Wintercheck Factory Virginia Shorts

climb out of your canvas tent in these! image from Wintercheck Factory

Meet the Virginia Short: a more modest, tougher second cousin of the American Apparel Mineral Wash Runner Short. It's generally pretty difficult to look sexy in long shorts, but at least you can look cool in these. Made from premium dyed cotton twill from Japan. The "Dirty Dewalt Yellow" dye is spot-on. This relatively new socially conscious brand has some neat designs inspired by their Brooklyn flea market finds. Wintercheck Factory gets the Boytoms stamp of approval.

Made in: Brooklyn, USA

Handmade? No

$62

Gramicci Original G Pant

eat that, j crew! image from Gramicci

Ever seen I first laid eyes on these climbing pants at the local REI during my previous camping gear and outerwear craze, I haven't been able to forget about them. They feature an iconic 80's style with the tapered legs, bunched waistband + built-in nylon belt, and no-nonsense cotton fabric that wears impeccably, similar to a loved leather jacket. The cut particularly mirrors the current trend of not too slim, not too baggy, updated classic cut in mens casual pants, but it's mere coincidence. They still look stylin' even 20+ years after they were introduced and gained a cult status. Showcased here is the discontinued Original G Reverse Leg Pant. Apparently the quality of the brand has gone down significantly, as evidenced by reviewers older and wiser than I. It's an oft heard story of dissatisfied customers due to most clothing companies moving manufacturing overseas. Aside from principle, it only slightly bothers me as I do not climb mountains and boulders. I could easily see these in paired with vintage wafflestompers and a nice plaid shirt. Men, pull on pair of these and watch me swoon!

More Gramicci finds from Sierra Trading Post: Cuffed leg openings. Mountain jeans.

Made in: Asia somewhere

Handmade? No

$24.99 (in XXL only)

J. Crew Chinos for Women

Lately, J. Crew's womens clothing has stopped sucking so bad and consists of more than sparkly trinkets, wool blend cardigans, printed long t-shirts, and hackneyed khaki crap. I applaud them for actually trying to stay ahead of the curve and taking a needed cue from menswear. So much so that I decided to enter their store again, on the hunt for the relaxed Broken-in Boyfriend Chino. (After 5 months of sweltering heat and nonstop short-donning, when it dropped down to the high 70's last week, I dug out a pair of skinny jeans and pulled them on. Not only did I rip a belt loop trying to stuff my legs in, I spent the rest of the day feeling very suffocated. Are skinny jeans the corset of the 2000s? I need pants that let me move, please.) I did not find them, but spotted a deliciously rust+mustard wash of the Waverly Chino. It was the deep color that attracted my attention (listed as OTR on the tag- any idea?), a color not unlike some of the darker offerings of American Eagle and A&F baggy khaki shorts circa 2000. They were a wardrobe staple of the popular "preppies" through all of high school- remember? It was bold, not the usual tempered down khaki, nearly ecru, tint of women's khakis. The straight leg cut gave no hint of being a feminine cut, and with rolled up legs, it was the perfect item for the Americana-loving girl looking for bottoms. J. Crew calls it their "skinniest chino ever," yet it is nearly the opposite of the skinny jean, and could easily be construed as androgynous if not worn with the recommended heel and fitted top. Be like the boys; go with some Clarks Originals.

Made in: Some impoverished country

Handmade? No

$69.50

Flannel-lined pants

why aren't these available year-round? image from omiru

The first version I ever saw of these was in 8th grade or so, in an L.L. Bean catalog, the jeans. (We got sent these to our house for years after I succumbed to a humongous monogrammed backpack of theirs to replace my leather-bottomed Jansport.) They didn't look glamorous back then, and they certainly haven't aged well since then. The women's, especially, scream "mom" and "frumptastic." Though Texas will probably only put out 2-3 days chilly enough to warrant these pants, I still demand that a proper and modern kind of flannel-lined pants for women be made. I read somewhere that J. Crew offers these as chinos for men each winter- they look nice don't they? The women's looks a bit more Gap-py, with oddly summery color choices. J. Crew, now that you have boy plaid shirts for women, please make a pair of these with an appropriately dark pant fabric and a classic plaid lining.