Dappered

Affordable Men's Style

Slim Fit Pants Palooza II – Kenneth Cole & Banana Republic

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Slim Fit Chinos: K.C. Linen and B.R. Cotton

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 is on.

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 (‘kay, maybe they’re a little big) upper legs.
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Kenneth Cole REACTION Linen Blend Pants – $44.99 (reg. $75.00)
Surprisingly decent for the REACTION line.

The problem with linen is the see-through-ness that comes with the lighter versions.  And you can pick up a bit of that in the photos above (see the pockets?) but in person it’s not all that bad.  They aren’t as transparent thanks to the fabric’s blend.  A linen/poly blend yes, but they feel good and move well.  If you’re looking for trim fit dressed up linen pants that can be paired with a sportcoat, then these are a real decent choice.

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Banana Republic Vintage Straight – $59.50 (but go on sale plenty)
Casual go-tos

Solid.  For those of us without chicken legs, there’s enough room for stronger hamstrings and quads while still having a lower rise.  Much better looking than the more conservative and higher rise Gavin chino.  They’re washed which is good for the feel, but… eh…  there’s some tiny dings at the cuffs.  Iron and starch em’ and no one will notice.  Fabric is a perfect mid weight chino.

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Banana Republic Straight Fit Canvas 5-Pocket pant – $69.50 (but go on sale plenty)
Pretty close to excellent.
If you’re hooked on jeans and need a non denim option for summer, these are about as good as it gets.  The rear patch pockets make them a little tough to dress way up but many (I will) could wear a cotton blazer with them.  If you’re sockless anyway, who cares if there’s some barely noticeable patch pockets?  Trimmer than the vintage straights.  Feels like a 501 fit.  Often on sale and seem to bottom out around $41.  Worth it at that price for sure.

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Final Grades

Kenneth Cole Linen Blend: B- Not bad, but the linen look limits their use.
Banana Republic Vintage Straight: B+ Just wish they weren’t washed quite so much.
Banana Republic Straight 5-pocket : A- Us denim addicts need these for summer.  Spendy, but catch a sale.

Click here for previous editions of the pants palooza, and feel free to leave your reaction below…

Comments

  2. Banana is running a sale right now. Last night it popped up as 35% off, this morning it looks like 30%. Might be based on the browser. Code: BRONGAP30.

  3. Code BRONGAP35 should give you 35% off at Old Navy, Gap, and Banana Republic, but some items may be excluded. $7 for shipping or free for orders over $50.

  4. I tried the 35% code this morning and couldn’t get it to work. I think it’ll only let you use the code that pops up in the “lucky you” banner when you get to BR/ON/Gap.

  6. Looks like it’s a dreaded “select customers” sale. I got the 35. This particular sale expires on the 27th.

  8. I say stick with the Levi’s 501’s or 514’s if you’re looking for a slim, white jean. Reliable construction plus they’re cheaper because they’re ALWAYS on sale.

  14. non of these pants are slim…even the name is straight leg. For a cheap pair of slim chinos I would even go with old navys new slim fit ones than these. My favorites tho are jcrews urban slim, rugbys univ chino, and maybe even dockers san fran slim or the UO exclusive slim fit chinos. Will there be any reviews on slimmer pants or jus straight leg?

  15. ‘kay, well… that “slim fit” tag you see at the top of the page? That’s from the Kenneth Coles. And I’ve tried on the Old Navy slim fits. They’re dreadful. The lower legs are tight to my calves but from might thigh up it’s like their regular fit and poofs out.

    I think it’s just a matter of how you define slim.

  16. Yeah unfortunately for those of us with larger thighs some of the slims fit like “skinny” whereas some of the straights are almost perfect…..I really like the Gap Tailored Straight and their Vintage Chino, the 1969 Slim is really like a Skinny. So Joe is right. I really have to try them all on, but I must admit I love the Uniqo Slim Selvedge Jean but my wife hates it 🙂 I would take the BR over KC, they just fit my body better, 6′ 2 or 3 and 200 to 205 with beefy thighs.

  17. thats understandable…and I realize from being a daily reader of this site that I like my stuff slimmer than you. however im not looking for hipster skinny so it would b nice especially if you have larger legs, to review a few “slimmer” options. Thanks for the reply and keep up the great work at dappered. Love the suede oxford post from today. Is that navt cotton blazer from GAP from this season?

  18. Thanks again for the compliment on the site. The 5-pocket pant is pretty slim, but comes in an even slimmer option: http://bananarepublic.gap.com/browse/product.do?cid=22202&vid=1&pid=802874 The 5-pocket straight fit, to me, fits like my 501s. The slimmer option will fit like 514s. Anything slimmer than 514s, to me, is starting to drift into that hipster skinny category :). As far as the GAP blazer goes, nope… that one is from last year (or the year before?)

  19. Please share how you were able to do this. I’ve been waiting for the price on these pants to drop.

  21. I live in those BR vintage straight chinos. The rise is fairly low and they fit like a good pair of straight fit jeans, but look so much better.

    Like all things BR, I have never paid retail for them, but considering the way they fit and wear, they would probably be worth it. The best find was a pair on the sale rack for 19.95 with an additional 40% off. It’s this kind of sale that makes BR comprise about 75% of my wardrobe.

  22. thanks for the extra info. I must have really skinny legs than cuz I wear either the 514 or 511 and try and find othet pants that fit the same. FYI @ my local sears that has LEC and got two pairs of canvas sneakers (4.99 each), black and green wool tie (4.99), grey canvas belt (4.99), a nautical strip crew neck t, red slim fit chinos, a heather grey crew neck sweatshirt, and a cream shawl collar cardigan all for 120 tax included. They have select sale items 60% off and a fair amount of clearance for 4.99. A few weeks back got some 511 cords for 4.95.

  23. I have those BR vintage straight too. I like them but they’re kind of noisy when moving around and I should have went with a longer inseam but I’m tall. I do like the width of the legs.

  24. I just picked up another pair of the $60 BR straight fits and a $60 jacket from Gap for $70 shipped thanks to the 40% + 15% deal. Nice!

  26. you guys try dockers D1 or D2? D1 is the slim, while D2 is the straight… D1 is a lil tight for me… but D2 is a perfect fit… you can get em fairly cheap at kohls with all them discount cards and cash back stuff they have…. plus they come in 29 inseam for us shorties =) i bought 3 pairs at about 28 per on kohls.com

  27. Joe did reviews on the Docker’s lineup for the Slim Fit Pants Palooza 1. Unfortunately, he was unable to find any in the stores he went to that fit properly. As a result, they got fairly low scores. He did mention that the D1 Soft Khaki was the best option. I agree as I have 5 pairs now in 34×29. I am a shortie with thunder thighs from lifting.