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Non-formal, rugged pants to wear with suspenders

1.2K views 13 replies 8 participants last post by  Trillium  
#1 ·
Hi everyone,

I asked a similar question here a while ago and got good responses, so I wanted to ask again.

I am comfortable with my style and most of my clothes, but pants have always been a huge issue for me. I am relatively slim, but my weight does fluctuate a bit. I am 5'8" and 155 pounds at the moment. I dress in a style that is "formal" for the present day, but I think it is basically the "casual" style of decades past. A polo or buttondown shirt, usually with buttondown collar, a sweater, and usually a chore coat in cotton, wool, or heavy denim depending on the weather. I wear some kind of more casual leather shoes (slip on mules, chukka-boot style, etc), but never sneakers unless exercising. My style is laid back and cozy looking, and I never wear a suit or tie in ordinary life.

My issue is that I am fairly active. I go hiking, dog training, do small amounts of exercise during my work day (nothing heavy, but jump rope or a few reps here and there to help with my energy). I need pants that are comfortable and rugged -- when I go hiking, I will sit down in the grass, lay down, etc etc.

I have never found pants with a high enough rise for me. I want pants that are just under the belly button -- very high rise. I find it so much more comfortable. Ideally with pleats, and with connections for suspenders, which seems more comfortable to me and I'd like to try. I wear a 31x29 or 31x30 in most pants, somewhere around there, although I would measure. I also run very cold, so pants that are thicker fabric work well for me in most climates.

Does anyone have any recommendations that are not extremely expensive? I am willing to pay for quality, but anything 200+ becomes inaccessible for me.

Any insights here help -- clothing has always been an issue for me, and pants are the "final frontier".

Thanks!!
 
#2 ·
Hi everyone,

I asked a similar question here a while ago and got good responses, so I wanted to ask again.

I am comfortable with my style and most of my clothes, but pants have always been a huge issue for me. I am relatively slim, but my weight does fluctuate a bit. I am 5'8" and 155 pounds at the moment. I dress in a style that is "formal" for the present day, but I think it is basically the "casual" style of decades past. A polo or buttondown shirt, usually with buttondown collar, a sweater, and usually a chore coat in cotton, wool, or heavy denim depending on the weather. I wear some kind of more casual leather shoes (slip on mules, chukka-boot style, etc), but never sneakers unless exercising. My style is laid back and cozy looking, and I never wear a suit or tie in ordinary life.

My issue is that I am fairly active. I go hiking, dog training, do small amounts of exercise during my work day (nothing heavy, but jump rope or a few reps here and there to help with my energy). I need pants that are comfortable and rugged -- when I go hiking, I will sit down in the grass, lay down, etc etc.

I have never found pants with a high enough rise for me. I want pants that are just under the belly button -- very high rise. I find it so much more comfortable. Ideally with pleats, and with connections for suspenders, which seems more comfortable to me and I'd like to try. I wear a 31x29 or 31x30 in most pants, somewhere around there, although I would measure. I also run very cold, so pants that are thicker fabric work well for me in most climates.

Does anyone have any recommendations that are not extremely expensive? I am willing to pay for quality, but anything 200+ becomes inaccessible for me.

Any insights here help -- clothing has always been an issue for me, and pants are the "final frontier".

Thanks!!
Crameron twills from All American khakis. @fishertw turned me on to them, and I am forever indebted.
 
#6 ·
I'm wearing O'Connell's khakis as I write this. The traditional fit, high rise, suspenders buttons, and pleats all fit what you're looking for. They're a pretty thick cotton twill but I consider them to be casual dress pants, not a rugged work pant like denim or canvas. I wouldn't subject them to the elements. If I wanted a really robust high rise canvas pant, I'd consider doing a Gurkha trouser from somewhere like Luxire. Or if these were strictly for workwear purposes, consider just wearing overalls.
 
#7 ·
I actually bought a pair of O'Connell's khaki's and suspenders after writing this post. Casual dress is okay for me -- I am not going to be working in them, so I don't need rugged canvas or anything. But I just don't want "formal" dress pants -- they don't need to be dedicated work wear. I hope these end up working for me, and I think they will for 90% of what I do. Regarding the elements -- I sometimes walk in the rain, and I sometimes sit in the grass and things like that, but it's not that common. I assume that is light enough for almost any pants to handle. If I was working in the mud or something, I would just wear some beater jeans.