Alternative to jeans?

[jinx]

I'm going into college and want to add some variety to my pants.
I don't think I could ever wear Dockers. Linen sounds cool, and I would prefer a slim fit.
I will still wear jeans most of the time, but I wonder what brands of pants you can recommend.

Thanks.

 

[LA Guy]

Costume National smart/casual cotton twill or moleskin Pants. Helmut Lang does the same (I get Costume because they are more flattering on me personally). Bootcut or straightlegged corduroys. Slim wool pants (Helmut Lang, Costume, Prada all do good ones) are good for a night on the town, but are a hassle maintenancewise. Cords are the least out of place, and can be worn with sneakers to good effect. Pair all others with casual boots.

 

[imageWIS]

GAP has a pair of drawstring pants in linen / cotton on sale right now ($26.50 down from $50) but they are a bit baggy. BR has a similar pair (variation on the same theme) of linen / cotton pants that if I recall correctly are slimmer than the GAP pants.

Linen is a pain in ass if it is dry-clean only item, so make sure that you buy machine washable and dryable items before spending needlessly.

Jon.

 

[shoreman1782]

Since you're in college and have no dress code, you can get away with lot. LA Guy had some good suggestions. If you're budget-minded (as I was in college), carhartt canvas work pants, cords (levis makes good jean cut cords, check their outlets), and even dickies workpants are good casual alternatives to jeans, as none are very dressy. I'll warn you, though, dickies tend to have a lot of artificial fibers and aren't as breathable/comfortable as a good pair of cords. LA Guy mentions wool pants, and he's right, they can be a hassle as most (all?) really require dry cleaning and don't benefit from being at the bottom of a collegiate closet. For other hip alternatives (not too be too trendy, but it's an easy solution) check out urban outfitters. They can be pricey, unfortunately, but it's more interesting stuff than you'll find at other mall stores. For god's sakes, stay away from cargo pants. I don't generally like "carpenter pants" either, though I make an exception for my washed duck canvas carhartts. Apologies if any of this is obvious/tired/redundant. EDIT: Agreed on linen. It's nice, but looks messy very quickly. Traditional, widely available linen pants tend to be baggy and flowing. Plus, linen is - traditionally - a warm weather fabric. I'm sure someone will disagree on that count

 

[imageWIS]

PS- linen is for south american drug dealers.

Then call me Sr. Escobar. I guess it is a traditionally warm weather fabric, but since I live in the southernmost area in the southernmost state, I think will continue with the look (sans bodyguards, constant sniffing, and acting in a very peculiar manner

). Jon.