Embrace White Pants

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The reluctance to wear white past Labor Day has long been debunked in the United States. But for many men, when to wear white isn’t an issue because, save for the white business shirt, they never wear it. Which is a shame, because alongside navy blue, wearing white pants (or off-white) is just about the easiest yet most stylish things a man can do.

Why the reticence to wear white outside the realm of the dress shirt? I think for many guys, there is a deep-seated disposition toward rugged, hard-wearing clothes that they don’t have to “baby.” A very practical co-worker of mine once allowed that spending a few hundred dollars on a suit might be worth it, “if it’s going to last for 10 years.” I didn’t tell him that sometimes, the more expensive the suit, the less durable the fabric. Many men wear tailoring only when required, changing into something else as soon as they can, and I believe a large part of it has to do not just with comfort, but with this mindset. It’s the same line of thinking that I think stops many guys from considering white pants.

Antonio Ciongoli via roseborn.com

Antonio Ciongoli via roseborn.com

Another complementary reason is that if you do venture into wearing them, you signal to everybody else that you care about clothes. I’m reminded of a How I Met Your Mother episode where Marshall asks whether he is pulling off the white pants he’s wearing, to which Ted enthusiastically affirms that he’s indeed rocking them. It was a leap for him to make, and he needed affirmation from a friend.

Sid Mashburn has said that his first sale to a lot of guys just getting into dressing well is a pair of white Levi’s. From there, their interest in clothing grows, but it starts with white pants. I can’t recall what first drew me to want to dress well, but I do remember that white jeans were one of the very early things I bought. My first pair were pure white denim from Banana Republic. Once I grew out of them, I replaced them with an off-white pair from J.Crew that I’m still wearing 3-4 times per week, 5 years later. They are my year-round staples because they go with literally everything I own.

Sid Mashburn

Overcoming the barrier to being seen as a dandy for wearing white pants is probably the biggest challenge. After all, lots of guys have no problem wearing white sneakers—but that doesn’t signal the same things that white pants do. Yet once you do jump the hurdle, you wonder why you thought it was a big deal at all.

It turns out white pants are the easiest things in the world to wear, because they go with literally everything. Swap out your gray trousers for white and your outfit becomes a lot more fun with no additional work. They can be worn very casually—white jeans paired with a navy polo, for instance—or more dressed up—white cotton twills pressed with a crease, paired with a navy blazer and pale blue shirt.

I’ve gotten many comments from both men and women who wonder how I can keep my white pants so clean. It honestly isn’t that hard. I’ve found that even sitting on the grass won’t stain them—unless it’s very wet or I’m moving around on the ground a lot. Of course, stains do happen, whether it be from carelessness on my part, sitting on a dirty chair, or any other number of reasons. And when they do, I have had almost 100 percent success removing them if the pants are machine washable. I’ve stashed Tide pens in my car, briefcase, desk drawers—everywhere—and they often solve the problem immediately. When that’s not the case, Tide detergent works wonders, as does Oxy-Clean and Clorox color-safe bleach when needed.

This is where I must make a caveat to my enthusiastic embrace of white pants—I only buy pairs I know I can wash myself. Which can potentially put a limit on dress trousers, because even if they are made from fibers you would normally not give a second thought about washing (like cotton or linen), they are usually marked as dry clean only. The reason is usually due to the irregular results the rigors of a washing machine will produce on waistband construction or the lining (if they’re lined).

That said, if they’re made from cotton or linen (or a blend of both), unlined, and the waistband is made from the same or similar fibers to the trousers themselves, you can probably wash them. Unlike with a tailored jacket, which has been put through a lot of steaming to get a specific shape out of the cloth, trousers can be pressed back into shape. I recently bought a pair of cotton-linen trousers from Spier & Mackay and washed them right away with no ill effect. I’d suggest doing so with a new, un-hemmed pair before you get them altered, in case of any shrinkage (of course, wash on cold in a delicate cycle).

If you’re not sure if you can pull off white pants, I think the Sid Mashburn introduction of white Levi’s is a great way to try them. With their multitude of fits and low price, it’s a good way to dip your toe in and see how you feel. I’m guessing you’ll love them and will wonder how you ever lived without them.

If that happens, welcome to the other side.

Casual

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Mitchell Moss

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11 thoughts on “Embrace White Pants”

  1. JCrew and Polo Ralph Lauren are decent choice for white jeans too and they go on discount…

  2. Never understood why they were considered a “dandy” thing — we wore them in South Africa mostly because of the climate. I find many guys feel that white makes them look fat, so I would say white jeans are the best for starters as they will be a tighter fit. The worst is white linen because unless it’s tailored within an inch of its life, between the wrinkling and any bagginess they will look like pajamas. Also white jeans don’t need to be kept as pristine as the ones worn for polo matches (jus’ sayin’…in case that’s your thing!)

  3. The OED defined ‘pants’ as “a vulgar abbreivation of pantaloons (chiefly US)”.

  4. Regarding the second photo, since when has the public exposure of skin at the foot level been considered”stylish”? Unless you’re a child, at poolside or the beach or wearing boaters/moccasins at a very casual summer affair, please don’t — yuck!

  5. Opening sentence got the starting holiday wrong. The governing maxim is that the season for white pants runs from Memorial Day through Labor Day. In other words, Labor Day is the stop point.

  6. Totally agree with Jon Bromfield. The no sock look is basically childish. No style involved there but lack of it in a stupid GQish way. Still can’t fathom “slim fit suits” so I guess that makes me a square. But I have always worn my white pants with a tie, pocket square and a sport coat. Sometimes even with a bow tie, boutinniere and dress boots so maybe not totally a square.

  7. Without biasing the responses, what, then would be appropriate color of sock/stocking to wear with white pants?

  8. If square is defined as averse to recent trend, then yes, Mr. Danser, you’d fall in that category with regard to socklessness and slim cuts, both entrenched in modern menswear well beyond the pages of GQ. As long as I’m not expecting to take my shoes off, I go bare ankles with no-show socks or a moisture wicking insole on the regular. In fact, socks with loafers when it’s hot out just seems stuffy at this point.

    With regard to white pants, there’s also a group of guys who think the color unsmart, preferring cream or oatmeal. The latter two colors though are nowhere as vibrant as white for casualwear, and I endorse Moss’ argument ringingly.

  9. Jon Bromfield (or others), without leading the responses in any direction: “What color socks/stockings do you wear, then, with white pants?”

  10. Jon Bromfield, it depends on the country. In southern Italy, most men will look like this because it cools down their legs in the warm climate, yet it does not look as casual as shorts.
    Of course, if you do it in London, you will look ridiculous and out of place.

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