Minimal Luxury Wardrobe Remake - essential black pants.

The Row - Idra stretch-crepe straight-leg pant

Can we take a moment to appreciate these beautifully tailored pants?

These photos are, clearly, over-exposed; I wanted to show the details and the way they fit.

There's something so refreshing about seeing a pair of black pants that aren't trying to be anything else. The leg is straight, so it falls straight from the calf without tapering in to a skinny leg or flare.

At the time of writing this, wide leg, over-sized pants are taking over. High-waists are [still] in, and pleats seem to be next big thing. With these, it's the subtlety that really calls out.

They drape through the leg without looseness, and they hug around the hips without being tight.

The double belt loops elevate the pants, giving them an understated formality, and the clean backside without the distraction, or bulk, of pockets keep the line of the pants elegant and easy.

At full price, I found these going for NZD $2,645.

Bespoken pants

(Me-Made)

Using the Idra as inspiration to make my own pair of black pants, at the demise of a Max Mara pair which have more than served their time, (I wore them until they fell apart), the total cost break down for the pair I made, are as follows:

• Pattern - $11.40

• Main fabric - (cotton and silk blend) - $34 per metre (I think I used about a metre.)

• Pocket lining - $7 approx.

• Zipper - $2

• Hook and bar closure - $1 approx. (It was $3.50 for 3.)

• Interfacing - $0.50 (The fly front is interfaced, which uses a negligible amount of interfacing. I already had this on hand but attributed $1 for the sake of accounting for it.)

• Thread - $5 (I already had black thread but am attributing a cost to account for the cost of making the pants, in their entirety.)

Total cost for bespoken pair of pants, handmade end to end: NZD $60.90 (approx.)

Not bad for a pair of pants that were made to measure, and out of 100% cotton-silk blend fabric.

Bear in mind, The Row pants are flawless. They are fully lined in silk, and mine are not lined at all.

There are also errors in the pair that I made, such as imperfections around the belt loops, (those can be tough for machines to sew), and other such things.

You don't get flaws with a pair of pants from somewhere like the The Row.

But they are the very first pair of pants I've ever sewn, (so I can only get better from here), and they feel amazing on.

Like a second skin, light as air.

View the video below to see how I'm styling them.

This is the first major garment I've made for my me-made, luxury, minimal wardrobe.

I am being very selective about how this wardrobe is going to come together, and if this interests you at all, it would be wonderful to have you follow along.