I'm currently living in Manitoba, Canada but this Christmas I'm heading to Toronto for a bit and have decided to make the trek out to Buffalo, NY to check out the mecca of Trad menswear; O'Connell's.
Currently I'm well stocked on shirts, sport coats, suits and outerwear, but I find my pants/trouser options rather lacking in fit and quality. I currently wear either Brooks advantage chinos or Banana Republic slim fit pants. The BB pants are okay-to-decent quality but don't fit me that well, while the BR pants fit me perfectly but are thin and very poor-to-terrible quality, especially for fall/winter wear.
I'm well stocked with linen and light weight cotton for the spring and summer but my stupidly thin BR flannel pants just aren't cutting it for Manitoba winter.
I'm hoping you fellows can help me out a little determining what pants at O'Connell's are worth the price to pick up.
I'm looking for a pair of navy, khaki/carmel, olive and brown trousers, well as a good light/mid grey wool flannel. I typically wear business casual, usual button down or dress shirt, sport coat, tie or bow-tie, and either cotton or wool pants depending on mood. I do like my tweeds as well.
My problem is simply that there are too many options. What's the advantage of cavalry twill over moleskin? Or gaberdine vs covert cloth? etc, etc. Which are the most comfortable/durable? What staples do you guys find are most versatile/worth-the-cost?
Ideally I'm looking for pants/trousers that will last me many years (lets say at least 4 - 5). I'm willing to spend the money, up to say 250 - 300 (At which point I might as well just have a tailor make them for me) but for that price I'd want something with a track record of being damned good. I also tend to prefer a mid or even high rise, and a rise less than 10.5 looks silly on me. Even my jeans have an 11.5 inch rise. I'm a 36 x 32 and tend to prefer slim or tapered but not skinny pants.
That being said if you guys say 'they're not worth the cost or not that durable, try looking at X instead' I'm open to other options.
Also, if there's something else at O'Connells I should really look at do let me know. I don't expect to be able to get back there for several years and customs fees from ordering from the US + exchange rate mean ordering online isn't as reasonably-priced and returns are a pain.
Btw mods, I have no idea if this should be asked in this forum or the Trad forum, so feel free to move it whever you think is best!
Advice on O'Connell's options for pants/trousers
Currently I'm well stocked on shirts, sport coats, suits and outerwear, but I find my pants/trouser options rather lacking in fit and quality. I currently wear either Brooks advantage chinos or Banana Republic slim fit pants. The BB pants are okay-to-decent quality but don't fit me that well, while the BR pants fit me perfectly but are thin and very poor-to-terrible quality, especially for fall/winter wear.
I'm well stocked with linen and light weight cotton for the spring and summer but my stupidly thin BR flannel pants just aren't cutting it for Manitoba winter.
I'm hoping you fellows can help me out a little determining what pants at O'Connell's are worth the price to pick up.
I'm looking for a pair of navy, khaki/carmel, olive and brown trousers, well as a good light/mid grey wool flannel. I typically wear business casual, usual button down or dress shirt, sport coat, tie or bow-tie, and either cotton or wool pants depending on mood. I do like my tweeds as well.
My problem is simply that there are too many options. What's the advantage of cavalry twill over moleskin? Or gaberdine vs covert cloth? etc, etc. Which are the most comfortable/durable? What staples do you guys find are most versatile/worth-the-cost?
Ideally I'm looking for pants/trousers that will last me many years (lets say at least 4 - 5). I'm willing to spend the money, up to say 250 - 300 (At which point I might as well just have a tailor make them for me) but for that price I'd want something with a track record of being damned good. I also tend to prefer a mid or even high rise, and a rise less than 10.5 looks silly on me. Even my jeans have an 11.5 inch rise. I'm a 36 x 32 and tend to prefer slim or tapered but not skinny pants.
That being said if you guys say 'they're not worth the cost or not that durable, try looking at X instead' I'm open to other options.
Also, if there's something else at O'Connells I should really look at do let me know. I don't expect to be able to get back there for several years and customs fees from ordering from the US + exchange rate mean ordering online isn't as reasonably-priced and returns are a pain.
Btw mods, I have no idea if this should be asked in this forum or the Trad forum, so feel free to move it whever you think is best!
