“Style anthropology can explicate a lot of otherwise tricky issues, in some cultures probably more than others. Sort of Like Water For Chocolate, only Weejuns...” LPC
Friday, June 29, 2012
Trad-Ivy Tuesday
Here. Look at this. It's a pair of army surplus khakis. Still starched heavily from the army laundry. Back when the army still issued cotton stuff.
Shortly after I graduated from college (this would be in 1981 or 1982) I came across a stash of Army khakis in a surplus store. Heavily starched (like boards, really), I bought the half dozen pairs in my (then) size. Always sent them out to the laundry and insisted on double starching. I wore them out. Ah, those were the days...
Gawd those are stiff looking. I put on a pair of my old Bill's this morning still entombed in their plastic from the cleaners. I had to force my socked foot down the leg to break the seal on all that starch.
Here's my question...what is the recipe for the perfect pant finish? Too starched and they look too, well, fancy. Not pressed enough and they are just sloppy casual. And don't get me started on how LL Bean ruined their Classic Cut Double L Chino with that stain and wrinkle resist finish...
want to know an embarrassing secret? The 70's era poly-cotton blend ones were also amazingly good britches. They wore like iron and looked good without starch right out of the dryer. Not cool, comfortable cotton, but not bad at all. I don't think the army uses khaki at all. The navy has or had khakis as well, but the most recent ones are, um, you know, not cotton...
Maybe someone could tell us when the USGI khakis were last 100%.
Love my Khaki's starched! I do it myself now instead of sending them out. Kind of theraputic for me (Like shining my own shoes!). Wow you could stand those up in the corner!!!
RCC's comment reminded me of when I briefly (long, LONG ago) had a boyfriend who rode the rodeo circuit. All of those cowboys declared their jeans to be properly starched only if they could "stand up on their own in a corner." Briefly was because, guess who he thought should do the starching and ironing?
But why? What makes starched chinos/khakis so wonderful?
I don't recall ever having been aware of them before you started waxing peripatetic about them.
In order to get good results, the pants must be 100% cotton, obvioiusly, and free of wrinkle-resisting treatments, obviously. But what else do you look for? Is thick material better than thin?
But beyond all that: what makes starched khakis/chinos the bestest most excellent thing that you make them out to be?
When I was a kid working with my Dad, early and mid-60s, you could get these from Sears, Monkey Ward, Penney, "the store" downtown, anywhere, and they were just low(ish) priced "work pants". Now they're "well curated authentic Americana", and expensive.
Of course, NC and SC had about a thousand plants turning them out by the running mile back then.
NCJackie...your sentiments touch EXACTLY on my peeve that I have with all the stuff that you could, back then, buy at the Farm Co-Op for fifty cents on the dollar that McNairy--JCrew--Billy Reid or Reed and all those cats "curate". Also, I'd like to drop Thom Browne's ass off at the Agway or the Co-Op in Lumberton or North Wilksboro in one of his little shrunk up outfits. Oops. I think you hit a nerve.
Fogey...When I was in college and we starched them heavily, you could get more wearings out of them.
YogaTeach...Starched Wranglers in Texas in the summer? Oy.
Rittenhouse...Zen for you. Killer for me...to focus long enough to starch anything.
Leopard...they are at the framers now. Gonna be a huge ass shadow box.
Tonto...the poly blends were wrong.
MainLiner...not without Viagra.
RHW...good to hear from you. Based on the fact that so many makers are now using that no-iron chemical process on their khakis, be thankful that your Bills are "too starched"...just wear them more than once...the 2nd wearing is when they are just right.
ReggieD...ditto me and my fratty brothers. And we paid two bucks a pair I think.
LPC...Glad to be of crackin' service. I love you. But in that platonic, restrained, WASP tolerable way.
15 comments:
Shortly after I graduated from college (this would be in 1981 or 1982) I came across a stash of Army khakis in a surplus store. Heavily starched (like boards, really), I bought the half dozen pairs in my (then) size. Always sent them out to the laundry and insisted on double starching. I wore them out. Ah, those were the days...
Gawd those are stiff looking. I put on a pair of my old Bill's this morning still entombed in their plastic from the cleaners. I had to force my socked foot down the leg to break the seal on all that starch.
Here's my question...what is the recipe for the perfect pant finish? Too starched and they look too, well, fancy. Not pressed enough and they are just sloppy casual. And don't get me started on how LL Bean ruined their Classic Cut Double L Chino with that stain and wrinkle resist finish...
Tin Tin will have wood over these.
want to know an embarrassing secret? The 70's era poly-cotton blend ones were also amazingly good britches. They wore like iron and looked good without starch right out of the dryer. Not cool, comfortable cotton, but not bad at all. I don't think the army uses khaki at all. The navy has or had khakis as well, but the most recent ones are, um, you know, not cotton...
Maybe someone could tell us when the USGI khakis were last 100%.
Tonto Glickstein, but everybody calls me Bubba
The question is can you actually wear them or are they for display purposes only? It looks like you could shave with those creases.
Love my Khaki's starched! I do it myself now instead of sending them out. Kind of theraputic for me (Like shining my own shoes!). Wow you could stand those up in the corner!!!
RCC's comment reminded me of when I briefly (long, LONG ago) had a boyfriend who rode the rodeo circuit. All of those cowboys declared their jeans to be properly starched only if they could "stand up on their own in a corner."
Briefly was because, guess who he thought should do the starching and ironing?
Yeah. same picture as before.
But why? What makes starched chinos/khakis so wonderful?
I don't recall ever having been aware of them before you started waxing peripatetic about them.
In order to get good results, the pants must be 100% cotton, obvioiusly, and free of wrinkle-resisting treatments, obviously. But what else do you look for? Is thick material better than thin?
But beyond all that: what makes starched khakis/chinos the bestest most excellent thing that you make them out to be?
Starchless in Not Seattle
When I was a kid working with my Dad, early and mid-60s, you could get these from Sears, Monkey Ward, Penney, "the store" downtown, anywhere, and they were just low(ish) priced "work pants". Now they're "well curated authentic Americana", and expensive.
Of course, NC and SC had about a thousand plants turning them out by the running mile back then.
"waxing peripatetic"
I waxed peripatetically just yesterday, in fact. All over just about everything in the house, it smells so good now.
-Flotsam
Flotsam,
You liked that, huh? I was hoping someone would.
That was funny Flotsam.
Those are some heavy duty starched pants....from back in the day. I do love how crisp they look!
pve
Ms. PVE....Thanks! They also help with posture.
Flotsam and Fogey...y'all are bofe funny.
NCJackie...your sentiments touch EXACTLY on my peeve that I have with all the stuff that you could, back then, buy at the Farm Co-Op for fifty cents on the dollar that McNairy--JCrew--Billy Reid or Reed and all those cats "curate". Also, I'd like to drop Thom Browne's ass off at the Agway or the Co-Op in Lumberton or North Wilksboro in one of his little shrunk up outfits. Oops. I think you hit a nerve.
Fogey...When I was in college and we starched them heavily, you could get more wearings out of them.
YogaTeach...Starched Wranglers in Texas in the summer? Oy.
Rittenhouse...Zen for you. Killer for me...to focus long enough to starch anything.
Leopard...they are at the framers now. Gonna be a huge ass shadow box.
Tonto...the poly blends were wrong.
MainLiner...not without Viagra.
RHW...good to hear from you. Based on the fact that so many makers are now using that no-iron chemical process on their khakis, be thankful that your Bills are "too starched"...just wear them more than once...the 2nd wearing is when they are just right.
ReggieD...ditto me and my fratty brothers. And we paid two bucks a pair I think.
LPC...Glad to be of crackin' service. I love you. But in that platonic, restrained, WASP tolerable way.
If you put Browne out in Lumberton or Kingstree, e.g., they'd wonder why that feller hadn't bought some new duds since he got his growth.
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