Alek has several social media outlets for his content. He seems to be active on YouTube, where he creates content related to his bodybuilding journey, and Instagram (bodybuilding and photo shoots).
YouTube
Alek is a natural professional bodybuilder. He shows his diligent workouts and his contest prep, as well as the related meals that support his lifestyle.
With the pandemic, I was fortunate to have a full-time job that I could do from home. My employer is starting to make plans to open to a hybrid arrangement (part of the workweek at home and part of the workweek at the office).
While working from home, I did not have much need for the dress clothes that I wore to the office. I did not do telework in casual clothes, as I found that I could not get into work mode without dressing somewhat more formally than jeans and a t-shirt.
Now that I will return to an office commute (maybe?), I had an interest in refreshing my wardrobe. Perhaps, the reader is in the same position. First, I looked for pants. I tend to wear wool dress pants that I pair with a blazer or sports coat.
It is a neat outfit. However, rain can present a problem—soaking the wool and ruining the crease. This happened to me several times. While I will not give up on wool pants, I was searching for pants that are formal enough for the office and can deal with rain well.
I found a category of pants called men’s tech pants. The pants typically have cotton, some elastane for stretch, and polyester for some water resistance. I found several brands that sell this type of pants. Most are formal for a workday, and a few others have a casual design.
The brand, Tailored Athlete, focuses on athletes and people who love gym training. See the blog post on clothing for gym trainers for more information.
I also added two pants from Mott and Bow for comparison: The Everyday Chino and the Mercer Twill Denim. Both pants have mostly cotton with some elastane for stretch.
I ordered the Chino Charles to use as pants for work at home space and the Crosby jeans to have as another pair of jeans. According to the label in the chinos, they designed in New York and made in China.
The chinos feel soft to the touch. The pants are wider at the hips and become narrower at the calves and ankles.
I decided to try Mack Weldon’s Maverick Tech Chino. I was familiar with Mack Weldon through previous orders. I decided to try the Maverick Tech Chino because it was like the pants I had worn for work from home days (100 percent cotton). I bought the belt that Mack Weldon recommends for the pants. I wore the pants as some when I received them.
Despite the cotton in the pants, the fabric is a little stiff. (The pants get a little less stiff with wear.) They are comfortable for my sedentary job. While I planned to use the pants for work, I also wore them to the supermarket and the coffee shop.
The pants have been working well for me. I will likely buy another pair.
I needed to buy some pants to replace some wool pants that had reached the end of their usable life. I returned to the office for some days in the week. So, I was looking for clothes suitable for office wear with some contact with the public.
The wool-blend dress pants I wore to the office when there was an outdoor function. These pants were surprisingly comfortable. I will buy more of these.
Once during the summer, there was an unexpected rainstorm and I forgot my umbrella in the car. I quickly walked to the car and these pants were wet. However, with the air conditioning, the pants quickly dried out.
Pros and cons of 100 percent polyester pants
I have liked the Traveler Collection at Joseph A. Bank, but I noticed a recent change, the increase in synthetic material. In the performance pants version, the fabric used is 100 percent polyester. I am wary of 100 percent polyester, but the price was right, so I bought them. I miss the cotton-based version, though. (There is a golf chino that has a cotton-polyester blend, but the colors are more suitable for casual use.) That version I had bought for many years and had no complaints.
Pros
Cons
Durability and longevity
Lack of natural fibers and breathability
Wrinkle resistance and easy maintenance
Static cling and potential discomfort
Moisture-wicking and breathability
Environmental impact (e.g., reliance on fossil fuels, microplastic pollution)
Wide color and design options
Affordability
100 percent polyester? For dress pants, no.
Gym shorts have a 100 percent polyester. They are comfortable while exercising, but what about office clothing?
The feel of the Joseph A. Bank Traveler performance pants fabric is smooth, but in photos, there is a definite sheen on the pants. I am not a fan of these pants, as I love the wool and polyester version.
Brooks Brothers Performance Series Stretch Chinos
I am a fan of Brooks Brothers. I found that they have a pair of tech pants available, called the performance series stretch chinos. These pants have a higher price point, $148. The fabric composition of the pants is 59 percent cotton, 35 percent polyester, 6 percent elastane.
Conclusion
New pants to suit at-home or in-office wear. Also, they can be used for casual events.
Have any of the stretch chinos discussed interested you? If so, let us know in the comments. If you have any questions about these pants, please send a message or write a comment. I will try to answer it in the blog.
Introduction: Lounge Shorts and Finding Garcon Francais
With the challenges of the year 2020, guys are looking for comfortable clothing to wear while working from home as well as to relax and run their errands. One item that has proven to be popular are shorts in the lounge category. These shorts are alternatively called pajama shorts. However, those with pockets and with the proper design can be worn outside of the house.
French Brand Garcon Francais and Killian Belliard, Fitness Influencer
While researching another blog topic, I found the lounge shorts by Garcon Francais, a brand that has its clothing made completely in France. However, the brand does sell to people outside of France (the website has versions in English and Spanish also currency is available in Great Britain pounds and U.S. dollars).
I knew of Garcon Francais brand from Instagram from Killian Belliard, a model and fitness influencer. Garcon Francais posted some photographs of Killian in Garcon Francais lounge shorts on the brand’s Instagram profile. (Photographer: Pascalpprl.)
At the Garcon Francais website, the brand places the lounge short in its men’s homewear category. Garcon Francais has a price point that is toward the high end (49.17 Euros or approximately 57.87 US dollars). According to the product description, the lounge shorts are designed for a guy to feel comfortable to relax in during the evenings. The fabric composition is 93 percent cotton and 7 percent Elastane. The short colors available are red, dark blue, and grey. (The waistband is in a contrasting color.)
Decision Made: Buying the Lounge Short
I selected the dark blue shorts, called the “flag short pyjama bottom,” and a pair of the navy boxers (not reviewed here). The sizing in European sizes tends to be a bit smaller than US sizes. So, it was wonderful that Garcon Francais provides a convenient link to its size chart. My size was available as XXL (36-inch waist). The largest size available is XXXL (38-inch waist).
I figured that since the shipping cost to the United States was 20 Euros (approximately 23.60 US dollars), I should have an order big enough to justify the shipping fee.
With my selection in the shopping cart, I paid using a credit card. Everything went smoothly. The package arrived at my house through the U.S. Postal Service about 4 days later. (I wish there was a tracking option available so that I can see where the package is.)
The order arrived in a brown padded envelope. Inside there was a blue paper folder with a red elastic band with the invoice. The clothes were neatly folded inside with a card showing where parts of the clothing were sourced in France and care instructions. I commend the brand for the efficient use of resources in lower use of packaging materials.
Quality
With the price point, I expected very high quality and I was not disappointed. Neat stitching and soft fabric (just as described on the website).
Fit
I like the relatively slim fit of the shorts and the length looks and feels right. I am happy that the sizing information was accurate.
Conclusion
I am very happy with my order. The refined, casual styling and fit ensures that I will be enjoying wearing the shorts for a long time. I likely will return for the red shorts.
I hope that this review has been helpful to you.
If you have found that lounge shorts are a favorite of yours, enter a comment with the brand and style below. If you have a favorite outfit for your leisure time, inform us also in the comments.
Men’s Leggings, Joggers, and Track Pants: A Review of the Popular Slim-Fit Clothing
Introduction: General Men’s Fashion Observation
The blog post will provide you with information as you consider leggings, joggers, or track pants to your wardrobe. I will provide a description of each style, describe where guys have been wearing the clothes, and then I will provide a short review of the 5 brands I found while doing research for examples for this blog post.
In viewing social media pages, I see many of the influencers rocking their street style and gym wear with leggings. In my research, I even found that leggings and tailored sweatpants style have reached the office-dress level, for example, the Mack Weldon Radius Pant.
In my informal observation of men’s fashion selections where I live, the Washington, DC, metropolitan area, the choice leans toward slim-fit pants for the office and slim-fit, tailored sweatpants/track pants. I think that the track pant slim-fit look is neater and more adaptable with the pocket.
I get full use of my pockets with traditional pants. I use them for my wallet, keys, notes. As a result, would tend not to favor leggings, which do not have pockets. Because of the slim-fit nature of the pants, I would be selective about the things I carried so that the nice lines would not be broken.
What are Men’s Leggings Called
You may have found this blog searching for men’s leggings. You have found the right spot. Men’s leggings, sometimes referred to as “meggings” or compression pants, have been popular. The leggings typically do not have pockets, making them have an athletic purpose and use.
Joggers and Track Pants
While men’s leggings typically do not have pockets, there is a version of slim-fit, body-hugging pants that do have pockets, the jogger or the track pant. These pants typically have a related top that can be worn with them.
As the Firestone pant has pockets, it can be worn in and out of the gym. If you are interested there is a top that goes with the pant, the Firestone II hoodie.
Reebok has a track pant called the Speedwick Knit track pants. The track pants have pockets. The fabric composition is 100 percent polyester tricot. (If interested, see a blog post at Pinecrest Fabrics about tricot fabric. Essentially, the fabric is durable and can be worn daily.)
Tailored Sweatpants
While researching for this blog post, I found that there is another style of pant that is just about the joggers and track pants, the slim-fit sweatpants. I consider this more in the sweatpant category, so I did not cover them in this blog post. An example is the Vanquish Fitness Elevate tapered sweatpants. It appears to have been an exceptionally popular item, as it is available only in the extra-large size at the time this blog post was written (January 2020).
Another interesting option is slim-fitting, track-pant-like jeans. One example that I found is from Rufskin, the Slick stretch denim jeans. The fabric composition is 98 percent cotton and 2 percent Spandex. The appearance appears to be a leveled-up track pant. Like the track pants, the brand has a top that can fit with the jeans, the Trooper shirt.
Leggings are athletic clothing, but men have been wearing them while doing other activities–resting at home, running errands, traveling, yoga, running, and even more-intimate moments. I will discuss men’s leggings for these purposes in the blog post below. (For legging-style pants with pockets, see the discussion of track pants above.)
Review of 5 Brands of Men’s Leggings
As there is a wide variety of activities that men can wear leggings, there are also several brands that have leggings for sale. I will review 5 below.
According to the product description for Kapow Meggings originals range, the brand’s leggings are designed to fit like a second skin. The leggings are designed with high stretch polyester and elastane. The leggings could be used for a number of activities: yoga, gym, festivals, running, accentuating one’s street style.
The Adidas Saturday Long Tights, are designed for running. A more fashion-conservative black, the Adidas leggings are ventilated to keep the wearer comfortable and dry.
The Adidas leggings are made of 79% recycled polyester, 21% elastane interlock.
One Athletic’s Mtech run legging is another legging made for runners (no pockets). I could not find information about the leggings’ fabric composition on their website.
According to the product description, the active dry compression pants are meant to have have a skin-tight fit to support weight lifting, running or other athletic activity.
The fabric composition is 55 percent Nylon, 38 percent polyester, and 7 percent Spandex.
Conclusion
I have found that the leggings and track pants categories to be fairly interesting. The slim-fit pants style has been popular and I was surprised to find a wide variety of styles available.
I am interested in learning about my readers’ likes and dislikes in leggings as well as men’s fashion generally.
Have you found an item that you liked in the blog post? Perhaps your go-to slim-fit pants style was not covered in the post? Please leave me a comment below or email me at info at menswearnews.com.
While I was writing a blog post about the styles of men’s underwear, I found out about the lounge shorts that e-commerce company Nice Laundry sells. I decided to purchase some to see what the shorts are like. Below is a type of unboxing combined with an initial view.
Background on Nice Laundry
The co-founders
According to the Washingtonian Magazine, Nice Laundry was founded by Ricky Choi and Phil Moldavski in Washington, D.C. The co-founders, who both grew up in the D.C. metropolitan area, used to work at a company called Living Social.
A start with socks, then added underwear
Nice Laundry initially started as a website to sell socks. The company also recycles old socks, a policy that the company has had since its beginning.
The company has moved to New York and was mentioned in the New York Times. The company started selling underwear in 2016, according to the N.Y. Times.
Fly or no fly?
It seems that when Nice Laundry started selling underwear, the underwear did not have an opening in the front. This was a design issue, as explained in an article in Complex.
Today, however, the underwear at Nice Laundry has an opening in the front, excepting the lounge short.
The Ordering Process at the Website
The ordering process is straightforward at the website. A customer has the option to add customized details to the item, if desired. (Be advised that adding customized details makes the order a final sale, as noted at the website.) I ordered two lounge shorts, one the 4 inch inseam version, and the other, the 6 inch inseam. Because it was my first order, I received a complementary pair of socks (a nice touch).
Arrival of the Package
The order (lounge shorts and socks) was in a slim box, which was shipped from New Jersey. The box has two lids: the outer and an inner lid, which covered the order. The shorts were packed neatly, each in a re-closable bag (not sure of the material).
Shipping box for orderOrder in the shipping box
The Lounge Shorts
The lounge shorts appear to be mesh gym shorts, but there are slight differences. The lounge shorts have a liner in them, so that they can be worn without underwear. In addition, the shorts contour the thigh such that there is no opening. This is an important detail if a guy decides to wear them without underwear. The material is soft to the touch and feel nice on the skin.
The outer material is nylon; the inner material is micro-modal. The shorts were made in China.
Black 4 inch lounge shorts
Referring to a previous post, the lounge shorts appear to be a compromise between boxer shorts and the boxer brief with the mesh short fabric. Quite an interesting design and one that I like.
At this point, I have not tried to wear them under pants or jeans, as my intention was to wear the shorts by themselves. But I may try it. I have started to buy slim-fit pants and jeans, and I am not sure if these shorts will fit under them.
Burgundy 6 inch lounge shorts
As expected, the 4 inch inseam version shows more thigh. This version seems more like boxer briefs. The six-inch inseam seems more like gym shorts.
The Socks
I have noticed the range of colors and designs with socks. I typically have worn dark blue, grey, or black dress socks or ankle sports socks. The company sent a pair with more color and design than I have been used to wearing. As the socks came as a free gift with the order, I will try them.
A note on “high-water” pants
(It appears to be the current style (at the time of this writing in November 2019) to wear pants that are somewhat short to show off the shoes and socks. I will not adopt the “high-water” pants style.)
Conclusion
I am happy with my purchase. I think they will be a good option for wearing around the house and outside on warmer days. (At the time of this writing, it is nearly December (cold) where I live.)
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