After washing, there are two important (although non-obvious) areas to iron on a khaki.  Even if you like your khakis rumpled; the outseams and the center back rise seams need to be ironed flat.  This takes a few minutes and will last until you wash them again. 

HOW TO: Iron the Leg Seams and Back Rise Seam

Turn the khakis inside out.  Lay one leg flat on the ironing board, keep the seams in the center of the leg.  Separate the seams with the iron and press flat (inseam and outseam on both pant legs).  Keep the iron centered on the seams, do not iron the edges of the pant (ironing the edges will create stubbon creases you’ll have to iron out later).

With the pant still turned inside out, pull the back of the waist onto the top of the narrow side of the ironing board.  Smooth out the back rise seams and press flat. 

It’s a simple process and your khakis will look of high-quality (the way they were made to look).

I believe a guy should learn how to care for his clothing; if for nothing more than to be independent.  To not have to depend on someone in a time of need.   I’ve taught myself over the years – and as long as it doesn’t require dry cleaning, I can take care of it.  Consider learning the basics of ironing, it can be rewarding and help you look better in your clothes.

If you have any questions concerning caring for your khakis, please contact us

Would you like to view our pant collection?  Todd Shelton khakis are made in the USA.

The Trim Flat Front was developed in 2009.  This pant is not a skinny pant.  We designed it to look similar to our Generous Flat Front, keeping the proportions consistent, only reducing the roominess in a few key areas. 

It’s important to know these two fit options are similar.  We’re not comparing apples to oranges.  We’re comparing Fuji apples to Red Delicious apples.  And in our efforts to tweak a guy into a perfect fit, these two fit options are necessary.

Compare the fit points in the image above.  1. Hip circumference / 2. Crotch (rise) / 3. Knee circumference / 4. Bottom Opening.  Each point shows the Generous Flat Front will offer slightly more room than the Trim Flat Front.

Choosing the right pant fit for you

Selecting the best Todd Shelton pant fit may be as simple as deciding, “Do I like my pants to be a little roomy or do I like a trimmer fitting pant?”  For guys that have normal to full legs, we recommend our Generous Flat Front.  For guys with leaner legs, we’d start with our Trim Flat Front.  Beyond leg size, it becomes a style decision. 

We’re here to help.  If you have any fit questions, please contact us.  If we ship you one fit and you decide the other fit may work better, just let us know and we can easily exchange, it won’t cost you anything extra. 

We hope you found this article helpful.  Would you like to view our pant collection?

The leg opening is the width at the bottom of your pants. There are three usual types of leg openings: ‘tapered,’ ‘straight’ and ‘bootcut.’  We’ll also add a fourth type: ‘slim’, which is the “leg opening of the moment” for fashion aficionados. 

Semi Straight-leg (Recommended)

Straight-leg in theory means the pant is straight from the knee down to the bottom opening. We consider Todd Shelton pants to be closest to straight-leg, although we have a slight taper (approximately 1” circumference) from the knee down. This slight taper eliminates the risk of the pant looking flared, while providing enough footwear coverage. We’ve found a slightly tapered straight leg is our best balanced pant.

We offer two pant fits: a generous straight leg and a less roomy straight leg. Our ‘Generous’ straight leg is approximately 19” at leg opening. Our ‘Standard’ straight leg is 17” at leg opening.  Let’s look at the two fits:

Our Trim Fit pant has a more narrow leg which extends to the leg opening.  Notice how this fit provides less coverage  to the footwear compared to the Generous fit below.

Our Generous Fit has a more wide leg opening creating a full, straight leg silhouette. 
Let’s look at the different leg openings in more detail:

Tapered

Nearly all pants sold to the masses are considerably tapered. The taper takes place from the knee to the leg opening. Industry standard is a 3” taper (example: 21” circumference at knee, 18” at opening). We hear most guys say they don’t like their pants too tapered, generally because when a full cut pant is strongly tapered, it creates a clown-like proportion. And for some, a tapered pant doesn’t provide enough coverage for their footwear.

Bootcut

Obviously, most guys drawn to bootcut pants don’t actually wear boots. But bootcut pants are their best option for a wide leg opening. You’ve got to be cautious, though, because there’s a potential problem with bootcut pants: when the knee is narrower than the bottom opening, the leg shape becomes flared. And a flared leg can look feminine—especially when you’re walking!

Here’s a simple test you can do to check for the “flared” effect. Lay the pant leg flat, then fold the bottom opening to the knee area. If the bottom opening is greater than the knee, we would recommend you look for another pant.

 
Slim

The ‘slim’ leg opening is worth discussing—it’s everywhere these days. Although most guys will not feel comfortable with a slim leg, the style is here to stay—at least for a while. Slim pants are mainly embraced by designers leaning towards the European aesthetic. A slim leg is sophisticated, but they come with issues! You need to be slim, they don’t hang properly and the bottom opening is very narrow. There’s a very fine line between looking sophisticated and looking bad in a slim leg pant: treat them with care!

Hem Lengths Affect on Leg Opening

You can help visually control the width of your leg opening with your hem length. See our recommendation for hem lengths

If you have any questions regarding leg opening or any other pant related question, please contact us. 

We hope you found this article helpful.  Would you like to view our pant collection?

For this discussion, you will need to know about the ‘break”. The ‘break’ is where the end of your pants fall on your shoes, creating a horizontal crease in the fabric a couple of inches above the bottom of the pant. A longer pant will give you a deeper break, a shorter pant will give you a slight break.

No Break

The pant drapes without a break or interuption.  The benefit of ‘No Break’ is clean lines throughout the leg.

Slight Break

Notice the pant breaking a few inches above the bottom of the hem.  A ‘Slight Break’ provides more coverage to your footwear.  It also creates slightly more fullness throughout the leg compared to the ‘No Break’.

Deep Break

A ‘Deep Break’ creates an undesirable fullness throughout the pant.  Some men prefer a ‘good break’ because it provides more coverage to their footwear. A deep break may look good to the man as he looks down at his shoes or looking in a mirror, however a deeper break does not look good when the man is moving. The excess fabric gathers, not allowing the pant to hang properly.

Tips for getting the right hem length:

• Don’t be too busy to get measured for the right hem length. Hem length is critical.
• Don’t think you are the same hem length for all pants. Depending on the rise (the distance from the waistband to the crotch seam), your proper hem length can vary one or more inches. This is why we recommend ordering your pants unhemmed, having your pants measured then hemmed locally.
• Some men will lean towards having the pants hemmed longer than necessary to ensure they are not too short, this can result in your pants being slightly too long. Tailors will leave a two to three inch outlet on the hem, so you will always have plenty of fabric to let out if necessary. So when selecting a hem length, shoot for the perfect length the first time.
• Waist and shoes. Make sure your waist is comfortable and where you will wear your pant when being measured for hem length. Also, bring the shoes you are most likely to wear with the pants when being measured.
• Communicating with the tailor. If you are not vocal, a tailor will alter to their taste. Their taste may not be your taste. You need to be involved with the measurements, so pay attention during the fitting and don’t be afraid to speak up.
• Try on the garment when you pick it up. This may be inconvenient, but those few minutes and you will ensure your garments fit right before leaving (tailors do make mistakes). Don’t hesitate to ask for an adjustment if necessary.

Todd Shelton’s Men’s Trousers are American made.