I wrote this post about creasing chinos and I thought that you guys might enjoy it.
I used to never crease my chinos. It seemed too fussy. Not that it looked overly fussy, but rather that it said to others that I spend an excessive amount of time thinking about and prepping clothing which is exactly the opposite reason that I am attracted to a classic American style. However, in pursuit of the perfect pair of chinos I began experimenting with the crease…and liked it.
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Far and away the biggest reason that I liked the crease is the tapered silhouette that it creates. This makes perfect sense when I started to think about it. Ironing pants without a crease actually increases the amount of chino visible from the front presenting the viewer with the widest possible leg. By ironing a crease down the middle of the pants the amount of visible chino is reduced and instead of a flattened chino the viewer is presented with the edge of a diamond shape. The trade-off is that profile of a creased chino is wider which is more than a fair exchange in my book.
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For comparison, here is a picture of the same pair of chinos featured above, but without a crease.
There is another reason that I am growing fond of the crease and that reason is formality. A crisp pair of chinos ironed with a knife blade crease is better suited for a blazer than those without. The crease takes the chinos from casual to business casual (see blazer picture above). This can be a double-edged sword as it can make a casual rig look off. When wearing a pair of chinos on the weekend I would avoid a knife blade crease (or any crease).
I now tend to crease more chinos than not. It helps to create the tapered silhouette that I have been in search of without having to go through round after round of alteration. It also communicates a more professional image especially when worn with a blazer or sport coat. I am still learning when to crease and when not to crease, but the biggest lesson that I learned is that I need to be flexible and not live by absolutes.
I used to never crease my chinos. It seemed too fussy. Not that it looked overly fussy, but rather that it said to others that I spend an excessive amount of time thinking about and prepping clothing which is exactly the opposite reason that I am attracted to a classic American style. However, in pursuit of the perfect pair of chinos I began experimenting with the crease…and liked it.
Far and away the biggest reason that I liked the crease is the tapered silhouette that it creates. This makes perfect sense when I started to think about it. Ironing pants without a crease actually increases the amount of chino visible from the front presenting the viewer with the widest possible leg. By ironing a crease down the middle of the pants the amount of visible chino is reduced and instead of a flattened chino the viewer is presented with the edge of a diamond shape. The trade-off is that profile of a creased chino is wider which is more than a fair exchange in my book.
For comparison, here is a picture of the same pair of chinos featured above, but without a crease.
There is another reason that I am growing fond of the crease and that reason is formality. A crisp pair of chinos ironed with a knife blade crease is better suited for a blazer than those without. The crease takes the chinos from casual to business casual (see blazer picture above). This can be a double-edged sword as it can make a casual rig look off. When wearing a pair of chinos on the weekend I would avoid a knife blade crease (or any crease).
I now tend to crease more chinos than not. It helps to create the tapered silhouette that I have been in search of without having to go through round after round of alteration. It also communicates a more professional image especially when worn with a blazer or sport coat. I am still learning when to crease and when not to crease, but the biggest lesson that I learned is that I need to be flexible and not live by absolutes.
