Gap Twill Pattern Skinny Fit Pants
$69.96 ($41.97 w/ code HAPPY)
Pants that are designed to sit somewhere between chinos and dress pants have slowly been making a splash in the menswear space, though they still seem to be underrated. I love them, though, unabashedly.
A number of the big brands have been offering them for a while now, and Gap recently released a truly fantastic offering in both a glen plaid blue and black herringbone. Read on to find out more about these kinds of pants in general, and this option from Gap in specific.
Quality & Construction
These pants are ridiculously soft. They really, truly just about feel like you are wearing sweatpants. You combine that with the ever-so-slight stretch they have, and these things are a real winner. It almost messes with you throughout the day — you sort of feel like you’re wearing pajamas (though this is a good problem to have!).
The patterns of the fabrics are super nice. The black is a subtle herringbone, while the blue plaid is downright gorgeous, even up close. The construction is on par with any sort of chino pants you would buy from Gap, Banana Republic, or J Crew. On that note, these things are definitely more casual than true dress pants. The two fabrics they are available in give a nice dress pants look in terms of their pattern, but they do not have an ironed crease, and are generally constructed like chinos, not dress slacks (they have a button closure, stitching at the bottom hem, and so on…).
Two nitpicks: (1) The front pockets are super shallow. They hardly can hold my phone or wallet without concerns of them slipping out when I sit down. (2) The fabric shrinks down just a bit in the wash. If you take a look at the chart below, you’ll see this is particularly an issue when it comes to their length.
Style
So, given these pants are not quite chinos, but also not quite dress slacks, where do they fit in? In all honesty, I have always been a huge fan of chinos that look slightly dressier than chinos. I wear chinos almost every day, but often want to look just a tiny bit more dressed up without going to full-on dress pants. That is where these fit in. On the flip side, you might find yourself wearing dress pants every day, but want to be a bit more comfortable or relaxed one day, without sacrificing much fanciness. Again, that is right where these pants fit in.
In short, they pull perfect double duty. In the right setting, they can be worn with anything you would wear with either chinos or dress slacks. (For instance, throw the blue plaid pants on with a white OCBD and brown loafers and you have yourself a killer look, much nicer and more unique than just your typical blue chinos. See why I love these kinds of pants so much?)
The Fit
These pants only seem to be available in their slimmest fit, which is just about in line with J Crew’s 484 fit — a rather popular and familiar baseline to use. This means these things are definitely quite slim. They are not quite a skinny-fit (they don’t look painted on or anything), but they are very slim, just like the 484. For a tall and slim guy, this (and the 484) is the fit you want. (I am 6'1 and 165lbs.) If you have some more meat on your bones, these are going to be too tight.
Value & Conclusion
I think I said it all already. I love this kind of pants, and I love these in particular. Gap did a killer job with these, my two nitpicks aside. If you have a place for these in your wardrobe, and want your outfits to subtly stand out, at $69.95 retail but $41.97 a very possible price with Gap’s constant 40% off codes (they are running one at post time with code HAPPY), these things are a steal. You’ll love them. Trust me.