RL Tweed Trousers---Close, But No Cigar

[Tomasso]

I ran into these RL tweed trousers at a local discounter.




At first glance they looked promising, made with decent cloth and exibiting adequate construction.

Suspender buttons, belt loops and a nice little watch pocket. Rise looks a little low but........



Oh and what's this: a little fishtail action!




But wait....What's the deal with the rear tab adjuster.....






Yikes!

Upon closer examination I found the trousers to be made in China. Oh well.........

 

[Guttersnipe]

Just to play the Devil's advocate for a second, as the largest country in the world, both by land mass and population, China is a wildly diverse place. For example, there are a number of bespoke tailors in Hong Kong that rival the quality of top U.S., Canadian, Italian and U.K. makers . . . just sayin'

 

[mimesis2nemesis]

I ran into these RL tweed trousers at a local discounter.




At first glance they looked promising, made with decent cloth and exibiting adequate construction.

Suspender buttons, belt loops and a nice little watch pocket. Rise looks a little low but........



Oh and what's this: a little fishtail action!




But wait....What's the deal with the rear tab adjuster.....






Yikes!

Upon closer examination I found the trousers to be made in China. Oh well.........

It's weird... The rear adjuster tab looks as though if somebody had it reattached and made a terrible job out of it....

 

[herringbonekid]

neither the fact that the garment is made in China (is the fact that RRL is made in China controversial ?)
nor the frayed rear cinch would put me off... only the low rise is a deal breaker.

 

[Feraud]

^ my sentiments exactly!

 

[Rudie]

What's the use of a fishtail back when the front rise is so low it barely covers your appendix scar?

 

[Fading Fast]

My experience with Double RL clothes is that they are insanely well made and insanely expensive at full price. I own several pieces, but all have been bought at meaningful discounts to full price and they still seemed expensive for my budget. That said, I have never been disappointed with the quality - only impressed. Also, while I haven't looked at the country of origin (this website is educating me and I will start to), I can't believe that Ralph Lauren would cheapen the quality and hence brand value of the Double RL line by using inferior materials or allowing for poor workmanship. A couple of weeks ago, the Wall Street Journal ran an article that said that parts of China have moved up the quality curve and are now making high-quality luxury goods (the same way Japan moved up the curve after WWII) that can compete with high-quality goods from other countries. My guess is that Ralph Lauren is contracting with these high-qaulity Chinese manufacturers because it can get high-quality results at lower prices. Ralph Lauren is in the business for the long run; Double RL is a high-priced brand; cheapening the quality seems short-sighted and not something I bet Ralph Lauren would do. And I've seen those pants in person and they are fantastic to feel and look at with a very vintage vibe. I am not discounting the insightful faults mentioned as this is a far more clothing-educated group of people than I, but as a regular guy who likes clothes, these pants are far and above the normal pieces found at most other retailers.

 

[seabass]

I have some i found RRL & Polo (hmmmm)
5 years ago & those had a very nice High Rise front & rear at the navel or slighty higher with a long
button fly or zipper crotch
They were made in China or US

the current pants ive noticed have a Lower rise & tiny crotch either button fly or zipper & the slimer tapered leg.
Boy what a mess tucking shirts in or worse Dribble & zipper cuts..due to tiny flys
why even bother adding suspender buttons or a buckle back if you need to wear bikini shorts & get a Brazillian wax to wear the newer trowsers...

OK im not knocking the Quality or where the new stuff is made just the Cut.....
but to be fair im not 6'2'' have a 28''waist & can fit Skinny fitted shirts,

Not Good for the price at all
I have seen & tried on a few of the new trowsers & the fishtail but was dissappointed & did not bother to check the tags for US or China

 

[SteveAS]

Not Good for the price at all.

That is my main reaction. Were these at the discounter because they were seconds?

 

[dhermann1]

Just being picayoony, but China has the largest population, but is not the largest country. Russia and Canada are still bigger, Russia by a lot, and Canada by just a little.

 

[Cobden]

The USA is the third largest under most definitions, with China fourth. Some resources have them the other way around, depending on how one assigns disputed territories and whether one includes overseas possessions, etc.

 

[Tomasso]

China is a wildly diverse place. For example, there are a number of bespoke tailors in Hong Kong that rival the quality of top U.S., Canadian, Italian and U.K. makers . . . just sayin'

Sure but there's a difference between bespoke and factory made garments. There are many countries where you can find quality bespoke but very few that produce quality factory garments. China has (and always has had) quality control issues. While they have made improvements in recent years due to the demands of foreign investment, they still lag far behind the top garment producing countries. And BTW, I would tend to exclude HK from the equation as their bespoke industry was created by the Brits.

 

[Feraud]

the current pants ive noticed have a Lower rise & tiny crotch either button fly or zipper & the slimer tapered leg.
Boy what a mess tucking shirts in or worse Dribble & zipper cuts..due to tiny flys
why even bother adding suspender buttons or a buckle back if you need to wear bikini shorts & get a Brazillian wax to wear the newer trowsers...

I've seen some trousers with what looks like a 3" zipper...and men wear this garbage!!

 

[Matt Deckard]

It's all about the rise. Get that right!

 

[Guttersnipe]

I've seen some trousers with what looks like a 3" zipper...and men wear this garbage!!

Definitely. Designers/the fashion industry make many arguments about why a low rise creates a good silhouette, but they're all hogwash. I really can't understand why everyone is drinking that Kool-Aid . . .

. . . Low rise trousers (1) accentuate the widest part of the body, the hips, and (2) create the illusion of an elongated torso, which make the legs look squat. The overall effect is a silhouette that looks like a muffin topped short guy.

 

[Fading Fast]

Definitely. Designers/the fashion industry make many arguments about why a low rise creates a good silhouette, but they're all hogwash. I really can't understand why everyone is drinking that Kool-Aid . . .

. . . Low rise trousers (1) accentuate the widest part of the body, the hips, and (2) create the illusion of an elongated torso, which make the legs look squat. The overall effect is a silhouette that looks like a muffin topped short guy.

Agreed. The only ones who can pull off the low-rise pants look (if it's not too extreme) are tall, thin, hip-less male models, who not coincidently, are who the fashion industry uses to model these low-rise pants. That said, for a short-waisted person (if I am using that term correctly, I believe that it refers to someone whose waist is higher than average - hence, long legs / shorter torso), low-rise pants can create an illusion of a more naturally proportioned body. Sometimes in old movies, one sees pants on a man's natural waist that look too high up because he is short-waisted. He could have benefited from a bit lower rise to create a more proportioned look. But this is all at the margin (an inch or two change in the rise to help "correct" a body proportion issue), not an argument for the low-rise nonsense the fashion industry is pitching today.

 

[Sir RBH]

I really cannot stand low rise trousers.. just so uncomfortable...