Unfinished trousers? My sartorial pet peeve.

[chorse123]

I have a new sartorial pet peeve: finished trousers. I'm a 32" waist, but I'm neither a 32" inseam or a 30" inseam, and taking a half inch off the 32" can be problematic. I know it's easier for the store and the lazy customer this way, and that the majority of the customers do not care. But I care.

So can anyone tell me good sources for unfinished trousers (dress and casual)? Are there some stores I wouldn't think of that have decent pants?

 

[edmorel]

I pretty much stopped buying trousers at stores due to ebay and VCH. The better made, more expensive trousers (Incotex, RL Made in Italy and RLPL, Borrelli, Zegna etc) usually come unhemmed, as I am sure you know. The problem is that finding a pair at a store for less than $200-300 has become impossible. I refuse to pay that much for pants. Luckily, ebay is a great source and I picked up two pairs of Incotex from Lance. I just need to find a pair of those sublime David Chu cords that Saks has for the fall season. I'm actually considering shelling out the $245 that they are asking for them

Edit: I just realized that I did not really answer your question. Daffy's and Filene's are good for finding stuff but you need to go often and be quick on the draw. The Broadway Daffys had Pal Zileri grey flannel pants and Zegna black cords. I went back two days later and they were all gone.

 

[AlanC]

There's always STP. I've gotten some good unfinished casual trousers (Scott Barber, Jeff Rose) there. Take a look at Hiltl and Barry Bricken, which I think they have some of now.

 

[Thurston]

Another trick is to select pants that are way too long and get them to re-hem them. I just bought a pair of yellow whipcord summer trousers from the 'dreaded' Joseph Bank. I'm typically a 31" inseam. These pants came in even lenghts only. The tailor would not have been able to shorten a 32 and give me a cuff because the crease from the original cuff would be forever visible. The solution? Get a 34, chop them off and make them look right. $10 alteration charge and the pants look exactly how I want them.

 

[gamelan]

second the Barry Brickens at STP. especially their cords which i've gotten for $35-50 at the end of the F/W season. and they've all been unfinished.

-Jeff

Originally Posted by AlanC

There's always STP. I've gotten some good unfinished casual trousers (Scott Barber, Jeff Rose) there. Take a look at Hiltl and Barry Bricken, which I think they have some of now.

 

[horton]

Regarding re-hemming, some stores will even do this with jeans so you get the hem detail of the original pants. (they cut off and re-attach the bottom of the pants).

 

[mrchapel]

This begs an interesting question; why do companies insist on only making even lengths? Although some do offer the casual odd number, it seems to be a rarity. Surely not everyone is either a 30 or a 32, etc. In that case, there's a 2 inch gap in that sizing. Is this perpetuating the problem of mass produced RTW clothes that simply do not fit?

 

[chorse123]

Originally Posted by mrchapel

This begs an interesting question; why do companies insist on only making even lengths? Although some do offer the casual odd number, it seems to be a rarity. Surely not everyone is either a 30 or a 32, etc. In that case, there's a 2 inch gap in that sizing. Is this perpetuating the problem of mass produced RTW clothes that simply do not fit?

Yes, that is exactly what it is doing. Until the last few years, I had no idea how pants were even supposed to fit, partly because I bought pants that had already been hemmed.

 

[thinman]

If you're not in a hurry, search the outlet stores. I've found some wonderful Brioni, Zegna, Zanella, etc. trousers for 1/2 to 2/3 retail pricing at NMLC and SOF.

Perhaps manufacturers feel we can visit our alterations tailor to have trousers taken up by an inch. What hacks me off more than even sizing is makers who think everyone's inseam is 34" or less, "Big & Tall" stores who all seem to think men only come in big *and* tall sizing rather than big *or* tall, and every shirt maker on the planet, because no one makes a shirt with 14.5" neck and 36" sleeves. OK, rant over.

 

[Jovan]

Funny how even Dickies sells chinos that are unfinished.

 

[Stax]

Originally Posted by mrchapel

This begs an interesting question; why do companies insist on only making even lengths? Although some do offer the casual odd number, it seems to be a rarity. Surely not everyone is either a 30 or a 32, etc. In that case, there's a 2 inch gap in that sizing. Is this perpetuating the problem of mass produced RTW clothes that simply do not fit?

Yes. I am a 31 and everything I buy needs to be tailored.

 

[Beckwith]

Chorse-

Picked up two pairs of Polo Darlton? (Dalton) pants at Bloomingdale's half off the already reduced price. They are unhemmed, and fit extremely well.

 

[Thurston]

Jos. Bank does carry their twill chinos, and I'm not sure what else, in 31" inseam - online only.

FWIW, I'm not in any way a shill for Bank. I just happen to shop there. I work in a very casual environment and in no way need suits or sportcoats for business. I have spent many years on the watch forums and have seen how otherwise 'normal' people get sucked into turning their noses up at anything less than a $5000 watch. Between education about watch movements and construction, exposure to fantastic watch Appreciation, the allure of the exclusivity factor and peer pressure; many, many guys spend untold thousands on watches they never would have dreamed of a year pior (me included). Many of us eventually come to realize that, while we don't necessarily regret our journey, we may have been better off simply buying that one Rolex (the horror!) and avoiding Timezone. Because of that, I will remain mostly a lurker here and happily continue to wear garments from such purveyors as Bank. Do I think their products are anywhere near the top of the market? Of course not. But the prices paid are reasonable, access to their store is easy and the clothes look fine to me (and the rest of the 'normal' world, I imagine).

 

[edmorel]

Originally Posted by Thurston

Jos. Bank does carry their twill chinos, and I'm not sure what else, in 31" inseam - online only.

FWIW, I'm not in any way a shill for Bank. I just happen to shop there. I work in a very casual environment and in no way need suits or sportcoats for business. I have spent many years on the watch forums and have seen how otherwise 'normal' people get sucked into turning their noses up at anything less than a $5000 watch. Between education about watch movements and construction, exposure to fantastic watch Appreciation, the allure of the exclusivity factor and peer pressure; many, many guys spend untold thousands on watches they never would have dreamed of a year pior (me included). Many of us eventually come to realize that, while we don't necessarily regret our journey, we may have been better off simply buying that one Rolex (the horror!) and avoiding Timezone. Because of that, I will remain mostly a lurker here and happily continue to wear garments from such purveyors as Bank. Do I think their products are anywhere near the top of the market? Of course not. But the prices paid are reasonable, access to their store is easy and the clothes look fine to me (and the rest of the 'normal' world, I imagine).

You are so naive

, do you really think you'll just be a casual lurker, going through life happily with your Bank trousers and never wondering what all the fuss is about Incotex/Zegna/Borrelli/Barba trousers? Do you think you will be immune to lusting after a pair of Greens/Lobbs/Vass, even if only for casual wear? I used to be happy with a 7750 chrono. Thought I had life by the balls. Then it hit me, though. I had to get a column wheel chrono, maybe a Piguet from Omega. Then, it had to be an inhouse column wheel movement. Then it had to be a handwound, inhouse column wheel because automatics aren't "real" watches, right? Then, I don't want to be like every watch schmo and have one of the big Swatch/Richemont brands, it has to be from one of the independent watchmakers etc, etc.

I'll save this post of yours for when you purchase your first Incotex, Oxxford or Neopolitan pants and you start burning the Banks.

 

[Thurston]

Originally Posted by edmorel

You are so naive

, do you really think you'll just be a casual lurker, going through life happily with your Bank trousers and never wondering what all the fuss is about Incotex/Zegna/Borrelli/Barba trousers? Do you think you will be immune to lusting after a pair of Greens/Lobbs/Vass, even if only for casual wear? I used to be happy with a 7750 chrono. Thought I had life by the balls. Then it hit me, though. I had to get a column wheel chrono, maybe a Piguet from Omega. Then, it had to be an inhouse column wheel movement. Then it had to be a handwound, inhouse column wheel because automatics aren't "real" watches, right? Then, I don't want to be like every watch schmo and have one of the big Swatch/Richemont brands, it has to be from one of the independent watchmakers etc, etc.

I'll save this post of yours for when you purchase your first Incotex, Oxxford or Neopolitan pants and you start burning the Banks.

So I see you have no idea what I'm talking about.

How muddied the line becomes, going from just one $1,500 watch to a few at $3,500 to that first $6k purchase... all the way up to a platinum Lange that I wear maybe 25 times a year. I swear that's not going to happen here.