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It's been a while since I've been on here, but I can't think of another place to write a review. please forgive me, but I am a bit rusty. But let's dive in on a recent pickup.
Let’s talk about the cropped tech trousers…
WHAT ARE THEY?
“Pleated pants with a cropped inseam and classic slim fit. Elastic waist. Constructed from Japanese fabric that’s been woven with extra long staple cotton. Adjustable drawstring inside the waist. Four pocket styling with two slant pockets at the front and two welt pockets at the back. 100% cotton”
Ok that pretty much sums it up… End of review… ✌🏽
Oh come on, I wouldn’t do you dirty like that.
FIT:
Probably the most important aspect of these pants are the fit. Like stated above these are cropped…and I mean cropped. XS has an inseam of 24.3', whereas XXL has an inseam of 28”, so yes they are cropped. Let’s compare that to the cast 2, which ranges from 33.5-35.5” depending on waist size. But this isn’t all of the story, the front rise on the tech pants are long…John Hamm long (🍆), ya feel me? So the outseam, or the overall length is longer than it would appear based on inseam measurements…BUT they are still cropped.
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Anyway, what about that “classic slim fit”? I’d beg to say that that isn’t a great description. Now you might ask me, well what is a good description? Well now that’s an interesting question and really is dependent on your style.
I know, I know, this is becoming very convoluted. Well if you have shorter legs, you could likely get away with sizing down. For being 100% cotton, the waist has a lot of give to it. I’d say +/- 3 inches. I know the minus thing is blowing your mind, how to explain? Well, look at these pants as e-waist pants with a drawstring (if you're familiar with scrubs, that is a good comparison), they have a lot of give in either direction, and with the drawstring you could really cinch the waist down to gabagool proportions. And in the opposite direction, you could accommodate a pretty large waist as well. But unlike scrubs you really don't have a ton of excess material, the proportions were developed thoughtfully.
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Now one might wonder why you’d want to size down, well I’d beg to say in TTS (and by that I mean JE sweats size), they are NOT slim fit. Now you’re asking yourself if they are baggy, they aren’t. So how would I describe the pants? A classic relaxed fit with a high rise in TTS; MAYBE a slim fit in a size down. Hope that makes sense.
Now let’s talk length. The inseam is cropped, hence the name, BUT despite the e-waist the hem is finished in a traditional fashion. As you can see below, there is 3 inches of length built into the hem, so if you’re zaddy long legs, like myself, you got some room for length. Same goes for the opposite, a tailor will be able to finish these hems at your desired length without much issue (as long as it isn’t longer than about 2.5”).
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You’ll notice I said high waist above. Now if you wear the pants lower like you would cast 2 or maybe some sweats, you’ll also get a few inches of length, just be wary of the potential drop crotch and potential saggy butt (size down could help with both)
MATERIAL:
100% cotton. Tech trousers? I know, I know, this is rather confusing. I didn’t know what to expect waiting for these to come in. How can 100% cotton be referred to as tech? Well, the material is interesting. It has a bit of iridescence to it, this isn’t your average 100% cotton. I’ve heard in the shark color way, the iridescence is even more apparent.
The material is hard to describe. It has a dry hand feel, but isn’t rough. It’s lightweight but very dense. I feel you, all these descriptions feel like contradictions. It honestly makes no sense until you feel them in hand. Tbh it wasn’t at all what I was expecting, but it works... insanely well.
Due to the tight weave and dense fabric, the pants are not transparent despite being thin (a valid concern if buying in the salt color way). They are a spring/summer weight pant if that makes more sense. These are not pants I would be caught in, in the dead of winter, but they’d work well in early fall. People smarter than me might call them a “3 season pant”, but this is really dependent on wear you live and your heat/cold tolerance.
“But how can you wear them in the summer if they are so dense?” Well, that’s really where the fabric shines. The dense fabric allows the pants to float off your body. There is a lot of air between your legs and the pants (in TTS), so they end up feeling very airy. I wore mine in 90F with high humidity and it felt like a dream. A good analogy would be like drawstring linen pants, without all the wrinkles and a more flattering drape.
So are these pants tech? Maybe, if tech stands for a technological advancement, because this isn’t "ordinary cotton". So are they tech? Nah, they don't have 17 different pockets and zippers everywhere. Would I have named them tech trousers? Nah, but magic cropped trousers doesn’t have the same ring to it.
Construction:
Now a lot of people are going to be upset about the price. $500? MIC? First, let’s get over the whole MIC stigma. First, let’s put aside as the human rights violations and what not (i know, that’s a lot to put aside) BUT Lots of high end brands make their apparel in China. They some of the best technical factories in the world. Veilance (arcteryx flagship brand) now makes a majority of their clothing in China, and that **** is advanced AF. Other than Italy, fashion houses will make a lot of their sweaters in China as well, China is that good. And we’ve all seen some mishaps from Italy and MIUSA. Not to mention despite what you might think, sweatshops exist in both. So let’s put all this MIC stuff to rest and move on.
Let’s talk about the construction. TBH this is some of the most clean construction I’ve seen on a JE item in sometimes, regardless of place of origin. As you can see below, the seam stitching is exquisite. Straight, no loose threads, etc etc.
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The crotch is "reinforced", double layered to prevent potential devastating crotch rips.
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The front and back pockets are large and accommodating. They are decently sturdy, and I wouldn't worry about any rips from keys.
Probably the most important feature...there is a crotch zip. So despite the e-waist with drawstring, you can easily access your... without having to pull your pants down like a toddler.
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I was talking to another user, @Jbidwal , and he described them perfectly, "This is what you'd expect $500 pants to feel like." So take his word for it, not mine.
OVERALL:
The croppedmagic…tech trousers are great. If you’re on the shorter end of the spectrum, you’ll love these. If you’re taller, you might have to hit up your local tailor…then you’ll love them. They are great pants and can be worn in multiple settings (dressed up and dressed down). Are they worth $500??? before you pass judgement based on the pricing, I think you need to seem them in person. I think if you get them in hand, you probably won't want to take them off.
✌🏽
TL;DR:
A classic RELAXED cropped trouser in TTS, slim in size down. Waist is accommodating. 3 season pant, just not winter. Fabric is magical, construction is on point.
Haven’t seen much talk about the striped crinkled kimono shirt here, what’s the opinion for anyone that got one?
I got a size S and still looks pretty oversized on me. The crinkled effect also seemed much more intense than shown on the website.
fabric is definitely interesting. I am a fan of it,
Size M on me. Was definitely way more oversized than I thought (which is good, glad I didn’t get an L)
I’ve liked it since the lookbook pics all those months ago. Excited to see it’s going to be coming in another color next season. Wish there was more colors now
Here’s a few pics
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deets on the pants and boots?