Style Poll: How tapered do you like your pants?

GAP 1969 Lived in Washed Slim Fit Chinos – $12.99 – $38.97 w/ GAPWOW

A story about a an almost perfect pair of pants… and then a question.

Dropped into a GAP brick and mortar last week and they were running a “Take an additional 40% off already reduced merchandise ” promotion. After a summer of BBQs, bike chain grease, and muddy dog paws, the few pairs of lighter colored pants hanging in the closet had seen some better days. So I was on the lookout… and I spotted these:

Lived in = Feels like they’ve been washed and softened up over a year or two.

They were hanging on the sale rack. I wandered over and felt up the fabric. Ridiculously soft, and a nice mid to lightweight all cotton chino. Broken in too. Perfect for slow rides around town or hanging on the back porch. There was a ton of sizes and a few colors to choose from. The price tag was something like twenty bucks. So, twelve dollars after the in-store discount?!? I grabbed my usual 32X30 and hit the fitting room.

 The taper is most noticeable in the profile shot. They felt even tighter in person

They were prefect, except from the knee down I could barely get em’ over my calves. From the knee up they were a gift from Los dioses de los pantalones. Unbelievable. And the price was wildly good. But the taper was SO aggressive, that it felt like I was wearing socks from ankle to ACL.

Plus, there was something visually unbalanced about what was looking back at me in the mirror. From ass up there was some visual bulk due to my body type and the clothes there skimming, but not clinging. From the knees up the pants didn’t cling. There was just enough movement. Not so on the lower part. It just looked… off.

And where had I seen that silhouette before?

Oh. That’s where.

Would anyone on the street notice? Doubtful. Hell, plenty of you fellas are pro-taper, and that’s understandable. But at a certain waist to inseam ratio, does an aggressive taper like this become kinda goofy looking? Is it safer to stick to straight fits? Is the skinny from the knee down taper a trend whose time has come? Leave it all below.