My most comfortable pair of pants are 20-year-old J.Crew chinos. After what must be thousands of washes by now, they’re soft, relaxed and lived-in. I really mean that.
I wore those pants practically every day through high school, college and much of my twenties. Then, a few years back, I made the sad but safe call to retire them to weekend duty, afraid they might disintegrate on me if I kept up the pace.
They’re just too special … and not for strictly sentimental reasons.
Going for broke
You see, those chinos were made with J.Crew’s so-called “Broken-in” cotton twill and fashioned into a straight-leg that shoots right down the middle. I don’t know the exact weight of the fabric but they feel thick without being heavy. A tag inside confirms the cut: 770.
To be clear, J.Crew still sells 770 chinos and I’ve bought a few newer pairs in recent years, tempted by holiday markdowns and a wide range of colors. I’ve also dabbled in pants from half a dozen other brands.
Nothing quite hits like that old pair J.Crews, least of all the new 770s. Made with part elastane, they lose their shape in-between washes, so they mostly just sit in my closet collecting dust.
