# Chino, Poplin, Twill: Which for summer trousers?



## Pr B (Jan 8, 2009)

It's time to buy trousers for "business casual" wear for this summer. 

In summers past, I wore year-'round wool trousers with polo shirts (it's as dressy as one can be in my environment; so, please, work with me!). They breath and are comfortable. 

Would cotton trousers be more comfortable? More appropriate with polo shirts?

What's the quick and dirty on the various cottons? E.g., chino, poplin, twill?

Isn't twill the heaviest, really not a hot, sticky summer cotton? And poplin is the lightest? With chino a light twill, but heavier than poplin?


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## CuffDaddy (Feb 26, 2009)

Twill is a weave, not a weight. The same is technically true, I think, of poplin. That said, cotton poplin is usually the lightest cotton fabric that a given manufacturer will turn into trousers. They will, however, wrinkle like the devil - it's basically the same stuff as shirting. I find I have to use starch to get a crease to stay in the front of polin pants, and even with a fairly generous fit and pleated front, they can get the radiating crotch wrinkle thing pretty easily - I suspect a slimmer fit and FF, if that's what you like, would have a groin-centered starburst in place before you got out your front door in the morning.

As far as the relative warmth/coolness of cotton versus wool, *if they are of comparable weight*, there's really not much difference. Indeed, it's easier to find more open weaves in wool, and I find that makes up for any extra warmth difference. That assumes, though, that you're talking about unlined wool pants. Lots of men choose to wear only _lined_ wool trousers, and the lining, more than the wool, will add a significant amount of warmth. Worse, it will kill breathability in humid weather.

So, regardless of the fiber being used, I'd rank them about like this, from coolest to warmest:

Lightweight open weave, unlined
Lightweight flat weave, unlined
Medium weight, unlined
Moderately heavy weight, unlined
Anything but heavy flannel, lined
Heavy flannel, lined
To summarize, focus on getting something unlined and with an open weave if you can find it. Don't fixate on the source of the fiber.


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## Peak and Pine (Sep 12, 2007)

That seems like a reasonable grading that Cuff's put together for you. Tropic weight wool works very well in summer, even in shirts. But for some reason, and this may just be me, I've never had a problem with my legs getting really hot, as in _boy, is it hot in here or is it just my legs?_. I also think that the phrase _groin-centered starburst_ is somewhat repellent, tho it does remind me of my favorite flavor of Little Debbie's.


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## The Rambler (Feb 18, 2010)

PrB, I find a thin, tropical weight wool to be the lightest, and best at holding a press and shedding wrinkles. Ultralight wool twills are wonderful, but hard to find. For wash pants I'm very fond of Bills' poplins, though as CD says, they wrinkle.


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## Penang Lawyer (May 27, 2008)

Tropical wool is good for dresing at work or an evening out. Poplin and linen are great for dress down but they do wrinkle. So iron them when you take them off.


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## CuffDaddy (Feb 26, 2009)

Peak and Pine said:


> I also think that the phrase _groin-centered starburst_ is somewhat repellent, tho it does remind me of my favorite flavor of Little Debbie's.


LOL. It *is* repellent, and intended as such. Because the phenomenon it describes is, to my senses, somewhat repellent. I've never understood the level of tolerance some men have for walking around with what amounts to a giant asterisk centered on their n*ts.


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## DoghouseReilly (Jul 25, 2010)

The Rambler said:


> Ultralight wool twills are wonderful, but hard to find.


Rambler, would you be referring to gabardine or something different?


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## Matt S (Jun 15, 2006)

Poplin is the lightest of all cotton. Since it's a plain weave it will be more open and lighter than a comparable twill weave, so it will wear cooler. As said before, it will also wrinkle more. Chino fabric is a heavier than poplin since it is made in a twill weave, though it can vary in weight. Cotton drill is another type of cotton twill, and it's weight can also vary. Cotton gabardine trousers are probably the dressiest of all cotton trousers but have the tightest twill weave. They still should be fairly comfortable in warm weather. I don't usually find cotton trousers woven in an even twill (serge) weave. You can also find trousers in duck cloth, which is a heavy plain weave canvas. Those would be too casual for the office.

The most comfortable in hot weather would be linen, if you can put up with the wrinkles.


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## The Rambler (Feb 18, 2010)

DoghouseReilly said:


> Rambler, would you be referring to gabardine or something different?


gab, doghouse, a nice, very lightweight wool gab is hard to beat.


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## Matt S (Jun 15, 2006)

The Rambler said:


> gab, doghouse, a nice, very lightweight wool gab is hard to beat.


Wool gabardine isn't as good for hot weather as tropical or fresco wool. Gabardine has a tighter weave that wears warmer.


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## The Rambler (Feb 18, 2010)

I never noticed that, Matt, though you're probably right; I have a source of really light stuff, dont know how many oz.


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## Matt S (Jun 15, 2006)

The Rambler said:


> I never noticed that, Matt, though you're probably right; I have a source of really light stuff, dont know how many oz.


Weight doesn't always determine how warm or cool something wears. A 12 oz fresco will wear cooler than a 9 oz gabardine.


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## The Rambler (Feb 18, 2010)

ok, fine, I was really thinking in terms of the balance of coolness vs. shape-holding and wrinkle resistance, never introduced the subject of 'wearing warm,' you did in response to my post.


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## Peak and Pine (Sep 12, 2007)

Do we have the makings of a dust-up here? I love a good dust-up, especially if it's about pants.


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## The Rambler (Feb 18, 2010)

Sorry, Peaky, I think not, though your arrival on the scene would help. Personally, I try to keep my powder dry for important issues, such as who makes the most comfortable underpants.


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## a tailor (May 16, 2005)

gabardine in its heavier weights is used to make topcoats. thats because of its tight weave that seals it body heat. even in its lightest weight it still has a tight weave. thats why it holds a sharp crease. 
tropicals with its open weave allow body heat to escape that is what keeps you cool. 
chino, poplin, twill are tight weaves. i think seersucker is the lightest of the cottons.

if you want to check out the different cloths do this.
hold up the cloth and face a light see how much light comes through. 
you will see a great difference between seersucker and chino.
also between gabardine and tropical. 
then you will understand how the more porous weaves keep you cool.


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## Tooch (Jun 26, 2010)

I've had good luck with linen and cotton blends. Poplin can be too insubstantial -- which is problematic not just in terms of wrinkling, but also perspiration.

I really hate sticking to office chairs.


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## Peak and Pine (Sep 12, 2007)

a tailor said:


> gabardine in its heavier weights is used to make topcoats. thats because of its tight weave that seals it body heat. even in its lightest weight it still has a tight weave. thats why it holds a sharp crease.
> tropicals with its open weave allow body heat to escape that is what keeps you cool.
> chino, poplin, twill are tight weaves. i think seersucker is the lightest of the cottons.
> 
> ...


As always, this is the man who giveth the true knowledge. Thank you, Mr. P. (But I was really hoping for a dust-up between Rambler and Matt.)


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## Matt S (Jun 15, 2006)

The Rambler said:


> ok, fine, I was really thinking in terms of the balance of coolness vs. shape-holding and wrinkle resistance, never introduced the subject of 'wearing warm,' you did in response to my post.


Since the overall topic of this thread is about summer trousers, I would think that it all comes down to what is more comfortable to wear in hot weather. Light weight gabardine isn't the most effective for coolness or wrinkle resistance. My cotton gabardine trousers wrinkle a lot. A heavier weight with a more open weave would be better on both fronts. Duck cloth is very effective for warm weather and wrinkle resistance but it also looks more casual. I find that tropical or fresco wool is best if one wants to stay cool but also look presentable. That's the reason why I stay away from cotton trousers for business casual myself.


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## The Rambler (Feb 18, 2010)

I was merely observing that, for me, a very lightweight WOOL gab makes my favorite summer trousers and suits being cool -not as cool as certain fabrics, granted- and crisp looking. I never said anything about cotton gab, or cotton anything. I never said overcoat material. I'm talking about a very lightweight Italian wool gabardine that manages to drape properly, hold its press, and generally avoid looking wilted in hot weather. I'm happy to debate the merits of various fabrics, but please stick to what I'm saying when refuting it (happy, peaky?)


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