Put This On

If you’re in Reading, PA or environs, don’t miss the Bill’s Khakis Warehouse Sale. Bill’s are actually made in the USA, so this is an *actual* factory store. Some of the best-quality khakis around.

Here are the details (and thanks for the heads-up, Chris!):

It’s On Sale

Bill’s Khakis M3 in various styles

Bill’s Khakis are the highest-quality khaki you can buy for everyday wear. They’re sort of like a modern, iGent-approved boutique brand from an era before the internet. They were started by a guy who wanted to create the Ultimate Chino. Note that while the M3 is Bill’s trimmest fit, it’s far from slim - more like a traditional straight fit. I buy these and have my tailor slim the leg a bit, which costs about ten or fifteen bucks. The quality is superb. The Bullard Field Pant is my favorite - rough and tumble khaki, ready to stand up to anything.

$40-80 at Sierra Trading Post (be sure to use a DealFlyer coupon for added discount)

(note: If you’re not able to take advantage of the DealFlyer coupon, try “liking” their page on Facebook for a 20% discount. I’ve found that this coupon can be repeatedly used, by the way, simply by “un-liking” and “re-liking” their page. - Derek)

Q and Answer: Clothing for the Field

Michael asks: I’m a biology student and as my classes become more advanced, more field work becomes involved. This means trekking through woods, wading in streams, getting on all fours to collect mushrooms, or turning over rocks to look for insects. Is there something I can wear for all of this that is fashionable and practical? I’ve no problem dressing myself well out of the field, but I’d like to look a cut above the traditional jeans, sneakers, and t-shirt that are prevalent in the field.

Right now, Michael, thousands of cool kids are sitting in pools of their own drool, wishing they had an opportunity like this.  At this moment, nothing is cooler than classic field clothing, and you have the chance to wear it for reasons beyond simple fashion.  Enjoy yourself.

The best outdoor clothing has a hundred-year-plus history.  The clothing that British ramblers and American sportsmen wore in the 1920s, ’30s and ’40s remains just as functional and beautiful now as it was then.

Spend some time with brands like Filson, Barbour and Orvis.  Look for vintage pieces from companies like L.L. Bean and Abercrombie & Fitch which made fine quality outdoor clothing for many years before turning mallward. (Even now, the real outdoor and hunter’s clothing at Bean is some of the best they make.)

My advice is to focus on a simple kit.  Buy some great khaki pants, some solid shirts, a wool shirt or two, a great knit, a Barbour or Filson coat, a pair of amazing field boots and a pair of boots for wet work.  The outerwear in particular should last a lifetime with proper care.  Take care with fit - contemporary style suggests a closer fit than most legacy brands offer - this can be corrected with careful sizing or a bit of tailoring.  There’s no need to go overboard in this direction, though, if you plan to keep your gear for decades.  And remember: all the most durable items in your kit are probably available used.

John from Reading sent us this picture of an outfit he wore to work the other day.  In many ways, it’s a pretty quiet, straightforward work outfit, but John was proud to point out that he’d spent only $150 or so on the whole ensemble, soup to nuts.

Here’s his breakdown:

Jacket - Lands End Overstock - $500 down to $80
Shirt - Gitman Brothers - Thrift Store - $3
Trousers - Bills Khakis - Warehouse sale - $20 (I live in Reading PA)
Belt - Brooks Brothers - Salvation Army Family Store - $1
Shoes - Cole Haan - $200 down to $50
Socks - Gold Toe - Clearance bin - $3
Tie - 100% Silk, made in USA, UPenn store - Flea Market in a retirement home - 25 cents
Silk Pocket Square -  Yard Sale - 50 cents

That’s something we can get behind.

Q and Answer: The Pants After Jeans

James writes: Recently I’ve been paying more attention to my clothes and their quality — that meant scrapping a lot of boxy khakis and ill-fitting jeans for a pair of APCs, but I’m looking for more than one pair of “everyday pants.” I feel like khakis make me look like my Dad (I feel like every generation of dudes wants to look as much like their grandfather as they can but as little like their father as they can) and after wearing pants cut for humans everything else feels baggy and awkward. Where can a guy go to get a pair of pants after he’s used to the durability of raw denim?

If you’re talking about a casual wardrobe, the next logical step after a good pair of jeans is a good pair of chinos.  Not all chinos are the triple-pleated monstrosities that you associate with your dad and Frasier Crane.

There are plenty of options these days for chinos with a trim fit.  Above are J. Crew’s “Urban Slim Fit” pants, which come in several colors - we prefer the slightly sandier British Khaki to the standard khaki.  A little more flavor.  They’re about $60 at full price.

My own favorite chinos are ones that I’ve recommended here several times before - the Uniqlo Vintage Chino.  A great fit, some great details, and they’re usually about $35.  If you live in New York, you can go into the store, but if you don’t, they ship, just call them (917-237-8811) and ask for phone orders.  I like that the Uniqlos retain a bit of a military feel - it makes them more useful as a casual pant, rather than as a second-rate substitute for dress pants.

Dockers, feeling the pressure to update their image, have released the K-1.  It’s inspired by WW2 military chinos, but with a dramatically slimmer cut.  I haven’t touched them, but I’ve heard good things from the clothes nerds.  They’re inexpensive as well, at $68.

Everyone seems to agree that Bill’s Khakis are the bee’s knees when it comes to quality in a chino.  Their M3 size isn’t quite as trim (from what we’ve heard) as the J. Crews, for example, but it’s pretty solid.  The price is a bit higher at $135, but the khaki aficionados say Bill’s are worth the scratch, especially if toughness is what you’re after.

Go flat-front, slim-fitting, and possibly with a little bit of military, period detail - like a wider belt loop, a richer color, a heavier twill.  Don’t buy them pre-destroyed.  Start them a bit more formal, and move them towards casual as they wear.  Your goal here should be to rock these as effortlessly as JFK on his boat.  With some good accessories and a nice fit, you’ll look great.  Then, you’ll be ready for some gray flannels.