Random Observations #001
Tried some pants, bought some pants, and chit-chatted about skateboarding.
There are so many things I wish I could write about one day. In this new series, I attempt to put together my random thoughts and observations on clothing and related subjects in a shorter, more approachable format. This is one way for me to capture thoughts before they sink into oblivion. If you find any of the subjects helpful, do not hesitate to share your feedback in the comments below the article — I’d be happy to expand.
In the inaugural episode of Random Observations, I try some pants, buy some pants, compare skate tricks to pants, recommend an article exploring why skaters look so fly, and share a few mystery links to the recent drops that I liked.
Let’s go!
Needles H.D. Pants
I must have been eyeing the Needles H.D. Pants for years now. While olive fatigues might be a good introduction to the looser silhouettes, I’m not after the big pants trend per se. The reason is trivial: I’m 190 cm (6’3) tall and most pants look slim on me. Brands say they prewash their trousers and sanforize their denims but all of my pants eventually become too slim for my taste. Getting older probably doesn’t help either.
So I thought about going extreme almost out of despair. The H.D. Pants look gigantic in pictures. Still, I assumed my height would compensate for the width. How naive I was. These are on another level of looseness. It’s like putting each of your legs into its own personal balloon. The H.D. Pants literally make you look fly.
The reason why I ended up not purchasing the pants is not their looseness though. Yes, they happened to be much wider than I expected but I still think you can easily pull them off by both dressing up or down. Unfortunately, the inseam was too short for me. I might be able to wear them low on the waist but that’s not what I am looking for. So I’m glad I haven’t ordered the pants online.
One cool thing I noticed while trying on the H.D. Pants is their drawcord system accompanied by separate adjusters at each end. Do you know the weird crinkles you get when adjusting a waist that’s too wide with a belt? These separate adjusters take care of those crinkles naturally, like they are supposed to be there. It’s definitely a feature I will be looking for in every drawstring pant from now on or even installing such adjusters myself.
Goldwin Fine Wale Corduroy Pants
Because I rarely see a pair of trousers that doesn’t look slim on me, it’s hard to pass up when I find one. This time, I was lucky enough to visit the Goldwin Munich store. I knew I would walk away in the Fine Wale Corduroy Pants the moment I tried them on. With a darted front, the pants are loose in the thigh but taper down elegantly towards the leg opening.
This happens to me all the time: when shopping offline, I always end up buying pieces I wouldn’t even notice online. For example, I had never thought about grey pants before (and I obviously think a lot about pants in general). Only by trying on these, I discovered how versatile the color is. I will experiment with the pants more, but for now, here is one fit pic from my IG:
I was sold on the trousers right away but they happened to be full of surprises, including a pocket system unlike I have ever seen on pants before and a synthetic fabric that’s indistinguishable from a natural one (spoiler: like with my Grey Herringbone Sport Coat, I’m not particularly happy about it). I would love to write a proper review on the pants one day, so please let me know the things I should cover.
Oh, and shoutout to the Goldwin Munich store manager for showing me around and even providing a 15% discount on the first purchase!
Small ask: If you find this article exciting or helpful, I’d be incredibly grateful if you helped others discover it. Sharing/restacking or just hitting ❤️ are all a huge help. Thank you!
Miles Silvas Switch 360 Flip
Remember I wrote an article on the style of Vincent Touzery in Supreme’s «Blessed» skate video a few weeks back? His part begins with an attempt of a 360 flip over a huge road gap (shame on me but I don’t remember if he landed it). Five years later Miles Silvas 360-flipped the same gap in switch (at 05:55).
To give an idea of how bad is this, imagine pulling off go-to-hell pants in a particularly wrong neighborhood. Now, imagine pulling off the same pants and wearing them inside out. That’s how outrageously cool Miles Silvas’ Switch 360 flip is.
Oh, and if you don’t skate, this article does an excellent job of explaining why you should care:
While we are on the topic of skateboarding, I’d like to share a video part I filmed this past summer. I haven’t been skating in years, and the back pain is real haha.
Mystery Links
1, 2, 3 (these are sold out, but here is a strong argument for a general release), 4, 5.
That’s all for the first issue of Random Observations! Let me know how you feel about the format and what you would like me to cover next time.