Kit Blake’s smart, stride-making trousers are an everyday essential
Crafted in Italy, and with practicality and versatility running through every stitch, the British brand’s designs are redefining modern menswear…
Words: Jonathan Wells
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With neat pleats and clean-cut lines, Kit Blake gives it to you straight. The British brand is a no-nonsense proponent of modern menswear; taking the traditional, wide-legged silhouettes of pants past and re-trimming these boxy styles to square with today’s tailoring. There’s no bluff or bluster, no superfluous flourishes and no hard-to-pair prints, patterns or colours. There are only straight-talking, straight-walking trousers.
And it’s been that way since the brand first stepped out in 2018. Stitched together with shrewd Savile Row experience and a sharp eye for what discerning patrons really want, the ready-to-wear trousers offer certain well-cut characteristics that are increasingly rare to find off the rack. Whether this be classic proportions, fine fabrics or informal elegance, the trousers offer a unique proposition in a slim-fit, low-rise market.
Each pair is painstakingly cut in Puglia, where Italian craftsmen work to English patterns and size the trousers in thoroughly imperial inches. The brand predominately uses cloths from the fine mills of Biella in Northern Italy — but also from Yorkshire. And, despite several styles making up the Kit Blake range, all of the trousers share similar traits; higher waists, vintage styling and (often) deep pleats. Fabrics from wool flannel to linen, cotton to tropical wool are available and, with autumn around the crisp-leafed corner, we’ve chosen three of our favourite styles for you to consider…
The ‘Grant’ trousers are slightly stiffer (and snugger…)
First up, the ‘Grant’ style. Perfect for more wintry weather, this design was developed using more rigid materials; cloths with less drape, such as cotton, linen or tropical worsted wool. But we’d opt for flannel at this time of the year — a fabric that wears the deep double pleats and pronounced taper of these trousers exceedingly well.
Available on the Gentleman’s Journal Shop in either grey or blue worsted flannel, the ‘Grant’ trousers are a slightly slimmer-fit option from Kit Blake. The thighs are around one inch slimmer than the brand’s signature trousers, and the hems approximately two-inches narrower. The brand recommends a two-inch cuff (the house style), but the trousers come unfinished so customers can adjust them to their personally preferred, perfect length.
As such, they’ll ensure you stay warm on even your frostiest walks this winter. And, thanks to the design’s handy side adjusters and back button pockets, a pair of ‘Grant’ trousers also feature enough polished practical touches for them to replace your existing seasonal slacks, jeans or chinos.
The ‘Aleks’ trousers are sharply-cut and subtly-tapered
Next, the brand’s best-selling style; the ‘Aleks’. This dapper design was also the first trouser launched by Kit Blake, and has been honed and perfected as time marches on. With four, inward-facing deep pleats and a cut intended to sit higher on the waist, these are the label’s most versatile offering — and ideal for everyday use.
The profile of the ‘Aleks’ trousers is splendidly straight; the classic Savile Row design, updated for the modern man. Clean, full in the thigh and with a slight, subtle taper to the hem, this style will sit most satisfyingly on men with slim waists and muscular legs — and promises to pair just as handsomely with a trim tassel loafer as it will with a sturdier Chelsea boot.
One of the most ergonomic, smart additions to this style is the placement of buttons inside the waistband. Used to secure button-on braces to the trousers, it’s a touch that only adds to the design’s innate versatility. Designed without belt-loops, these buttons also offer another level of security; though all of Kit Blakes trousers are designed to be self-supporting, with tidy buckle-and-strap side-adjustors to finesse their fit.
The ‘Caine’ trousers are flat-fronted and perfectly practical
The final of our three trouser choices, the ‘Caine’ is Kit Blake’s flat-fronted design. Less statement-making than the deep-pleated designs, they’re a great gateway into this well-styled world. Again, this is an autumn-facing style; medium-rise and offered in various heavy cloths, as these weightier materials tend to drape and sit more smartly when not pleated.
Slim, but not skinny, the ‘Caine’ once more comes cut with a high-waist — although this one sits a little lower around the middle than the brand’s pleated designs. As such, if you have a prominent seat or thighs, or usually find yourself between sizes, Kit Blake advises you go up a size to ensure the best fit.
The same side-adjusters that can be found in Kit Blake’s wider collection are buckled onto the side of the ‘Caine’ style, and the slanted hip pockets, double hook fastening, change-divider in the side pocket and handy fob pocket cut into the waistband mean, once more, that these trousers are perfectly practical candidates for everyday wear.
Want to learn more about Kit Blake? Visit the British brand’s website here…
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