Slim Fit Chinos: J. Crew Urban Slim fit, Broken in Classic Fit, L.E.C. Slim Fit
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 32/31×32/30 in most pants, and have larger than normal but not gigantic (‘kay, maybe they’re a little big) upper legs.
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J. Crew Essential Chino in Urban Slim Fit – $69.50
A lot of guys swear by J. Crew’s Urban Slim Fit, which is a true slim fit with a tapered leg. And once they get to your knee, it gets really tapered really fast. So much so that my calves felt like they were being hugged by the pant legs. Women know what VPL stands for (visible panty line), but with these, I feel like if I wore socks, I’d have VSL (visible sock line). Good fabric, nice details, no frays or dings on these.
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J. Crew Broken In Chino in Classic Fit – $59.50
There’s a reason why most guys don’t wear tapered jeans. Think of your upper and lower legs like they’re your lapels and tie while wearing a suit. Skinny ties look unbalanced with anything other than skinny lapels. If you’ve got medium to larger upper thighs, a tapered pant will make your lower body look like a spinning plate show. These are much more balanced than the Urban Slim. Good for guys with some lower body mass. They’re “broken in” so there’s a few micro bites at the cuffs.
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Land’s End Canvas Slim Fit Chino – $39.50
Fits somewhere between the two J. Crew options, but can easily come in at half the price if you catch a sale. Great feel to the fabric, no frays or rips, and not too slim through the thigh. Does taper below the knee but not to the extreme of the Urban Slim. Pardon the bad photography, they’re not faded around the knees at all.
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Final Grades
Just to reiterate the point about potentially avoiding tapered fits if you’re not packing skinny legs. See the cuff comparison between the three here. The J. Crew and LEC true slims come to a final width of around 7.5″. The Broken in Classic Fit from J. Crew clocks in at a less tapered 8″, which is about where a Levi’s 501 ends up. If you’re thicker through the thighs, consider straighter fits instead of drastically tapered legs.
J. Crew Essential in Urban Slim: B- Man they get trim below the knee. And why are they $10 more?
J. Crew Broken in Chino in Classic Fit: B They’re like the B.R. vintage straights. Only they’re never on sale.
Lands’ End Canvas Slim Fit: A- The price is awfully right. I was able to land these for $24 during a sale. Those looking for a true slim fit won’t be disappointed, and they aren’t as tight around the calf as the Urban Slim from J. Crew. Those who want a straighter fit? They’ve got those too.
Click here for previous editions of the pants palooza, and feel free to leave your reaction below…
The Land’s End definitely look the best IMO and seem to be the best all-around deal. The J. Crew classic fit look good too, but since chinos can be dressed down or up, I wouldn’t buy them “broken-in”. Actually, I think the idea of buying anything pre-broken-in is kinda stupid anyway.
I agree with Dave above, the LEC look like they have the best fit. I have a pair of them myself and find the fit slim without being skinny. Looking at your photos reinforces my own opinion that when I wear them I have a lot less puddling and folding along the leg, unlike when I wear a pair of dockers. Both of your J. Crew options, despite being a slim fit, seem to bulge and puddle a lot along your leg.
My only complaint with the LEC chinos is that the front pockets are quite shallow and the opening tends to pop open constantly instead of laying flat, which you can see in your photo as well. A few adjustments could make them a truly amazing pant for their price.
First time I wore my JCrew urban slim fit chinos I almost ran home and changed – the feeling of pants hugging the calves was too much for my masculine sensibilities. But then I started to get looks. At first I thought they were “omg what IS he wearing?!” looks, but some flirty comments and eyelash batting later, and I realized I just have hot legs and looked damned good in them.
Morale of the story? Don’t give up on urban slim fit just yet. The top needs to be equally clingy (think A&F polo – even a darted dress shirt will be a bit too billow-y), but on the right frame, the look can be great.
I got those same LEC brick pants. People either love em or hate em. I love em, though the faded edges are always annoying.
I agree with Ryan. But not because I have ‘hot’ legs, but because I have chicken legs. My legs are real skinny. To me, the even the Urban Slim Fit is only okay looking. The best chino I’ve found out there so far for a price under $100 is the Uniqlo Vintage Chino. They’re $30 and they’re slim through the thigh but straight from the knee down. I get my tailor to taper them from the knee down but they looked pretty good even without the tailoring.
all look ill fitting and imo ugly. banana republic has a boot fit that looks much better. not so wrinkly.
The LEC slim chinos in Khaki pair with the LEC Khaki Chino blazer. It’s a real bargain way to put together a summer chino suit. Just be wary of the sleeve length on the blazer. If you have shorter arms, you’ll 100% have to have the sleeves tailored, because of the working buttons, some lower caliber tailors might refuse the gig, leaving you looking sloppy or ponying up more loot for the proper fit.
I have both the LEC and the J. Crew slim fit and I think J. Crew’s version gets the nod in terms of quality/construction but LEC comes out the winner in regards to the price, as you’ve mentioned. It also would have been good to mention that the pockets of the LEC version have this weird puckering/poking out thing that they do that make them stand away from one’s hips. I tried ironing it out of the pants, myself. You can kind of see it in the pictures It’s minimal, but still…
I would really like to see Dappered have some articles about larger men. I am 6’4 250 pound rugby player and can’t seem to find a pair of pants that hugs my thighs incredibly tight or is just plain too loose around the waist. But hey with how cheap Land’s end is I might give them a shot.
I’m with Mark. 6’0″, 220 lbs. I’m not huge by any means, but I couldn’t pull of a “slim” or “skinny” fit anything to save my life.
p.s. I’m about 6’4, 210lbs.
Go with the straight fit LEC chinos. I’m 5’9″ 170 (so BMI of 25.1) so far from skinny. At 6’4/250 your seem to be just around a 30 BMI: http://www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi/ I can wear the slim fits but I think they’re gonna be way tight on you. Try the straight fits.
Im a 6’3 240lb 2nd Row-er, so I completely agree with @de5b2a91c217b8fa449185f7579632ab:disqus . I just got a pair of straight fit chinos from LEC that fit well over my horse like thighs, and not loose on the waist either. They are also on sale for certain colors.
I have the LEC ones and two pairs of the urban slims…love then both but because of my skinny legs I like the taper of the jcrew better and the waist and seat and thighs. Also been hearing some good things about dockers SF fit and D1 waders and Rugbys univ. fit chino and BB milano chino. Anyway nice post.
awesome! I’l be sure to check it out. Cheers.
I’ll be sure to check them out. There are some downsides to being quadzilla.
I actually have the Lands End redish/pink chino here and I do like the fit. I will featuring them soon in a post.
I’m around the same size. I find the D2 and D3 fits of dockers to be pretty spot on for my ham hock like thighs…
Slightly embarrassing side note, I ripped a Urban Slim in half while dancing intoxicated at a friend’s house once. I blame overly enthusiastic grooving and possessing way to muscular legs for this cut jeans.
Interesting to note however, that as everyone was just as intoxicated as me, no one noticed and I was able to escape the situation and borrow some pants without anyone noticing.
I had split a pair of wranglers straight fit just last week when I went ice skating with a couple buddies.
Hey Joe and Sabir, what size are you guys buying the LEC in? I’m about Joe’s size and typically buy a 31 or a 32 (waist) in most pants. I got a pair in the 32’s (they were out of 31 at the time) and was pretty disappointed on fit. They were extremely baggy on me.
Those pics are of me wearing a 32. Fit pretty well for me. Maybe could have sized down to a 31 if I wanted to? Sorry to hear they didn’t work out on your end.
Realized they shipped the wrong item and I got the relaxed fit instead. I retract my previous statement.