shots. For the price, $36, Soft front D1s aren’t going to be that bad of an option for a lot of guys.
Wait, that’s interesting. You had to size up? Most are saying size down. I’d say so as well…
No, I “seriously” don’t wear my pants that puddled around the ankles. But the 30s were too short, and there were no 31s available. I think Dockers has some sizing issues. I’d have to get these tailored for sure, but I didn’t buy any of em’. I’m a 32×32 in Levi’s 501s which to me, are the perfect fit. I’ve tried on 32×32 D1s before and they didn’t do that.
Sure seems to be a lot of “puddling” around the ankles going on in those shots on Nordstrom too.
Heh… funny you’d mention that. I’ve got a pair of those in “vintage brick” on the way for the Palooza.
With so many commenters below reporting very different stories about the fit, I wonder if Dockers recently changed the pattern used? Brooks Bros changed their chino patterns recently and with the same affects: Some people were getting the older pattern and some were getting the new, so reports were all over the place regarding fit.
I think there’s certainly something to that. I had tried D1s on in the past and they were super tight through the thigh, and fine in the length. Now they’re not snug in the thigh any more, and a touch too long for my usual length. (Again, I’m almost 5’10”, a 30 length is just too short, especially for my quads when I sit) Maybe Dockers heard it from their traditional demos and scaled back on the re-fit of the brand.
Yeah, I’ve purchased a couple pair of D1s and noticed that they are cut differently, even though I purchased the same size but got different colors (olive green and orange). I also did a review of them here: http://consummatestyle.tumblr.com/post/4475643796
I’m having the same issue as everyone else: finding slim fitting well-made chinos at a decent price point. I ended up with a couple pairs of the D3s about a year back just because I liked the fun colors and I picked them up for under $10 each. I keep meaning to take them in to have the entire thing slimmed down but I’m wondering if it would just be better to scrap them and buy proper slim fitting chinos.
Heck, I’m wearing a pair of D3s today. I like ’em, but they are pretty poorly made. had to have the crotch restitched pretty early on. they are not slim fit, but I am not slim….
I frickin’ love that plaid pattern on the D2s. I might have to buy those and get them tailored.
I bought those straight fit plaids about two months ago. They look nothing like the picture, I wear 34×34, and my pair are much more slim and have a more snug fit. I have been meaning to go back and get some of the same cut in a light blue color, I hope they fit the same! These pants are my favorite for work!
I think a big part of the D1’s problem is the disproportionately snug waist. The slim fit might work better if you didn’t have to bump up a size to accommodate the waist. And I say this as someone who has a pretty trim waist/gut and comparatively large bum/thighs… normally I have the opposite problem, where a pair of pants that fits well in the seat is loose in the waist. I normally wear a 30 or 31. The D1 in a 31 squeezes around the waistband, and is actually uncomfortable for the first hour or so of wear. Yet if I bumped up a notch in size, the material would balloon around my ass and generally look ridiculous. Strange.
Plus the relatively high rise makes them not only somewhat uncomfortable, but also rather dated. Cutting a solid inch off the top of the rise would probably go a long way toward modernizing the overall fit of the pant.
In some ways it seems as though their slim-fit pants are basically the same as all their other pants, except that the sizes have been mislabeled.
I was honestly floored with how bad they looked in person (not the pattern, the fit). Can’t really figure out what’s going on here…
Slim fits will forever remain untouchable for me. My legs are far too big for such.
As an olympic weightlifter, I’m not even all that big, but I’m beginning to hate buying clothes. I recently bought the nordstrom “trim fit” dress shirt, however I am still swimming in the 17.5/33, apparently trim fit still could be “short and fat”.
As far as pants, 32×30/32 is a pretty common size, however the D2 pant and just about every other flat front dress pant don’t fit, or if they do, look like emo-kid/women’s skinny jeans through the thigh.
I guess I’m gonna need to find a good tailor!
I do appreciate the post! I was going to by the slacks without trying them on. I am now forewarned!
I have 3 pairs of D1 Slim Soft and they are the best fitting chinos I have ever owned. I had to size up. At 5’7″ 165lbs with a big backside and big thighs, I wear a 32×30 in Levis 514/527 (very snugly). I had to size up to a 34×29 for the Dockers. They do run a tiny bit long, but they shrank 1/2″ in length after the first wash.
Most importantly, both Levis and Dockers have serious quality control issues. The material and cut of the pants will vary GREATLY depending on where the pants were made. For instance, my Levis 505 made in Mexico is incredibly thicker than my other pair from Egypt. My Dockers from Bangladesh are stiffer and more wrinkle prone than a pair from Cambodia. Check your tags.
Why does 30″ seem to be the minimum length out there for virtually every brand of pants and jeans? I stand a hair under 5’8″ and about 149 lbs. Most 30″ lengths seem to spill all over my shoes. Occasionally, I will see a 29″ length sprinkled into the selection for some brands, but hardly for my waist size of 32″. For example, Macy’s carries a single 30×29 in the D1. The L.E.C. slim fit? Forget about it. Jeans present the same problem: Levi’s 514 Slim Straight? The only 29 length is the 30 waist.
Fellow Dappered readers please tell me: am I a freak of nature with unnaturally short legs/long torso or are there any other just below average height guys out there who are also tired of having to lop off 1-2 inches of fabric from every pair of pants they buy? Thanks, I’m done venting.
I’ve had great success with the Waders line (which I believe they are phasing out, but I’m not certain).
They are a slimmer (much slimmer) fit [note: not skinny, but heading in that direction] and come with a 30″ inseam (in all sizes). Designed to fall right at/above the ankle. For those who like the just-above-the-ankle-pant-roll.
Obviously they are probably too casual for many applications, but they have earned a nice spot in my day-to-day (outside the office) wardrobe during warmer day (I’m wearing them now actually).
At the price point (usually on sale for about 30 bucks, almost ALWAYS an additional 20-40% sale to go along with it) its simply the best slim-fitting casual chino out there.
The SF Tapered are similar but cut a little differently (hence the name), come in a few more…err..vivid colors and cost more $75+
They probably won’t fit a guy with huge thighs, but I have noticed they seem to loosen quite a bit in the thighs with wear/break-in..
Here are a few pics of the Waders and SF Tapered in action: [not my blog] http://aheadlongdive.com/2011/02/22/a-sartorial-et-al/
Other than that, I have had ZERO success with Dockers. I love how they look and feel..just HATE how they fit.
I currently own 3 pairs of D1 Soft Front pants that I purchased on sale ($30) in 33×32. I also found that the material was nice but the legs were not as slim as I hoped. I’ve had two of them slimmed and hemmed 1″ by my tailor an now they are almost perfect. I plan on having my third pair done soon.
I would not purchase these if it wouldn’t be for the sale price. I’m sure the SF Taper pants would fit the way I would like but the $75 price point is tough.
Hope I didn’t come across like a wet blanket : ) Yeah, I think they’re monkeying with the fit and it’s best to try em’ on in person.
You did the venting for me. I have a 29″ inseam and have been touting “full break” pants for forever now. Apparently, only skinny guys are allowed to have short legs.
Realistically, perhaps it’s too expensive for brands to carry multiple size combinations. Kudos to Dockers for expanding their sizing, as mentioned on their website.
Nice! Can’t wait.
At least you can correct a too-long pair of pants with a little tailoring (or, with a little ingenuity and practice, by simply hemming them yourself).
Though I am a petite 5’9″, my brother is 6’5″. Not only do many manufacturers not even make the 36″ inseam he needs, but you can’t make something out of nothing to make it longer.
I haven’t read all of the previous comments, so I’m sure what I’m about to say has already been said, but the D1 Slim fit are in NO WAY slim fitting. It’s a joke that they are even being sold as such.
Has anyone here tried the new “San Francisco fit” from Dockers? I got a steal on a pair recently ($14.95 at TJ Maxx vs. the $69.95 asking price from Dockers.com) and they have a very slim fit. The legs are extremely tapered and have a fit closer to 511 Levi’s jeans. Maybe the Dappered.com crew should do a review of this new fit, since it seems closer to the mark than D1 through 3 discussed here.
I bought the D1 soft in Gurkha (great color) online, received them in the mail – WAY too thin. Now, I’m not a ‘slim’ guy (6′, 215lbs with lots of muscle) and I have bulky legs, but these were like leggings.
Cut to nearest Macy’s: I tried on the EXACT same pant – fits like a dream. Nice, fitted rear, slim through the thigh and tapered through the calf just enough to be modern. Not cut too long, nice clean break at the shoes. They’re my go-to casual/dress pant. The more I wash them the more I like them. They shrink just a little each time, hugging in the rear, and they shrink up just enough. Of course, my bulky legs break the pant in a little every time I wear them, so it’s just returning to the original fit. **These pants look GREAT with birkenstocks, not so much with sneakers, except super-thin like Chuck Taylors or Jack Purcells.
It’s true, they did change their fit a few years ago, and to much improvement. My one complaint is that they’re a little heavy for summer wearing. I also wish the waste was a little lower, like the 5-pocket d2 (my favorite non-jean ultra-casual pant). Of course, you’re also reading a guy who wears Levi’s 511 Slim Straight jeans and field watches with G10 NATO straps. What can I say? I like classic, timeless brands with great utility. I’ll definitely try the K-1 next.
I will definitely buy these pants again in Tobacco and maybe Oregano colors for work.
Any help with picking a size to buy online? I usually wear Levi’s 514s, which I love. I’d like to buy a few pairs of the D1s, but the posts above have made me a bit nervous. Not sure if I should size up based on what I’ve read, or take the crap shoot on getting a pair that would fit in my standard size. I’m in 36x32s in all my Levis, so would love any insight!