J.Crew is on a roll. An overhaul spearheaded by Brendon Babenzien has ushered in a new era for the brand, one that feels simultaneously nostalgic and fresh. Its most recent fall collection was jam-packed with ‘70s-inflected outerwear, cozy knit polos, and alpine-ready boots, but out of all the dialed-in designs, only one emerged as an immediate hit: the aptly-named Giant-fit chinos. At first glance, an enormous pair of pants seems like an improbable success story for a brand that was criticized not too long ago for its overly fashion-y aspirations, but on closer investigation, the signs were there all along.
The Giant-fit chinos’ epic proportions hearken back to the roomy silhouettes of J.Crew’s pre-internet era (the brand used to be catalog-only, for god’s sake), which themselves recalled vintage work pants of the mid-century. When they debuted a few months ago, the reaction wasn’t just positive, it was *jubilant—*so much so that the brand pivoted to pre-orders to handle the demand before selling through its inventory completely. So if you missed out the first time around, join the club…and then make your way to the J.Crew site ASAP: as of this week, the Giant-fit chino family just welcomed a duo of new colors to the clan. (Congrats, y’all!)
This time around, the literally massive hit is available in a military-inspired shade of olive and classic navy blue, bringing the Giant-fit family to a total of five. With a pair of leather derbies and a crisp Oxford shirt they’ll hold their own in more buttoned-up settings, but can easily slip into off-duty mode mixed and matched with a vintage hoodie and trashed canvas kicks. (If you’re feeling a bit more adventurous, you could opt for the preppy-as-hell embroidered joints instead.) Aside from a trusty pair of jeans, you’d be hard-pressed to find pants more versatile—and at just $90, to boot.
The Giant-fit chino isn’t just a sharp shift away from the brand’s Ludlow-suited heyday: it’s a larger nail in the coffin for slim-fit pants in general. (The other proverbial nail? J.Crew’s new, decidedly chill Kenmare suit). The whole brouhaha is a lot to wrap your head around, we know, but of this we’re certain: expect it to keep selling briskly—in every damn color the brand drops—as the Crewnaissance continues apace. Now is the time to get yourself a big ol’ pair of pants, after all, and they don’t get much bigger than this.
Gerald Ortiz
Source link
