Bottoms Are The New Tops
Welcome to Shopper: Highsnobiety's bulletin on what’s taking up headspace from the marketplace. Below is an edit of April 8's newsletter, in which we opine on the state of pants. Subscribe here, or head to the Shopping tab for more recs.
The Pants Issue
As the old fashion adage goes, the style du jour can usually be boiled down to how big the pants are. Since skinnies never made the comeback we were threatened with, and since we've also luckily reversed-course from the ultra baggy silhouette, I deem this newsletter ripe for leg day.
Good pants have always been of paramount importance to the man's wardrobe specifically, and they always will be. However, the urgency and experimentalism in getting this category right for oneself has drastically increased among male shoppers over the years. Now that the times have endorsed far freer and more daring sartorial expression, men have begun to embrace apparel that not only goes beyond the banal — rather, the best brands excel at it. For pants, this means a move away from mere straight legs, slight bootcuts, or minimally tapered fits, great as they are.
Some guys have outright retired classic jeans as the default casual choice altogether in favor of becoming advocates for pleats and leathers and prints that enter everyday rotations, untethered from the shape and textile doctrines previously baked into how one used to get dressed. At a much higher rate and scale than before, the boys are putting as much thought and care into an idiosyncrasy of their garments — how these are worn, when and why — as the girls. And it's all adding to the meme-tier momentum at stake in declaring good pants as the newly anointed stars of an outfit.
When I was picking a few fashionable brains on the topic, barely (barrel-ly?) anything came up as often as Lemaire's notoriously twisted slacks. It’s still yet to be determined whether I was unknowingly fighting a recent bidding war with a co-worker over a particularly cheap pair of them on Vinted, but these pants have become an embodiment of the versatile, more-artful-than-ordinary pants that now live rent-free in many a menswear head (and closet). Their cotton composition is at once sturdy and breathable; their form subtly sculptural and impossibly flattering. They're season-less and appropriate for every imaginable occasion, whether in fully fledged suit mode or with just a white tee. They are the Our Legacy Camion boot of pants, if you will; there's a reason this model is so ubiquitous among certain crowds of people, hets included.
Worry not though, in case you can't be bothered to pay full retail or thrift-hunt for these, as the trickle-down effect has disseminated the Lemaire twisted slacks' characteristics across price points. For example, Uniqlo makes a far-better-than-decent version of ‘em at a tenth of the cost, in a wrinkle-free fabric blend (or chino or sweat). Generally, Japan proves exceptionally competent in the pants department. Everybody needs column-like tailoring such as Ssstein's, as well as trousers that deliver evening elegance at pajama-grade comfort, courtesy of either Auralee or Engineered Garments’ collaboration with GU. And the boom of Japanese denim, such as Blue Blue's, really warrants a study of its own.
Meanwhile, in American denim, a Levi's 568 offers bagginess while retaining a sexy side profile that's easily styled up or down. And the Ross jean by The Row is the perfect middleground, at an admittedly not-so-middleground price — if you can even track them down, that is.
At the end of the day, the most important thing about great pants is that they fit you aesthetically and, well, literally. I need it to be known: Size does matter. There are few things worse than an ill-fitting pair of pants. They need to be snug in the right places and roomy in others; you'll want to avoid crazy crotch, frumpy rear, or high-water situations. Do: belts, fun and colorful ones at that. Don't: French tuck, inauthentic distress, or waistbands above belly button level. And finally, if even the lightest weight of year-round gabardine is too hot for you in summer, watch this space for when I tackle shorts: the “Hey Mama”-fication of them, the length spectrum between boxers and cropped flares, and the controversial return of their culotte sub-species. Which is to say: Pants may be more complex a subject than ever, but shorts are an entirely different beast.
Open Tabs
Since we're already debating traditional rites, why not cover SKIMS’ wedding line? Yes, you read that correctly: Kim Kardashian's loungewear brand is making satin undies, heart-speckled pajamas, and elegant lingerie for newlyweds.
These soft-edged Jacques Marie Mage shades by Jeff Goldblum are coming to free us of those cursed micro frames we all thought we needed last summer.
Speaking of overdone trends, Acne Studios is moving on from its Y2K vibe of the past few seasons and re-embracing a cleaner Scandi look. As I'm eyeing the sheen-y pants and leather slacks, this shift is much appreciated. Not sure where or how these belted sandals fit in there, but I want them.
Auralee made the chicest and simplest of blousons, in both dark wool and caramel calfskin, as well as a raincoat so bright and yellow you’ll actually want the weather to turn up bad every morning.
Underneath those final early spring outer layers, how about Aaron Levine's lovely half-zip fleece?
The MM6 x Supreme collab sold out in seconds, so we checked resale: it’s relatively doable. The stained hoodie's a fave, the furry boxing gloves a pass… Or are they?
Taken from what's a pretty mixed bag — or shopping cart, rather — Stüssy made a contrast-stitched moto jacket, a coffee maker set, and a canvas backpack we love.
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