Help me find more pants like my favorite pair

August 5, 2009 9:32 PM

I can't find any pants that are anything like my favorite pair. And I'm not even sure if my favorite pair is reasonably fashionable, in the first place. Help?

So I have this favorite pair of pants. Here are some pictures I managed to take in the bathroom mirror... not so great, but hopefully they'll give you some idea: 1, 2. They're black, and kind of like cargo pants, but made out of a more synthetic and less jean-like material. The tag says "Shell: 100% polyurethane, Support: 70% cotton/30% nylon." The only branding information I can find is "Old Navy" and "Outdoor," with this strange symbol. I think I bought them like 6 years ago or something, so I doubt this exact model still exists. They have two pockets on each side, and two in the back, fastened with velcro (except the top-side pockets), and have a built-in belt-type thing with one of those three-pronged "click" fasteners, if that makes any sense.

So, my question has two parts:

1. Are these reasonably fashionable, for casual wear with, say, a nice t-shirt? I've recently discovered fashion, and am still getting the hang of it; for example last week I upgraded from nerdy XL t-shirts to American Apparel solid-color M t-shirts. I much prefer these type of pants to jeans, or to the usual jean-like cargo pants, but if everyone thinks they're super-lame or something, I would welcome the advice.
2. Assuming they're reasonable, where can I get more of them?!? I've tried searching the internet, but nothing quite matches. The features that I most like are the material---it feels very smooth and synthetic (in a good way), while not being anywhere close to work-out pants---plus the color; the abundance of pockets and the belt-type thing are also nice.

Thanks!

posted by Jacen Solo to clothing, beauty, & fashion (39 comments total)

Well, this is only my opinion, but I think they're kind of lame. If you're going for 'fashion', I don't think they're very 'fashion'. If you are going for 'not hideous', they are 'not hideous'. Abundance-of-pockets generally equals not-very-fashionable. Same for anything baggy. If you are set against jeans, there are still many options out there for casual pants. Also, I hate to say it, synthetic anything I would be hardpressed to call fashionable. I would just go for a plain straight-cut pant. Something like this, with a medium t-shirt (untucked, unlike the picture) would look great.

But I am by no means an authority on fashion. This is just preference.
posted by greta simone at 9:43 PM on August 5

They look like a cargo pants/fishing pants. Sound like it, too. Try looking on REI or other outdoorsy sites for a comparison.
posted by tilde at 9:47 PM on August 5 [1 favorite has favorites]

Sorry, but those pants are the antithesis of fashion. Those are the kinds of pants I see on late teens/early 20s guys who don't have a clue about how to dress.
posted by MaryDellamorte at 9:48 PM on August 5 [2 favorites has favorites]

I'm sorry, but they're not fashionable. The medium t-shirts might go well with these pants, if you don't like jeans. The clean lines look good, and because they have some structure, the pants can be dressed up with a button-down shirt as well. Consider a belt like the one in the photo; it'd be good even with the more fitted t-shirts.

Do not get anything like their "fatigue pants" or anything else from the casual pants section. They're frumpy and if they make the models look stubby, they're not going to do mere mortals any favors.
posted by runningwithscissors at 9:53 PM on August 5

Awesome, thanks for the feedback so far :). Unless there's a sudden reversal in the commenting trend, I'll try and get some fashion-conscious friend to take me shopping some time.
posted by Jacen Solo at 9:53 PM on August 5

I'm of two minds about this particular pair of pants. On one hand, they're ugly- synthetic cargo pants worn in a casual way aren't going to make anyone look good. On the other hand, the bar is so low for men that as long as they're long enough (and I can't tell if they are), free from stains, and they fit relatively well, you're fine in that regard with this particular pair.

That said, it is definitely not fashionable to wear the same synthetic cargo pants every day, even if you own 20 pairs. Variety! Mix it up. And by mix it up, I mean buy a few pairs of nice jeans and wear those every day. That is fashionable. Don't ask me why, I don't make the rules.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 9:56 PM on August 5 [2 favorites has favorites]

Most of the stuff at Urban Outfitters is crap, but they have a good selection of pants for men and women for a decent price. Get something that's a little form-fitting, but not tight. Baggy is not fashionable. Stick with solid colors, avoid patterns and weird colors.
posted by MaryDellamorte at 9:58 PM on August 5

Ok last comment I swear, if you go into any reasonably fashionable clothing store, ask the people working there for advice. Most of the time, people are more than willing to offer opinions.
posted by MaryDellamorte at 10:00 PM on August 5

Are these reasonably fashionable, for casual wear with, say, a nice t-shirt?

So much wrong with this sentence.

As other's have said: No, not remotely fashionable. I hate to break it to you but "a nice t-shirt" is also not remotely fashionable. Oh, if you're under like 24 you can probably get away with it but that's because most young people don't really know anything about fashion beyond "if it isn't too dirty and doesn't smell then it's okay".

Ditch the pants, ditch the t-shirts. If you're trying to be fashionable, I mean. I got nothing against t-shirts in and of themselves.
posted by Justinian at 10:17 PM on August 5

Also: shoes are important.
posted by Justinian at 10:19 PM on August 5

Ditch the pants, ditch the t-shirts. If you're trying to be fashionable, I mean.

I disagree. You're a student; you can get away with t-shirts and pants. You wouldn't wear them, say, to a formal event, but for day-to-day wear, it's fine -- you'll already stand out from the crowd in pajamas.
posted by runningwithscissors at 10:21 PM on August 5 [1 favorite has favorites]

Jacen, in case you haven't figured it out, this website is full of 30 and 40 somethings. Take all fashion advice with a large grain of salt.

Want help with what to wear to a wedding or a formal dinner? We're probably better at that.
posted by small_ruminant at 11:02 PM on August 5

If cargo pants aren't fashionable, then I never want to be in fashion.

Joking aside - you have a trade-off here. Sure, cargo pants are kind of sloppy, and not the current style. But they are just so USEFUL and comfortable to boot. My husband and I are both big fans. So wear the cargo pants when you don't have to impress - so maybe not a first date. Unless you like girls who also like cargo pants, in which case go all the way, and bring her interesting candy or cheap toys in the pockets. (I would totally date a guy in cargo pants, but I'm already married to one).

That said, while some men look good in t-shirts, many more look better in a button-up shirt with a collar. It's all about the set of your shoulders, width of neck, etc. Wearing t-shirts when they don't flatter is the biggest look (I don't do fashion) faux pas I see men making. Button-up shirts do go with cargo pants, and make for a nice casual but not sloppy look.
posted by jb at 11:11 PM on August 5

Jacen, I'm 22 and I would say those pants aren't fashionable because they are too baggy. And it is useful to have large pockets, but I suppose not fashionable.
I am a skinny guy and wear slimmer fitting jeans (I think you should give jeans another try), Levis are nice.
posted by gavtaylor at 11:14 PM on August 5

Screw fashion. As long as the synthetic aspect isn't too shiny, I see no reason why you couldn't wear those to work.
My husband ears only cargo pants. We get them in a variety of weights, from heavy cotton to light cotton to one pair that sounds like yours that are great for very hot days; I think we found them at an outdoorsy-type store. Old Navy sells a medium-heavyish cotton cargo that you could wear anywhere.

If they aren't shiny or plastic looking and don't smell and they make you happy, to hell with the fashion police. If your workplace has a problem with them HR will say something.
posted by Billegible at 11:17 PM on August 5 [2 favorites has favorites]

er, my husband *wears cargo pants. He does not ear them. At least not in public.
posted by Billegible at 11:17 PM on August 5 [1 favorite has favorites]

Browse through the the sartorialist if you are interested in dressing better and want some ideas. Most of the outfits are probably a lot dressier than you are used to, but everything is pretty much spot on for contemporary men's fashion.
posted by philscience at 11:27 PM on August 5

FWIW, I'm male in my early twenties and I agree with the previous commenters that those cargo pants, or any pants with pockets all over, are definitely not fashionable. Functional yes, fashionable no. I generally associate baggy cargo pants with the late 90's/early 2000's. As people have mentioned above, look into buying pants that are more fitted or dropping some cash on a pair of nicer jeans.

T-shirts can be okay if they fit you properly and you wear them with a pair of nice jeans, although be careful not to step too far into hipster territory with the graphic/ironic/retro T-shirts (unless that's what you want, of course).
posted by pravit at 11:33 PM on August 5

25-year-old gal here. IANAFashionista, but if you're aspiring to be "fashionable", synthetic cargo pants are not the way to do it. That said, this will depend very strongly on the kind of crowd you run with. Outdoor enthusiast-types love cargo pants because, as others before me have asserted, they're useful...but they do nothing for your figure. If you're seriously into hiking, surfing or something similar, by all means, stick with the cargo pants and no one will bat an eye.

Straight leg, fitted jeans or slacks are the way to go if you're looking to up the style quotient a bit. It's a more mature look, largely because it will make you look more polished and put together. Your move to solid-colored, fitted T's is a step in the right direction, but pair them with a nice Oxford shirt and you'll be money.
posted by Diagonalize at 11:36 PM on August 5

They look a lot like the cotton synthetic blend comments you can get at any surplus store. I recomend these above stuff you can buy at a mall, just because it wears better.

As for fashion, it isn't firm line. There is not one "fashion" There are various fashions that are worn by different sub-cultures and they change depending on the situation.

Look at the crowd that you want to fit in with and figure out the rules. Probably an internet site somewhere that gives the spec's for the uniform. google "dress like insert type here.

I wear pants like that all the time when I have work to do or don't care to impress.
posted by psycho-alchemy at 11:46 PM on August 5

Very helpful, everybody. Message received loud and clear that these are not the pants I'm looking for :P.

So yeah, I'll try to grab a fashion-conscious friend, or ask one of the employees at the store, and get a few pairs of pants. If you want to point me in the right direction with specific examples, like greta simone and runningwithscissors did, that would be helpful too. It sounds like jeans or slacks, or maybe khakis (that's a type of pant!? I thought it was just a color!), is the way to go...

As for all the comments regarding t-shirts, yeah, I realize Oxford shirts etc. are probably going to be a necessary addition to my wardrobe, but right now I'm taking baby steps in the right direction... I wonder if I should have spent this week's question asking for "male fashion for clueless 21-year-old nerds" resources instead of something this specific, but oh well, maybe next time.
posted by Jacen Solo at 11:53 PM on August 5

I'm in my 20s, and I'm also from a neighboring city (hello there)! Yeah, college students can definitely get away with wearing slummier looking things, but if the goal is to look a little bit more presentable/fashionable, then these pants probably shouldn't be your every day pants. Throw them on when you're late to school? Sure. Your Go To Pair of pants though? Probably not.

I think a pair of well-fitting dark jeans is a pretty safe bet with nice T-shirts (no holes, no weird stains or fading, no threadbare patches. I know it's trendy right now, but unless you know what you're doing, it just comes off as slummy). You definitely don't want it to be baggy (baggy really should be reserved for younger guys and in any case, it's out of style now), but unless you want to be uber trendy, you don't have to get the tight skinny jeans either. Get something that's in between. Think of the way trouser legs are. You can definitely tell that the legs are there (and not drowning in a big sea of loose fabric) but it's not like we can see the definition of your calf muscles either.

You can buy your jeans wherever you like, but the four guys at the top here work as a visual aid.

For your age (our age?), a nice form fitting t-shirt and jeans (as described) are pretty safe. you won't be the trendsetter, but people won't look at you and think "oh hello 2000." (Unfortunately, I can remember when those polyester pants were cool, and yeah, it was probably around 2000). Hope that helps!
posted by mittenedsex at 12:00 AM on August 6 [2 favorites has favorites]

Take heed, for mittenedsex is wise in the ways of fashion.

Looking to the Gap and Banana Republic for ideas certainly won't hurt. They're a lot on the vanilla side, but you can find them everywhere, and they'll give you an idea of what's "in" according to mainstream America.
posted by Diagonalize at 12:09 AM on August 6

Jacen, in case you haven't figured it out, this website is full of 30 and 40 somethings. Take all fashion advice with a large grain of salt.

It depends on whether "fashionable" in this context means wearing what your peer group are wearing but in a nice way, or if "fashionable" means just plain looking good in a The Sartorialist kind of way.

A nice, well fitting t-shirt can meet the first definition but would never meet the second.
posted by Justinian at 12:38 AM on August 6 [1 favorite has favorites]

This might just be me, but I think going straight from polyester cargo pants and XXL t-shirts to sartorialist level might be a teensy bit much. Don't get me wrong, I dig it when someone is stylin' to the nines, but I'd be seriously weirded out if one of my friends underwent a massive fashion transformation overnight. Baby steps, Jacen, baby steps.
posted by Diagonalize at 12:53 AM on August 6 [2 favorites has favorites]

Oh, sure, I wasn't suggesting he get a tailored suit, cufflinks, and a pocket square or anything. But once you start getting in to your mid-20s it's probably time to occasionally start wearing actual shirts with collars and buttons and such. Seems like the OP appreciates that from his follow-up in the thread. As you say, baby steps.
posted by Justinian at 3:11 AM on August 6

Just to offer the contrary view: I'm an ecologist and many people I know wear pants like that the vast majority of a time. I'm at the big professional conference right now, and I've seen plenary speakers delivering the talk of their career in synthetic cargo pants (with zip-off legs, even) and a camp shirt with fish on it. Most folks wear things by Columbia, Patagonia, etc, the sort of stuff you can get from REI, Campmor, or Sierra Trading Post. But, yeah, I would imagine if you're not an ecologist (or don't hang out with them) then maybe they aren't fashionable.
posted by hydropsyche at 6:04 AM on August 6 [1 favorite has favorites]

Keep in mind that jeans can be surprisingly comfortable. I had a friend who was so anti-jeans and wore those horrible pants, but is OK with jeans now that he found a few pairs he likes. So I don't think you really need to go with dress pants as people are suggesting. Especially if that's not your style - you'll feel odd, the people who know you will think it's an odd change, and really, if it's not your style, you might miss important details like a nice belt or nice shoes or mess up the length of the pants or just carry yourself awkward, and that will give you away to people and make them realize that you don't really want to be wearing those pants. Have a fashion-conscious friend go jean shopping with you so you don't end up with dad-jeans.

You can still get a pair of the cargo pants for playing video games with all-dude friends, hiking, going grocery shopping, but wear jeans anywhere where you might have to look nice. And good job on getting shirts that fit better, that's important too!
posted by KateHasQuestions at 6:11 AM on August 6

These are from Old Navy's attempt to sell hiking / outdoor clothing at a lower price point. I'm not sure if they are still doing that, but the people they were imitating are still around. Namely companies like Columbia and North Face. These are basically hiking pants.

Given that, they should be worn for hiking or hanging around, not for going out.
posted by smackfu at 6:26 AM on August 6

Don't throw those pants in the Goodwill heap. If you ever go hiking or backpacking, you'll be laughed off the trail if you wear jeans.
posted by HotPatatta at 6:58 AM on August 6

If you like cargo-style pants, cargo shorts are still reasonably fashionable, although long cut-offs on men seem to be taking their place these days.

The biggest problem with that style of cargo pants is that they always look more narrow on the ankles than they do everywhere else, making you look much dumpier than you actually are. I'll disagree with some of the people who say that all baggy pants are bad--relaxed jeans are fairly classic and, if they fit right, universally flattering on dudes, even if skinny jeans are more trendy these days.
posted by PhoBWanKenobi at 7:55 AM on August 6

If you want to point me in the right direction with specific examples, like greta simone and runningwithscissors did, that would be helpful too.

Nice jeans: The definition of this varies from person to person, but personally I consider "nice jeans" to be made of raw selvage denim. Others consider "nice jeans" to be pre-washed and faded. The difference is that the former starts out stiff and dark-colored, and you gradually wear fades into them through time (this involves wearing the same stinky pair of jeans for 6+ months).

APC New Standards are nice (generally you should size down 2 sizes from your actual waist size). APC Rescues are the same type of jean, but in a bootcut. Naked and Famous offers this type of jean at a lower price point and I've heard good things about them, though haven't tried personally.

Shirts: Try looking into some casual buttondowns - H&M and Zara have some affordable and nice-looking clothes.
posted by pravit at 8:04 AM on August 6

A lot of people I work with wear pants like those, Jacen Solo. They're geologists and probably don't see much point in having different pants to wear to school and to the field. But none of them are particularly fashionable or stylin'. If you do want to find more pants like that, check with companies that sell hiking gear like smackfu mentioned.

Please don't feel the need to study the Sartorialist unless you live in New York, Milan, or Paris, and work in the fashion industry. The clothes he features would look incredibly inappropriate in most west coast settings. In most places, short shorts with sockless plimsolls is just going to get you strange looks.

As pravit mentions, there are many different definitions of nice or fashionable looks. There's trendy, workplace classic, California casual, and many, many more.

I'd suggest you keep an eye out for men who you think look good, and whose style you'd like to emulate and try to analyze what they're wearing, and look for pieces like they've chosen.
posted by Squeak Attack at 8:25 AM on August 6

I'm way out of your age range, but will just say that following fashion trends is a great way to blow money. Figure out what you like about them. Comfortable, easy-care, black, lots of pockets, etc., and then go to several stores and try on pants that meet your criteria. Improving the fit of your tshirts is a good start, and looks sexier and less messy. Don't wear worn out shoes. People really notice if you wear good shoes or crappy shoes. When you're at school or shopping, try to identify people you think look good, and emulate that look.
posted by theora55 at 9:44 AM on August 6

Ya know I think those pants are OK *if* they were in a nice chino fabric (soft, kind of broken-in), a different color (khaki, olive, grey) and fit better, it looks like that pair is too short for you. Mind you such a pair aren't business casual but IMHO would be fine for the rest of the time, or if you're in a casual office or an IT worker where basically anyone wearing decent fitting pants and a polo shirt is well-dressed. That type of synthetic material is pretty much bad news unless you're buying a lightweight jacket for a rainy day.

I'm a fan of the J Crew for basic chinos that are comfy & look good as they wear & will last a while. Not expensive. And they do have cargo style if that's what you want. I just really think that pair you're wearing is a touch too short, do you have to wear them low so the hem hits the top of your shoes? Get a better fit.
posted by citron at 10:22 AM on August 6

Sartorialist is, yes, wonderful for New York - Milan style. The San Francisco street fashion blog Fashionist is the brilliant quirky laid-back hipster West Coast equivalent. I am fashion backward, me, but Mai's generous and insightful commentary has encouraged me to buy some really good shoes and start baby experiments with my own style. She features lots of men, too.
posted by rdc at 10:48 PM on August 6

'Fashionable' is a moving target. You'll have to keep on your toes with that one, and this can get expensive.

Knowing what cuts and styles suit your body and getting a feel for snappy colour combos that compliment you well would probably be more helpful. You know, like all the types of stuff they cover on "what not to wear".

But please keep in mind, just because something is 'fashionable' does not mean it is going to look any good on you...

The entire 80's for example. Not one single person looked attractive in that entire decade.
posted by mu~ha~ha~ha~har at 6:26 AM on August 7

Even though this thread is winding down, I wanted to thank mu~ha~ha~ha~har in particular. I think I just didn't know what the right way of putting what I was looking for was, so I used the term "fashionable" since it seems to fit. But the Sartorialist and Fashionist blogs have convinced me that the term was much more loaded than I intended; "knowing what cuts and styles suit your body and getting a feel for snappy colour combos that compliment you well" sounds much more useful. So, thanks!
posted by Jacen Solo at 1:00 PM on August 7

If you want to look good, the first rule is to find clothes that fit. It doesn't matter how much you spend on something or how stylish it is if it doesn't fit well. Make sure your pants are the correct waist and inseam first, then you can decide on the cut/color/fabric. Also, if you want to look a little bit more "fashionable", don't wear sneakers ALL the time. Get some nice casual leather shoes. Ugly sneakers + nice jeans is not good.
posted by kenliu at 11:38 PM on August 7