I actually thought that Penney's had basically replaced St. John's Bay with the new American Living brand so I'm surprised that you can even find anything. Even if they haven't been replaced as a brand, it seems that when I've been in the stores recently, that American Living is where they are putting their resources these days. That's likely what's happened to the quality.

 

I'll probably be laughed off the forum for asking this, but here it goes anyway... A few years ago, my wife gave me two pair of chinos from Penny's; they were one of their store brands, St. John's Bay. They have held up remarkably well, fit great, and look nice - the best part is that my wife claims she paid less than $20 per pair.

No, no, we loved those and you couldn't beat them when on sale for $20 or less. They discontinued the version you have and came out w/ another style which doesn't hold a candle to the original. Hold on to the ones you have!

Brian

 

I actually thought that Penney's had basically replaced St. John's Bay with the new American Living brand so I'm surprised that you can even find anything. Even if they haven't been replaced as a brand, it seems that when I've been in the stores recently, that American Living is where they are putting their resources these days. That's likely what's happened to the quality.

My "B-level" Penny's doesn't even carry American Living - they claim that it's reserved for the A-level stores. We get St. John's Bay and Stafford for store brands, which is disappointing because I hear American Living is actually decent value if you can get it on sale or clearance.

 

No, no, we loved those and you couldn't beat them when on sale for $20 or less. They discontinued the version you have and came out w/ another style which doesn't hold a candle to the original. Hold on to the ones you have!

Brian

That's disappointing; the reason I went to replace them is that my current pairs are starting to fray just a bit around the pant cuffs.

Obviously fit is fairly individual, and I have a decent sized waist (36 inch), which makes it hard to find pants that aren't super baggy in the leg and rear. These had fit the bill perfectly - can anyone recommend some other brands? When it comes to khakis, I have a hard time spending more than $30 or so per pair, because I tend to be pretty hard on them. How are the Land's End flat-front chinos?

 

I've been getting most of my khakis now from LE, price is decent and they hem/cuff to spec. They have some of the washed chinos in their overstock section for $16.99, give them a try.

Brian

 

Everyone at JCPenny's is clueless.

 

I have pair of St. John's Bay cords, really heavy weight and thick, that I bought about 6 years ago from JCP. A steal for about $30. Nowhere to be found now . .

 

Take them to a HK MTM shop to replicate; they'll try as hard as they can.