Note: this item was provided for review.
Finding good chinos, something well made with excellent materials, proves a lot harder than you might think. Especially if you want to keep the cost of the item under control. So I was quite excited when Warren reached out to send me a pair of their Pomfret Country Chinos in the Sanded Olive Canvas. Olive chinos are among the most versatile color options you can select, in case you weren’t aware, and I was unhappy with my current stock of olive chinos.
The moment I opened the package, I knew these were going to be hard not to love. And the more I wear these, the more I realize that I have only been wearing these chinos. They are fantastic.
Materials and Cut
I am going to fully quote the website for the build and materials on this, because the language is great, here it is:
- Back yoke for a utilitarian look and improved fit in the seat.
- Double besom welt pockets for a little class.
- Inconspicuous coin pocket tucked neatly beneath waistband.
- Antique brass four-hole buttons from the iconic Waterbury Button in Cheshire, Connecticut.
- Fabric from UK based supplier Brisbane Moss, Cut & sewn in Fall River, MA by New England Shirt Co.
The cut on these is a little unexpected. They have a solid mid-rise on them, which for someone who wears more heavily advertised pants (the ones that have stretch), these might feel like a high rise (they are not). They are just short of being a high rise, but they are higher than what I would say is standard, which is refreshing. The legs are trim with a strong taper. This is far from a straight cut. The thighs aren’t skinny by any means, but once you get to the leg opening they are quite trim.
The hand feel of the sanded canvas is exceptional. Buttery soft, and visually lovely. Despite the slimmer legs, I have no issue with the movement in the pants, nor do I have any issues with the back of my shirt coming untucked thanks to the rise.
The construction is fantastic. They are well made, and feel as though they will last years.
Wear & Style
Before I dive into this section more, I have a thought. All too often the actual best chinos follow a more traditional military chino layout, which means you get a wider leg to the pants. As I mentioned above, this is not standard with most mass-manufacturers of men’s chinos, which means that when the average guy takes advice and goes to buy the ‘nice’ chinos, they are left feeling off because the legs are wider. There are very few really good chinos which have a trimmer leg, and almost none which don’t have a low rise when the legs are trim. This makes zero sense to me, and apparently it made no sense to Warren as well.
The Pomfret have a cut where most men are going to put them on and have something which feels more expected and thus, stylistically, comfortable out of the box. Thus the average guy will toss these on and not be off put by the width of the pant legs, and only might question the rise — but this is a good rise so worry not.
Alright, with that out of the way, let’s talk about the design directive with these:
When designing this pant, our aim was to create something that felt both utilitarian and handsome. Made from an approachable, plush-yet-rugged sanded canvas fabric and constructed with a blend of modern workwear and vintage dress trouser inspired details, the Pomfret offers a casual but refined, lived-in look and feel from day one.
Wear them to get some work done, brush them off and head straight to that fancy function you’d rather not attend.
What a great description, and spot on as well. ‘Approachable’ is the right word here, and refined is an apt addition to it. These are vastly less lived in looking than other brands do, as there’s no fraying on these, just something that looks soft and broken-in from day one. Meaning they don’t look brand new, but they don’t also look like you’ll need new pants any time soon.
I’ve found these to be great looking, and very comfortable. I’ve driven a few hours while wearing these. Lounged around the house. Worked from home. Headed out on date nights, and spent all day at co-working venues wearing these. They’ve been comfortable through it all, and I never felt that the pants were binding my movement or comfort in any way. I find the waist band to be incredibly comfortable on these, and I am not completely sure why they are as good as they are.
There’s only two things about these which I think are worth noting as potential deal breakers for people. The first is the narrow leg opening. They drop fine over my Chelsea boots, but they will cause issue with some chunkier work boots and whether or not the pant cuff drops over those is going to be hit and miss. The second is the pockets, while they are nicely deep, they are oddly narrow. They don’t wrap around to the front of your thigh as much as expected. I can easily carry what I need in them, but it’s different enough that if someone told me “this drives me nuts” I wouldn’t argue the point. I’ve had no issue, and I do think the design keeps the front of the pants looking a lot cleaner overall.
Outside of that, these are fantastic to wear. They look sharp, and they are fantastically well made with excellent materials.
Overall
As you might have guessed, I am a big fan, and my first note about these was “I need more” and I still feel that way. I’d love to see a straighter cut in these, and if those were available I’d buy nothing else for chinos. As it is, these are a great compliment to the straighter legged chinos I have, and an equally good material to anything else I’ve worn or tried.
They look sharp, and the trimmer leg should let you easily wear these for anything the average American guy does these day. These are the chino’s I’ll recommend to guys looking to upgrade from their stretchy yoga pant chinos.
These should be your top choice for your next chino buy.