# Creased versus non-creased chinos - again...



## Oldsport (Jan 3, 2012)

So, I have this weird OCD thing going with chinos and when and when not I will wear creases. For some odd reason I can't explain, when I go total casual with chinos, I 'think' I can't possibly wear a creased pair. It just doesn't seem somehow right to me. However, if I could get over this, it would save me a lot of aggravation. For example, I would wear only my LL Bean Double L chinos; every. Thoughts, other than counseling


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## Charles Dana (Nov 20, 2006)

Oldsport said:


> However, if I could get over this, it would save me a lot of aggravation. For example, I would wear only my LL Bean Double L chinos; every. Thoughts, other than counseling


Your words imply that for you, relying on more than one brand of chinos is a cause of anxiety, and that zeroing in on just one brand would solve your problem.

A suggestion: Embrace variety-don't be afraid to have two or three different brands of chinos in your wardrobe.

I wear chinos from LL Bean, Brooks Brothers, Bill's, Ralph Lauren, and O'Connell's. Not at the same time, mind you-in rotation. And I view them as nothing more and nothing less than the utilitarian workhorses that they are. They are no big deal. Life is too short to worry about them. Simple cotton trousers-that's all they are.

The variety available to me makes me feel good, not bad.

Wear the LL Beans when, in your view, creases would look more appropriate than no creases. At other times, reach into your closet and grab some other brand-a must-iron brand that doesn't hold a crease very well-for when a more casual look is called for.

Stick to two brands if the thought of having more than two is daunting. Just two.

Then use them, enjoy them, and get new ones when they wear out. And don't take them seriously-they're only cotton pants.


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## SG_67 (Mar 22, 2014)

Oldsport said:


> So, I have this weird OCD thing going with chinos and when and when not I will wear creases.


Were it me, it would weigh on me all day. Every thought would be overridden by the fact that my chinos had creases. My sympathetic nervous system would be overactive, my pupils dilated and a nervous sweat would develop!



As a general rule, when I'm wearing chinos, I tend to go without creases. If I'm wearing cotton gabardine slacks, I tend to prefer them creased.


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## eagle2250 (Mar 24, 2006)

You really are over thinking this. In reality, others do not examine us as closely as we may think that they do. Dress for yourself and perhaps your significant other...beyond that, it really doesn't matter! Just "wear your preferred LL Bean Double L Chinos every day" and be happy! Enjoy your wardrobe...don't stress over it.


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## Patrick06790 (Apr 10, 2005)

Wear them fishing and then see where you are


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## Hebrew Barrister (Oct 1, 2017)

They're chinos. Their casual nature means that "rules" apply less. It really doesn't matter worth a damn whether or not they're creased.


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## Shaver (May 2, 2012)

Iron creases into your chinos you scruffy herberts!


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## Fading Fast (Aug 22, 2012)

Running errands in rumpled cotton chinos whose details bespeak casualness (the stitching, the pocket style, the waistband the zipper) with boat shoes or chukkas are, IMHO, best without a crease (very on-your-way-to-class Ivy campus cool); whereas, a more refined chino (i.e., more dress-pants like) under a blazer with pennies going out for cocktails calls out for a crease.

Hence, it's both about the style of the chino itself and the environment they'll be in that drive the crease / no crease decision for me.


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## The Swamp Fox (Oct 11, 2014)

Fading Fast said:


> Running errands in rumpled cotton chinos whose details bespeak casualness (the stitching, the pocket style, the waistband the zipper) with boat shoes or chukkas are, IMHO, best without a crease (very on-your-way-to-class Ivy campus cool); whereas, a more refined chino (i.e., more dress-pants like) under a blazer with pennies going out for cocktails calls out for a crease.
> 
> Hence, it's both about the style of the chino itself and the environment they'll be in that drive the crease / no crease decision for me.


^^this is more or less how I bifurcate as well. That said, you will still look better than most if wearing uncreased chinos with loafers and a blazer while out for a drink. I put thought into it and almost always do as Fading Fast outlined, but it's not a deal breaker if I find myself in a situation where I need to break from this general guidance (e.g., traveling light and the ideal combination not packed/available).


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## Fading Fast (Aug 22, 2012)

The Swamp Fox said:


> ^^this is more or less how I bifurcate as well. That said, you will still look better than most if wearing uncreased chinos with loafers and a blazer while out for a drink. I put thought into it and almost always do as Fading Fast outlined, but it's not a deal breaker if I find myself in a situation where I need to break from this general guidance (e.g., traveling light and the ideal combination not packed/available).


Agree completely - sometimes it is what it is and uncreased chinos show up under my blazer and, as you note, you still look better dressed than the majority of guys in jeans and an untucked shirt.


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## xcubbies (Jul 31, 2005)

When you write 'creases' do you actually mean wrinkles?


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## fishertw (Jan 27, 2006)

I don't own an iron. All my khaki pants are from Bills and Orvis and are 100 cotton. All wrinkle. If I want dress pants, I wear wool. Simple.


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## Andy (Aug 25, 2002)

All trousers, except jeans, should be creased!


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## Fading Fast (Aug 22, 2012)

xcubbies said:


> When you write 'creases' do you actually mean wrinkles?


I could be out of synch with everyone else on this thread, but the two are different in my mind.

A crease refers to the "hard line" that runs up and down the front of a pair of pants - it's suppose to be there in dress pants and their ilk but not in jeans.

For chinos, some have creases and some don't. IMHO, the ones with creases also tend to have more dress pant details (finish, stitching, pocket orientation, texture) and the ones that don't tend to have an overall more casual look and feel (all those aforementioned details are more casual).

Wrinkles are unintentional and (usually) unwanted random creases that appear all over the pants based on wear (sitting, etc.) and not ironing.


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## Cawood (Aug 28, 2017)

Andy said:


> All trousers, except jeans, should be creased!


The man has spoken! Case closed...!


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## eagle2250 (Mar 24, 2006)

^^Oh no!
The wife has an aggravating habit of ironing a crease into the legs of even my Levi 501's...makes me look like a geek!


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## Fading Fast (Aug 22, 2012)

eagle2250 said:


> ^^Oh no!
> The wife has an aggravating habit of ironing a crease into the legs of even my Levi 501's...makes me look like a geek!


Success in a relationship requires a lot of just go-along-get-along, but you have to draw the line somewhere and creasing a jean is definitely one place demanding a sit-down discussion.

I only see creased jeans in NYC on wealthy 70+ year old men and women who clearly get all their clothes cleaned by a service and haven't a clue how to wear jeans. You are much better than that my friend - talk to the wife (nicely).


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## August West (Aug 1, 2013)

When I was a kid, my Mom could actually somehow manage to fold a center crease into a pair of jeans, without an iron. It wasn't the sharpest crease you've ever seen obviously, but it was there and it drove me nuts.


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## eagle2250 (Mar 24, 2006)

Fading Fast said:


> Success in a relationship requires a lot of just go-along-get-along, but you have to draw the line somewhere and creasing a jean is definitely one place demanding a sit-down discussion.
> 
> I only see creased jeans in NYC on wealthy 70+ year old men and women who clearly get all their clothes cleaned by a service and haven't a clue how to wear jeans. You are much better than that my friend - talk to the wife (nicely).


Your words strike me as good, sound advice and I will heed them. ou Sir, are a wise man! on so many fronts. Thanks for the guidance.


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## mkrgk (Aug 16, 2010)

Andy said:


> All trousers, except jeans, should be creased!


Words to live by...


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## fishertw (Jan 27, 2006)

eagle2250 said:


> ^^Oh no!
> The wife has an aggravating habit of ironing a crease into the legs of even my Levi 501's...makes me look like a geek!


To quote an old Jimmy Buffett song " Ive got my Tony Lamas on and my jeans pressed right......"


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