So as some of you might know... I went to see the Arctic Monkeys yesterday at the Staples Center in Los Angeles! I am so excited to have had that opportunity because the Arctic Monkeys are one of my all-time favorite bands!
Hello everyone. I hope you are enjoying the summer. It's time for another post about men's clothing. This time I will be doing a review on a pair of chinos I got a couple of months ago. They are the "Olive Chino" from Wolf vs Goat. Before I get into the chinos, I would like to say a few words about the brand itself, because I find it very unique and interesting. The brand is run almost entirely by a man named Mauro who has been in the fashion business for a number of years. He started Wolf vs Goat about 5 years ago as a way to get high-quality, USA made clothes to men at a great price. What is so special about this brand is the sense of community that Mauro fosters. He centers his brand around clothing that his customers want to buy and works to get everyone exactly what they want, but at the same time innovating in terms of fabrics and design. He takes customer service very seriously.
Enough about the brand. Let's get to these pants.
As you can see, the chinos are medium olive in color. They have a definite earthy tone to them, but they aren't so dark that they are limited to wearing in the fall and winter. They are overdyed, meaning that they are made of olive thread that is then dyed again once the fabric is woven. This creates a beautiful depth of color. And as the pants age, their fading is more subtle than is typical. Various shades of olive are created instead of wearing down to white thread. Having worn these on average three times a week over the past two months (you can tell I love them), I can say that these pants are only getting more beautiful with age.
There is quite a bit of green in these chinos, which I think makes them more suitable for 4-season wear. However, these really will work best in fall and winter and I can't wait to start putting these to use then. The fabric is mid-weight sanded canvas, all cotton. The canvas makes for a sturdy pant; these won't be wearing down anytime soon. The sanding of the canvas means these chinos won't be quite as rough on the exterior or as stiff as typical canvas. Because these are a casual pant, I never iron them. As you can see, they do get slightly wrinkly but nothing that would make me think anyone would have to iron them. I think the slight wrinkles add to the casual nature of the pants and make it easier to see the color variations. Buttons (save for the hidden front button) appear to be real horn in dark brown, meaning you will love buttoning these up every time.
The chinos are touted as a "slim straight" pant. I find the "slim" portion to be very accurate, as these fit perfectly between too tight and too loose. I could have sized down for a slightly slimmer pant and still be comfortable, but I wanted to try a more relaxed fit. These pants, however, are certainly not "straight" fit. There is quite a bit of taper to them. Nothing extreme but it is certainly there.
They come in a 33" inseam only, which work perfectly for me since I am kind of tall (about 6'1"). I can leave them uncuffed to get some stacking with boots or cuff them once or twice to get some breeze on my ankles, like in these shots. If you are shorter, a hem is a simple $5-10 fix. If, however, you are taller than 6'3", these may be too short for you. The good news is I haven't noticed any shrinking in length (or anywhere else for that matter) even after several washes and partial, gentle dryings in a machine.
Some more final thoughts about these pants as I have gotten to know them better over the past several weeks. They almost immediately became my favorite pair by far. They have broken in to be amazingly comfortable and soft. And since I sit at a desk for hours at a time, this is very important. I have never once had these pants irritate me at all. The rise is high enough to provide room where it is needed, and the legs are never constrictive.
The color is very versatile yet still interesting. Olive is a normal enough color that you can wear these quite often without drawing too much attention to yourself, but the subtle variations in color keep the pants interesting. So while they may seem basic, these chinos are anything but that.
The one change that I would make to these pants is to make the back pockets about 0.5" deeper. My wallet is by no means large, but it almost reaches to the top of the pocket. Other than that, I have no complaints.
So what do you think? Any thoughts on the chinos or the brand? How much of an influence do a brand's actions have on the clothes that you buy? What do you think about the trending "made in USA" movement? I would love to hear what you think about these things.
And don't forget to check out Wolf vs Goat. Mauro has a lot of unique prints, fabrics and materials in his collections. And if you ever decide to make a purchase, check out his rewards program. It's an amazing deal.
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