Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Lands End Canvas Slim Fit Chinos

I'm always recommending Lands End Canvas to folks looking for well made, well fitting basics on the cheap, but as far as their pants are concerned the jury is still out.  Hopefully that will all change based on the reception of their new slim fit chinos.  Slim fitting chinos are one of the hardest staples to get your hands on and not everyone has the connections in place to sell a non-essential organ on the black market in order to secure a pair of Unis Gio's.  I don't have a hands on read of the LEC joints just yet since they are still really new, but hopefully we can get some in person intel shortly.  Let me save my Mom the trouble of posting a comment - call your local Sears to see if they carry LEC in store so that way you can try a pair on and see for yourself how the fit is (it is an established fact that 83% of American mothers are experts when it comes to shopping at Sears).  And if you're the real cavalier/living on the edge type, as I am sure a few of you are, cop a pair blind and just return them if they aren't up to snuff.  Also, for $40 I am totally for taking these to your tailor to have some work done done since the overall cost will still come in under the price of a new microwave.


-L.A.S

40 comments:

  1. as usual with "slim fit" chinos...these don't look all that slim :/

    thanks for the heads up though, and yeah taking them to a tailor might make for one nice / decently cheap pair of pants.

    ReplyDelete
  2. @joe, you don't think so? To me, any more slimmer and they would resemble skinny jeans. I hope the fabric is of medium thickness, and not too flimsy or too heavy.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Glad to see on-seam pockets, though I could have definitely done without that big-ass coin pocket on the front.

    ReplyDelete
  4. For you LAS, next time I am at Sears I'll try them out give you a report. Sears was just having a 60% off in store to move out the old stuff so I'd imagine the new stuff will be in soon.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Looks good, but the smallest size is too big. Where's the 28W love?

    ReplyDelete
  6. curiosity: piqued. will have to give these a look in the near future.

    ReplyDelete
  7. yeah i have a pair of unis...but for a cheap pair of chinos just go for a pair of dockers, either the san francisco or d-zero...

    ReplyDelete
  8. This blog is great but you've really killed the word "joint."

    ReplyDelete
  9. Anon @12:09 - Thanks for the kind words first and foremost. As per abusing certain terminology, I'm just trying to keep things conversational and laid back over here. Not to mention carve out my niche. Know what I mean?

    ReplyDelete
  10. Just as a heads up, if you order them and the fit isn't up to snuff, you can return them at a local Sears, even if they don't carry that particular item.

    ReplyDelete
  11. If you are truly "Sartorially Inclined" you wouldn't be caught dead shopping for chinos inside Sears.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Patrick KicklighterJuly 28, 2010 at 1:03 PM

    HOLD UP. Corey Whompus has a better name than I do! CRISPY SON! WHOMPUS!

    ReplyDelete
  13. not about the pants but shoes, for me, i cannot stand dirty white sneakers

    ReplyDelete
  14. Anon @1:01- "Snobbishly Inclined"

    ReplyDelete
  15. Werd - f-where you get the goods, as long as the goods are good.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Sears is for lawnmowers and washing machines not chinos. Maybe you should do a ROTM pop-up shop at a Sears and see how many 300 dollar camo pants you sell.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Anon @2 - Maybe you should start a shop so I can chastise you too.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Haters gon' hate....
    I guess some folk haven't gotten around to the softer side yet.

    ReplyDelete
  19. It is just a little troubling that your sites constantly encourage people to buy knockoffs and cheap versions but you and your buddies are selling the real (very expensive) thing for a profit. I have even seen you chastise readers for slagging off the Urban Outfitters version of something and encouraging people to buy the real thing. Talking out of both sides of your mouth...

    ReplyDelete
  20. Anon @2:52- First off, nothing about Lands End or Lands End Canvas is cheap or a knockoff. They (and L.L. Bean for that matter) have been selling high quality goods for longer than we have been alive. Regardless of where the stuff is made, if you factor out the domestic manufacturing/Americana fetishism, it is still of a high quality when compared to their competitors.

    Secondly, there are a variety of people who read this blog. Some of them can spend money on costly items ("the real (very expensive)" things) and some of them cannot. If I only focused one type of product/reader then I would be doing a great disservice to the other demographic. If this is perceived as "talking out of both sides of my mouth" then so be it.

    Everyone who comments here is allowed to speak their mind as long as things stay respectful (to date I have only ever deleted ONE comment and I don't recall every chastising commentors.). Constructive criticism and discoursed is very much encouraged in fact. Everyone, including myself, is extremely opinionated on all this stuff and I would hope everyone spoke their mind. That was the long-winded way of thanking you for participating in conversation.

    ReplyDelete
  21. For me personally they just need to be a tad bit slimmer.

    ReplyDelete
  22. I have to say, the variety in brands featured here is a selling point, so to speak. There's just as much coverage as Land's End, LL Bean, etc. as there is Hamilton 1883 or whatever. Personally, I can't drop $180 on a shirt. I mean, I could, but my wife would murder me to death. I like knowing about the high qualify, low cost options out there.

    Speaking of which, Land's End Canvas has a completely sick striped crest tie in their new collection:

    http://bit.ly/bwsfQP

    ReplyDelete
  23. The new LEC arrivals look pretty slick. As for these pants, i might need something a little slimmer but might be worth a try during one of LE's sales.

    As far as shopping at Sears, i got some LE button downs for $9.99 each, that's less than i've ever seen them online. I wish some around me stocked Canvas gear.

    ReplyDelete
  24. For what it's worth, Gap has also dropped a new round of chinos, including a Slim Fit. They cost $50, $10 more than the Canvas chinos, but the side seam is less prominent on the Gap chinos, which makes them capable of being dressed up more.

    My local Gap stocks the 'tailored straight fit.' There's also the 'tailored slim fit,' which my Gap doesn't stock but I did find online. I'd love to try both them and the Canvas chinos on to see how close they can come to J. Crew's Classic Fit Chino, which has become my Holy Grail of pant fit.

    ReplyDelete
  25. Really??? Thanks for the heads up jumpjet I'll be sure to stop by and check them out. I hope more and more companies in the US will embrace the slim fit chino look. They are so popular in Italy. It's about time! I'm in the market for a slim fit red and one in white.

    ReplyDelete
  26. I'm a big fan of the Canvas products I've purchased (and blogged about). I'd cop these in a heartbeat and report back if they came in my size. It's a bit disheartening that main-line Lands End products come in tall sizes, but Canvas doesn't.

    ReplyDelete
  27. I'm a big fan of the jcrew essential chino in slim fit. I wrote a review about them for the Choosy Beggar blog.

    ReplyDelete
  28. like the other guy said -- haters gonna hate.

    ReplyDelete
  29. If they came out with XS small sizes, I'd probably be more open to buying them for myself. But as it stands, J.Crew is the better option for people like myself. Although theirs fits are a bit inconsistent.

    ReplyDelete
  30. The fit looks great, but I'm not a big fan of the side seams.

    ReplyDelete
  31. LAS, what do you think of the LEC work boots? http://canvas.landsend.com/pp/Workboot~211885_-1.html?bcc=y&action=order_more&sku_0=::GK7&CM_MERCH=IDX_00017__0000002206&origin=index

    They look a little like Red Wings, but for nearly half the price.

    ReplyDelete
  32. What was the final verdict on the brooks brothers Jaggy imports Summer Chinos? I know they are more, but when they go on sale it might not be a bad idea to get them.

    ReplyDelete
  33. Love the chinos and love your blog, even the gratuitous use of the word "joint". Haters gonna hate, pay 'em no mind.

    ReplyDelete
  34. (to date I have only ever deleted ONE comment) I call bullshit on that one.

    Stop writing like a 15yo who just picked up the latest Eminem album and maybe people will take you more seriously.

    ReplyDelete
  35. Anon- It's true man. If it was bullshit don't you think you would hear more people complaining about such nonsense? Why wouldn't I just delete yours or all the other hater comments? Go back to some old posts, if you want, and see for yourself. It's all there.

    Shit, that would be the best 15 year old writer I've ever read.

    And I don't care about being taken seriously by someone who uses parentheses when he obviously should use quotation marks. Just kidding. I had no idea people who continually read the blog didn't take me seriously. Why would you do that? Move on, right?

    Also, Eminem sucks.

    ReplyDelete
  36. Patrick KicklighterJuly 30, 2010 at 12:43 PM

    Sorry Senor Crispy buy anon just killed it with this one -


    "Stop writing like a 15yo who just picked up the latest Eminem album and maybe people will take you more seriously."

    ReplyDelete
  37. I'd like to see any of these Anonymous posters make a blog as consistently good and thoroughly enjoyable as this one. If you don't like it, don't read it. Your criticisms are superficial and childish. LAS seems to be doing just fine doing what he's doing.

    ReplyDelete
  38. I just got a pair of these in the mail yesterday, and the fit is impeccable. They are slim but 'skinny', there is no excess material in the seat, the fabric is soft but high-quality, the finish is great, and it's simply amazing for $40. They fit and feel significantly better than J.Crew's urban slim fit chinos. If you're on the fence, definitely take the plunge.

    ReplyDelete
  39. Chinos are sorta awful, really, despite their heritage. They have gone from the casual workman's trousers that prep kids elevated to cool by beating them to hell and wearing them with torn crotches and patched knees with a hand-me-down blazer from dad to St. Patrick's on Christmas Eve to the "fancy pants" that car dealers in Fontana, CA wear to weddings with a blue shirt and tie (no jacket, of course)...

    ...off my soapbox. THESE things are cool. I have a couple of them. No car dealer pants. Soft, comfortable, slim. Just right.

    ReplyDelete
  40. I tried these on in the store today, but didn't end up buying them since they didn't have my size (I'm 6'4" though, so that's hardly their fault).
    The fit was pretty good: the rise was just low enough to be a little uncomfortable, but I did like the cut on the legs - slim, but not skinny-jeans slim. Also, I thought the fabric was a little too heavy and washed-feeling, like the American Eagle cargo shorts I wore in highschool...
    Overall, they seem just fine, but I may opt for the ones from J. Crew instead.

    ReplyDelete