pants:

we'll stick to three main categories: jeans, chinos, and everything else.

jeans: 

some guys are jean freaks. i read a jean article by this guy that swears by his own system for perfecting your jeans. it involves buying some odd and terrifically expensive brand, then not washing the jeans for a year while intermittently wearing them in a tub of luke-warm water every 90 days or something. the whole process seems just bit over the top. so here's my bit. if you want ridiculously nice selvedge denim, do your research. but the fit is standard no mater what the quality: slim, not skinny.

don'ts: no high rise, too dad-jeans/seinfield looking. don't buy relaxed fit, or boot cut, and DEFINITELY no rhinestones or weird pockets with designs. also stay away from the hipster ultra-skinnies too, your children will thank you.

dos: slimmer straight cut jeans. think, comfortable but won't swallow up my shoes (see the picture above). dark washed jeans without any fading are classic jeans that go with anything from dressy to casual. a faded pair of jeans is excellent too, just keep it simple.

dark, slim but not skinny, and simple.

for lighter jeans, same fit and a bit of texture for more casual look. no dad jeans.

chinos or khakis:

chinos and khaki's have become my staple. the reason why is because i believe they give you a bit more flexibility than jeans, with all the great qualities. you can still dress em up, or keep it casual, but the rules are simple:

don'ts: never ever ever ever never ever pleats. like jeans, not baggy, and if they zip off into shorts, there's nothing more i can do for you.

do's: keep 'em slim, tapered, and simple, but aside from that you're free to do whatever. i personally like chinos with a little color like the picture below; i found a red pair from j. crew that i loved, but my wife gave the veto. still, there's little better than a british khaki, plaid shirt, and sperry chukka's.

if you've got a pair of classic tan, try some color

cargos, trousers, slacks, etc:

by now, you're not just wearing jeans. good. right now there's tons of options, and done right, none of them are wrong (except probably overalls). back in the day, i used to stuff my cargo pants full of dinosaurs and cart them around wherever i went. lucky for me, cargos are back - this time without the actual cargo room though. studying in business school, im almost always in slacks or suits with a tie. whether you're going in for a presentation or hiking, the rules are still pretty universal.

don'ts: hopefully you've caught the theme by now, but just in case, here's round three. no pleats, and never pick up something with a 'relaxed fit'. for slacks, im not a fan of zoot suit pin stripes or anything overbearing. i like to keep it simple and if i go with a pattern, it's understated.

do's: again, slimmed out and tapered. classic colors, and nothing to long or too short (never more than a full break really). other than that, have fun.

perfect fit on the slacks.

for our price sensitive group: these are some jeans from gap. 1969 skinny-fit dark stars coming in well within a budget, and no need to tailor them. also try h&m, or just take in your favorite pair that doesn't fit right to see if a tailor can't trim them up a bit.

next, to the knees.

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