Lightweight, well-fitting khakis for summer?

any tips here? the standard khaki makers (gap, j crew, etc) seem to make only thick and excessively baggy pants. not looking for tight (or "slim-fit&quot ones either, just something that doesn't look like a potato sack. and must be lightweight, doesn't have to be standard chino material

I bought mine on sale and paid the money to have them tailored to be slimmer. $70 khakies from BR/GAP ended up being closer to $100 (more like higher end brand) but now they fit perfectly so it's good.
That was my solution (actually more of a post SF retrospective look on my baggy khakies) but I'm sure some others here can recomend brands.

I have some from Polo that's pretty lightweight, and after a round the the dryer, is pretty slim-fitting.

The Incotex lino-chinos are also lightweight and slim.

You might try Gant.
I've got some khakis from them which are not baggy, but not tight either, and they're fairly lightweight. They seem quite well made, and they have a couple of details which I really like: (i) One of those neat little belt loops just above the fly which keeps your belt centred by fitting over the prong, (ii) a little coin/lighter pocket inside the main pocket on the right-hand side.

hmmm good ideas keep em coming. particularly didnt think of the gant and tailoring options before, will consider... incotex, i'm not sure if it was the model u mentioned, but i tried on a pair at saks and my feeling was that they were much higher priced for only a marginal improvement vs gap etc. im willing to spend that much on jeans but i feel like im getting a much better product when i buy $2-300 jeans vs $70-130 ones. have yet to find a comparable difference in quality among khakis...

either way, take some of pants in for alterations. even if you do go out and buy some new khakis, $20 bucks each to salvage some of your old br/gap ones is not a bad idea. so you still have them around as beaters.

Levi's 511 Twill

http://s7d2.scene7.com/is/image/Urba...b?$detailmain$

http://www.bananarepublic.com/browse...scid=547222022

That is a really great summer chino, lightweight, not heavy textured(I know what you mean because I didn't want the standard heavy fabric of most chinos). On sale for $50.00!

Originally Posted by scientific

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i feel like im getting a much better product when i buy $2-300 jeans vs $70-130 ones. have yet to find a comparable difference in quality among khakis...
I beg to differ. There is a marked difference, in construction and fabric, between a $100 and a $300 pair of tailored trousers..

The JCrew lightweight chino in classic cut was fantastic -- a real home run, slim and lightweight. Unfortunately, it no longer seems to be listed on their site.

here is another suggestion. i also don't like to pay good coin for cotton trousers, so i went and explored all the cheaper options first. for lightweight i would recommend lands' end bermuda pants: http://tinyurl.com/4qflwa or click through the affiliate link (above) and search for "Men's Plain Front Tailored Fit Summer Chino Pants" which is what they are now called. these are summer pants - lightweight, not at all hot - i have been wearing them in hot (90F+) weather and like them a lot. since they are cheap (now $30) i don't hesitate to wash them in warm or hot and/or tumble dry normal if they get dirty. i don't expect them to last too many seasons, but i don't expect this of any cotton trousers. whether or not they are well-fitting will depend on your build. i'm a flatass and they fit me pretty well. also they run more true to size than most LE. i wear 32 in most LE but 33 in these pants.

Try and find Purple Label. I have a few pairs of RLPL khakis and swear by them.

Originally Posted by gnatty8

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Try and find Purple Label. I have a few pairs of RLPL khakis and swear by them.

I second that. Ralph always seems to come through with winners.

wanted to follow up here. after hating on them, I went back to j crew and found they have a 'summer weight' khaki pant, whose regular cut fits pretty well. (not too baggy, not too loose.) problem solved.

Originally Posted by scientific

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hmmm good ideas keep em coming. particularly didnt think of the gant and tailoring options before, will consider...

incotex, i'm not sure if it was the model u mentioned, but i tried on a pair at saks and my feeling was that they were much higher priced for only a marginal improvement vs gap etc. im willing to spend that much on jeans but i feel like im getting a much better product when i buy $2-300 jeans vs $70-130 ones. have yet to find a comparable difference in quality among khakis...

Personally I would not spend $300 for chinos under any circumstances; nor would I buy Gap chinos under any circumstances. But I disagree that the quality divide between Incotex and Gap isn't substantial.

In my experience Facconable chinos are quite well-made, although they tend to be baggy. This year they have a machine-washable linen/cotton blend model that is a bit more fitted. I think it's on sale at Nordstrom right now for $100.