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Machine-washable dress pants?

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radix023

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Discussion starter · #1 ·
So I'm reviewing my wardrobe, working on upgrades (the famous AAAC effect). I've noticed that casual pants: corduroy, linen, cotton can be machine-washed and thus cleaned at home. Dress pants seem to all be wool and require dry-cleaning. I'm aware of the dryer-dry-cleaning products, but what I'm really looking for is dress pants that can be machine washed (albeit cold, gentle and woolite).

Is there such an animal as machine-washable dress pants?

Thanks in Advance
 
#3 ·
I have a couple pair of the Bank Traveler trousers and they seem to work well. There are other (mostly Department store brands) washable wool, silk, etc trousers.

Washable dress trousers seem to be getting more available.

If you order the Jos.A. Bank trousers (or anything else) please be sure to go to them through this banner:

On this page:

Ask Andy Selected Merchants - Menswear, Shoes, Grooming
 
#5 ·
Do yourself a favor and don't get any items that are made from "washable" wool. The wool is treated with chemicals that make the fabric feel cheap and last less. Dress pants, are that, dress pants. You should accord your dress clothing the the respect is deserves. You don't need to dry clean wool as often as most people do. You should be able to wear your dress pants quite a few times without needing to have them cleaned. Also, $110 for JOS A BANK pants is not a deal. Even at the buy 1 get 1 free, you are paying $55 for a product which is not that much removed from what you can find at Mens Wearhouse. For $25-45 more a pair, step up to a quality maker using good fabrics that will last you as long as you need them.
 
#6 · (Edited)
Has the technology improved at all since the last posting on this subject?

I tend to agree with emorel98 on this. I have looked at several department-store "washable wool" offerings recently, and I was not impressed with the look of any of them. Frankly, they looked cheap. I didn't like the feel of most of them either. In any case they tended to be "wool blends" with more than 50% synthetic fibers, so it wasn't surprising that they were more like polyester than wool.

But, Andy, I admit that I haven't seen the JAB version in person.

I haven't seen the version that L. L. Bean is advertising either:



Notice the generally positive reviews, but notice that there are quite a few complaints about how the trousers behave with washing.

So is there any good news out there?
 
#7 ·
The JoS. A. Bank Traveler Washable Wool is the same quality gabardine used in the Executive collection. It is not the low quality you will find at Men's Wearhouse or other department stores. The Traveler line is a patented process that a lot of brands have tried to replicate and can't. It's exclusive to JoS. A. Bank and are some of the best offerings at that price point.
 
#8 ·
....and then there is always the brushing and steaming option for maintaining dress trousers that are not advertised as being machine washable and thereby, extending the number of wearings possible between dry cleanings. Over the past several months, I have been experimenting with a new washer/dryer, featuring a steam cleaning option. Three different pairs of my wool (non-launder-able/must be dry cleaned) trousers have been subjected to the steam process two to three times...and have yet to show any ill effects. Have also tried it with a couple of sweaters and again, they came out looking pretty good. ;)
 
#9 · (Edited)
There is no such thing as washable and also dress pants, unless you want to wash and press them after each wearing. Wool lasts a while between cleanings. When I travel for extended week after week gigs, I send two pair of wool pants to the cleaners each weekend. Travel accelerates the "grundge" process unfortunatly, Without travel, the same two pair would last 2 weeks of steady wear. That is the best you can get with out looking either ratty or wearing pants with the creepy crawlies from too much sweat, etc. (I am talking 2 pairs of the same pants for two weeks here, not a normal non-travel closet rotation.) Decent pants can take many trips to the cleaners, but you can't wear them while they are at the cleaners so one needs multiple pairs.
 
#10 ·
My experience is mixed. I've tried several brands, and my recent purchase of Geoffrey Beene is the most satisfactory in terms of the hand of the fabric.

All of these launder well. They don't seem to shrink. The crease quickly gets soft and after a few washings it starts to look like a pair of stove pipes. At that point I just send them to the dry cleaners.

In my opinion 100% cotton chinos with no crease looks better than dress pants with no crease.
 
#11 ·
I went on a quest last year to find some dress trousers that didn't wrinkle. I found a couple that wrinkle just a little, but nothing that did not wrinkle at all.

Most of these were wool blends or synthetics. The other problem was that many of the synthetics were "shiny"! There were two brands I liked that wrinkled least, were not shiny and were washable:

Perry Ellis and Alan Flusser trousers. The Jos. A Bank travelers and some other of their models wrinkle a little more, but not as much as 100% wool.
 
#12 ·
I have a pair of the JABs Traveler in black washable wool and have no complaints. For a pair of pants off the rack, the fit is decent and they have held up well through several washings. As for the quality, it is on par with the Executive line from which I own several suits. Do not pay $125 though, wait for the sales!
 
#15 ·
coachp said:
I have a pair of the JABs Traveler in black washable wool and have no complaints. For a pair of pants off the rack, the fit is decent and they have held up well through several washings. As for the quality, it is on par with the Executive line from which I own several suits. Do not pay $125 though, wait for the sales!
Click to expand...
Iwouldn't normally respond to an 8 year old dead thread, but if the respondent was being serious, that's got to be one of the funniest lines I've ever read.
 
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