Chino Tasting- Best Overall

Trad Dad 1st Row Far Left

Dad's Khakis

Bills Khakis

The Bullard

We all bring baggage to everything we do and I certainly have a Mayflower truck following me. The desire to find anything today made with the quality of yesterday is what I strive for with The Trad. My taste and passions may not be yours and that doesn't make me right and you wrong. Until it comes to khakis.

I was surprised when my taste level in a simple cotton pant lined up with the judge's assesment of the Bullard by Bills Khakis. Easily taking the high score of 97.5, there has been a complaint from a contestant that they too could build a decent khaki for $165. Maybe.

When I pitched the chino tasting to a contestant I mentioned throwing some ringers in the mix. A 1970's US Army khaki and a 1950's French Army khaki. The maker emailed me asking for clarification. Did I want cotton or wool? Their khaki expert Googled my ringers and the description was for wool not cotton. I assured the maker I was looking for cotton.

I'm not a khaki expert. But Bill Thomas is. He didn't so much create the Bullard as much as he took an American traditon and improved it. Thomas didn't choke it to death with bogus details but by keeping it simple and pure he created a khaki better than any I've ever seen or worn. Better than what was issued to me at Ft Jackson, SC in 1976.

A Master Sergeant told me, "It's not what you do in life that makes you a man. It's what you don't let people take away from you." At the risk of sounding like a J. Peterman ad - I think that defines the Bullard.

Chino Tasting: Bryan's Best Khaki

Robert Bryan's pick for Best Khaki: Selvage

Introduced in 2006 and long gone

History (please let it repeat itself)

I've been told they're gone. That picture does not do this pant justice. The LINCS selvage khaki came in Navy, Breton Red, Forest Green and Khaki. If anyone out there has a pair - PM me. This is an outstanding pant that didn't do so well with the Dillard's customer. And I'm not surprised. You don't see khaki selvage very often. In fact, after this pant, you may never see it again.

At $110, this was on the high side for the customer who, like a few commenter's here, thought it was, "just a khaki." Selvage is where you'll find the khaki cognoscenti circling. Robert Bryan knew there was something going on when he picked this pant up. He noted the tape seam (selvage), called the pant exceptional and gave it a 95 and "Best Khaki."

So why would I would knowingly enter a pant that's impossible to find? It's almost like saying, "Hey, there goes a really good looking nun." I entered it because I want some designer who's sitting at his desk shooting rubber bands at the ceiling tiles to try this again. Only this time try to give a wider market. Maybe Dillard's and Belk.

Chino Tasting: Boyer's Best Khaki

G. Bruce Boyer's pick for Best Khaki

No frills

Quality and Simplicity

The LINCS khaki (PS104903) is a clean and simple designed pant that speaks to a time in the mid - 60s when the khaki silhouette was tapered almost to the point of a jean. I was impressed and surprised by this pant. At $65 and made in China, it really is a standout. G. Bruce Boyer and Robert Bryan both gave it a 90 but Boyer awarded it "Best Khaki" of the tasting citing, "very good hand, reg. rise + slim leg, nicely finished, simple styling, good color."

If there was a category for "Best Value" this pant would get it. The problem is (there's always a problem), unless you're close to Dillards - you're S.O.L. DC Design admits that while the pant is a best seller it's not offered on line and must be purchased in the store. I'm scratching my head about this but there you go.

If you have the time, I'd like to throw a wonderful documentary at you. This is a short 10 minute feature shot in 1967 featuring Lee Marvin and the making of the Dirty Dozen. If you're pressed for time fast forward to 8:12 in and check out the khakis. Simple, clean, slim silhouette. Perfect for, "Action guys enjoying themselves on the town." I swear, someone at Chu design saw this and created this pant. Why they don't name it the Marvin and sell it on line I'll never know.

Chino Tasting Scores- Part 2 of 3

#9 Score-92.5 J.Press Made to Measure $275

REB 95- "fancy maker, twill fabric, dress make, tab waist, high rise, cotton drill"
GBB 90- "well made and clean, trad silhouette, nice fabric"

#8 Score- 82.5 J. Press Cotton Twill $98

REB 90- "dress trouser, quarter top pocket, poly twill hand, not washed, full leg but dress"
GBB 75- "standard in every way, medium quality, authentic, unwashed, old school"

#7 Score- 82.5 LINCS PS104902 $65 (Dillard's - Stores Only)

REB 85- "shirting lined, washed/soft twill, good make & finish, on seam, slim"
GBB 80- "nice trad fabric, standard styling, nice details and silhouette"

#6 Score 85- Brooks Brothers Milano $79.50

REB 85- "soft, washed, slim, rep trim, low rise, quarter pocket, dress khaki?"
GBB 85- "beautiful style but low rise & narrow leg, ornately detailed, ordinary fabric but good color"

Chino Tasting: Best Dress Chino

G. Bruce Boyer inspects Best Dress Chino # 9

J. Press MTM Chino

Made by Martin Greenfield $275

The NY Times recently featured a $550 khaki made for Band of Outsiders by Brooklyn tailor, Martin Greenfield. Band of Outsiders is a brand so irksome in it's faded Polaroid hipness that I refuse to link it here. The Time's piece questions a $550 khaki in this economy but stops short of any real criticism. Instead, the paper quotes a consultant who suggests, "It's not about the price...it's about who's wearing them..."

There are a lot of guys, not as many as before the depression of '07 but there are a lot of guys who pop into Bergdorfs and don't give a second thought to dropping $550 on a pair of khakis. This is the same kind of guy who has a fur lined sink at home. I'm not sure I want to dress like a drunken sailor but what if I were to tell you that J. Press sells a Martin Greenfield khaki for half the price?

Press only had a sample in white but the pant can be ordered in khaki as well. All kinds of bangs and whistles including a full lining are offered and inclusive of the $275. Bruce gave it a 90 and called it, "well made and clean, trad silhouette, nice fabric" while Robert thought it deserved a 95, "fancy maker, twill fabric, dress make, tab waist, high rise, cotton drill." Both men awarded it winner of the "Best Dress Chino" category.

It's a damned nice pant and it has me wondering. Last winter I broke out a suit maybe five times. Instead, I reached for a Shetland sweater and wool dress pant over and over and never was I under dressed. A dressier chino pant with a decent shirt, an interesting belt and serious alligator loafers could take the Casual Friday uniform of, Dockers, golf shirt and Kiltie loafers, to a whole new level.

$275 is a lot of money for a chino. But what have you spent $275 on and had nothing to show for? A round of golf? Dinner? A bottle of Champagne? A long night on Hay Street in '77? Think of this chino as a chilled Antinori chardonnay from Umbria- rich and elegant but understated and cool as you stroll up Lex crossing 62nd on a very hot August afternoon. Suitless and tieless but well turned out and turned up.

Chino Tasting Scores - Part 3 of 3

For identification purposes trousers were numbered 1 to 13. The scores and comments for #10 thru #13 follow below. #6 thru #9 run Thursday and #1 thru #5 follow Friday.



#10 Score- 67.5 LL Bean Sportsman $59
REB 70 - "Cotton casual, not adjustable, khaki twill, wide leg, button fly, low rise"
GBB 65- "Not good fabric, ok make, casual styling, low rise & wide leg"



#11 Score - 90 LINCS Selvage Khaki (a ringer and impossible to find )
REB 95- "rear flap, soft, casual, tape seam, exceptional pant"
GBB 85- "nice fabric, interesting styling, low rise, good navy color"




#12 Bills Khakis Bullard Field Pant $165
REB 97- "washed fabric, heavy trad, high rise, authentic khaki"
GBB 98- "best fabric + color, standard styling, well made, most authentic"



#13 French M47 Khaki (a ringer but available) $20-$50 on eBay
REB 97- "rare high rise, button fly, rear flaps, original, wide legs, wide loops, beautiful"
GBB 85- "interesting fabric + color, very detailed, high rise and wide leg; casual"

Blind Chino Tasting: Most Traditional

A Blind Khaki Tasting

The contestants

Bryan notes Most Traditional

Boyer inspects Most Traditional

Seven companies provided 13 pair of trousers to The Trad for a "Blind" tasting judged by men's style writers, G. Bruce Boyer and Robert E. Bryan. LL Bean, Bills Khakis, Brooks Brothers, the French Foreign Legion, J Press, Lincs and Martin Greenfield all put up entries with the requirement they be all cotton and plain front.

Due to the size of the venue, Le Veau d'Or, the inspection was limited to a tasting. That is, a close inspection of the pant with a focus on the fabric, manufacture, hand, details, and authenticity. A 1-100 point scale was used for five categories: Most Traditional, Most Original, Best Dress Chino, Best Khaki and Best Overall.

Winner for Most Traditional is the Bullard Field Pant by Bills Khakis. A whopping 10.2 ounce twill, authentic yet simple design and details that remind me of khakis issued at Ft Jackson; seam on seam pockets - high rise - wide belt loops. I can't wait to see what these look like with heavy starch.

Robert Bryan gave the Bullard a 97 commenting, " washed fabric, heavy trad, high rise, authentic khaki." G. Bruce Boyer gave the Bullard a 98 and noted, " best fabric + color, standard styling; well made; most authentic." No tags were left on the pant to give away it's maker or origins and so the Bullard won on its own merits (and weight) with the consensus afterwards that while some entrants tried, "too hard for authenticity" the Bullard kept it simple and pure.

I'd say the Pennsylvania terroir contributes to a beautiful hand feel while the twill shows nice legs. This is a huge khaki that reminds me of Silver Oak's Napa Valley release. It comes on big and the finish lasts forever. No need to decant. Pairs well with a rib eye at Peter Luger. At $165, this is a special occasion khaki but unlike $100 Silver Oak, you can open the Bullard more than once.

And even though Nordstroms (and probably the French) will tell you not to cuff plain front khakis - - I say cuff these babies big time. An inch and a half is perfect.