Great Pants: Actually Affordable Flannel Trousers

Banana Republic Vintage Straight Drawstring Pant – $67.50* ($89.50)

*So far these are only available in black online.  Check in store near their “new arrivals” display.

Full honesty.  As great as these are, they’re also a little odd.  And not just because they’re reasonably priced for the incredible feel of the 70% / 30% wool poly blend.  They’re solid, thick, flannel trousers, and you just can’t find flannel pants for a decent price this season.  Being that they’re from Banana Republic you could get them for a song if you wait for a sale.
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Fit is close to a 501 if you get your size right.  Size shown: 32×30, and a 31 waist would have been much better.

The Good:  The fabric is incredible.  Feels just like the L.L. Bean Signature flannel suiting pant.  They’re a straight fit, so they don’t suffocate your calves on the way down.  They seem to run a little big, and while the size 32×30 shown was okay, I could have easily sized down to a 31×30 or 31×32 and had them hemmed to clean up the flat-assness.  They’re nice and thick, comfortable, and the perfect winter solution to wimpy dress pants for us jeans addicts.

The Not as Good:  Those back pockets.  They’re a little long and give the pants a utility look.  Which can be good, since that provides a great opportunity to put on something other than denim on the weekends.  Wearing a sport coat or blazer with these would cover most of the pockets, but they seem like an unnecessary out of the norm detail from BR.  Also, there’s an inner drawstring, which… who knows why it’s there.

If BR comes out with another pant that uses this same straight fit and cleans up the seat area with some more standard pockets, it’d be a complete home run for the price.  But how big of a deal are those pockets to you?