About the Author: Stephen Knight is a photographer / videographer who founded itsaknightsstyle and Itsaknightslife. His mission is to tell the story of people through style, food, music, and dancing. Catch his stuff on Instagram and Youtube.
I remember a time where you wouldn’t look at big box stores for anything resembling stylish, good looking clothes. But with an increased focus on the fashion industry by the likes of Amazon and Target, the fashion giants should probably start to take notice.
Size 30×32 on 5’10” / 165 – 170, shown here in “Nighttime Blue”
At first glance, these look like standard chinos. But look a little closer, and you can find some interesting details about these. The first thing I noticed out of the box was that the bottom of the pants were rolled up. Yes, they rolled the pants and then shipped them. That gave them a more casual vibe. On their site they state that it’s meant to be dressed up AND down, but in my case, I would only probably use these in a dressed down state. Something that struck me as odd (and still does) are the drawstrings inside. So it’s a chino with a standard button and zip fly, AND a drawstring? Beats me. It reminds me of sweats but in chino form. It’s something I can get past, but, something I noticed as well. Standard chino pocket layout, but there’s also a hidden zipper by the right pocket.
The hidden zipper behind the main right pocket.
Something I noticed is the buttons are black, and with blue and navy pants, I would prefer brown or walnut, but that’s just me. The colors looked true to the website, and had a “deeper hue to them” which means they will do a better job at blending with both professional and casual environments. You can pair these with anything you want, from a v-neck t-shirt all the way to buttoned downs (within reason). Making these pretty versatile for the wardrobe.
Four colors to pick from. 52% cotton, 44% nylon, and 4% spandex.
Being a mix of 52% cotton, 44% nylon, and 4% spandex, these definitely have a “tech” feel to them. They almost remind me of golf pants if I was being 100% honest. Some people like this because it wicks away moisture and keeps them cool, but my personal taste with my pants is to have a leaning towards softness. And I don’t think these are as soft as a standard chino. The good thing about the fabric mix is that these pants will move with you throughout different activities. So if you have a more active commute to work or out in the city, these will easily move with you there. Because these also wick moisture and dry quickly, you also don’t have to look like you have an active commute. That’s where the trade off of softness for functions really show their worth.
Color shown here is “late night green.”
I’m going to preface this saying that I am 5’10 170 lbs and I work out here and there (Although Joe called me skinny,) Editor’s note: I did? I think we can all agree Stephen isn’t skinny. His musculature is obvious. Maybe my lard-ass is just jealous of his leanness. Also, I am not a lard-ass. Self deprecating? Sure. That I am. Welcome to Costco Stephen, I love you! These are marketed as slim fit, which I would say is kind of true. Sitting just below the waist. they are slimmer than a straight fit, but they aren’t a true slim, I would rate these in the “athletic” fit range. Plenty of room through the thighs and the leg openings, so you should have no issues having room in these. Because these stretch, I would personally take these to get tailored to hug the body more. Because these are $30, simply add the tailoring price to these and reasonably (depending on your tailor) you should walk away with perfectly fitted, nice and flexible/stretchy chinos.
52% cotton, 44% nylon, and 4% spandex isn’t the softest, but it does stretch and breathe.
At $30 dollars (plus presumable tailoring costs), these are a decent value that can be added to any rotation in your wardrobe. Personally I would lean towards a softer fitting chino for what I do. But if you are a commuter or someone who wants to be able to wear one pant throughout the day without worrying about staying cool or dry, these should be worth a look to add to your collection.
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