You ever hear the term “GTH Pants?” For the uninitiated, it refers to a class of loud, brash trouser common to the warmer season, featuring various bright colors and whimsical patterns. They are a sign of summer, to be paired with sunglasses and whatever brand of hard seltzer floats your pool raft, and once fall arrives they disappear, replaced by muted chinos and jeans for the duration of the colder months.
This is bollocks, I say — just because we’re all being forced to pack away our zany lobster pants and sheathe our devil-may-care sockless ankles against the coming chill, it doesn’t mean that our wardrobes must lose their collective sense of GTH until summer arrives again. Nay!
Your correspondent is here to advocate for the “cold-weather GTH pant,” a term I made up just now that refers to the traditional GTH’s oft-overlooked woolly cousins popping up in stores near you right this second.
Plaids, checks, teeth both hound and puppy, there are all manner of excellent fall/winter patterns on offer out there — each providing a welcome dose of personality to autumnal getups and reminding us all that while the leaves may wither and fall and the winds may grow cold, the spirit of GTH continues to burn brightly within us all.
Anyway, here’s some pants.
Brown Brentwood Trousers — Suit Supply
Starting easy here — a houndstooth pattern this small (often referred to as “puppytooth,” awwww) is great because it plays as a solid from a few steps off but then has some real personality up close. Plus it feels vaguely collegiate, which is always cool.
Pair ‘em with: a vintage athletic sweatshirt, Chuck Taylors, and a hardcover book.
Premium Wool Trousers — Bonobos
Just nice deep colors in a plaid that’s large format enough to be immediately noticeable but not so aggressive as to be overpowering. A very nice sweet spot.
Pair ‘em with: a burgundy v-neck sweater over a white dress shirt, oxblood loafers, and a firm handshake.
Cropped Plaid Pants — Zara
I own these perfectly-tapered, just-loud-enough bad boys, and I get so many compliments on them that I’m strongly considering copping the matching bomber jacket and really swinging for the sartorial fences.
Pair ‘em with: a fitted black t-shirt, matching black loafers, and the aforementioned jacket if you truly DGAF.
Slim-Fit Logo-Jacquard Cotton-Blend Suit Trousers — Gucci
Speaking of DGAF — you’re certainly not flying an all-over Gucci monogram weave under the radar, but the ‘70s golf course vibes here are very on point and beige is surprisingly versatile in terms of what you can pair it with.
Pair ‘em with: a burgundy button-up with one more button undone than you’re traditionally comfortable with, oxblood Chlesea boots, and (ideally) a moustache.
Umbra Yarn Dyed Check Trousers — Native Youth
Ignore the sandals on this dingus and instead focus on the combination of low-key plaid, smart tailoring and elastic waistband — this is a winter travel pant for the stylish set.
Pair ‘em with: a light grey cashmere sweater, streamlined sneakers and airplane tickets.
Ludlow Slim-Fit Suit Pant in Glen Plaid Japanese Wool-Cashmere Blend — J. Crew
This Japanese glen plaid is super bold, but thankfully anchored in blue and brown to make pairing it with more straightforward pieces above and below a pretty painless undertaking.
Pair ‘em with: a textured navy sweater, handsome brown pennies, and a practiced “oh thanks, the fabric is actually from a mill in Japan…”
Brown Boston Checked Wool-Blend Suit Trousers — Acne Studios
Green and brown is basically the Hall and Oates of fall color combos, and this check has like four versions of each all jamming together in perfect autumnal harmony. Basically a forest in pants form.
Pair ‘em with: Green Barbour. Brown sweater. Wellies. A dead pheasant or two.
Gray Jacquard Shadow Box Pants — Bonobos
Ok so the tie here makes this grey jacquard look significantly more purple than it actually is (check the full suit if you don’t believe us), but that’s kind of the fun part with a pattern like this — it has a chamelon-like tendency to pick up hues from the rest of your getup.
Pair ‘em with: a lilac shirt (skip the purple tie), smart black monkstraps, and the confident stride of a man who wears lilac and patterned pants simultaneously.
Tailored Tartan Print Trouser — Paul Smith
Tartan is such a badass pattern (conjuring peaty scotch, bagpipes, Braveheart, etc) but usually just too damn loud to pull off. Paul Smith’s take is appropriately understated while still allowing you to channel your inner kilt-wearer.
Pair ‘em with: a black turtleneck, shiny black boots, and three fingers of Lagavulin.
Checked Tailored Trousers — Alexander McQueen
Similar to the brown houndstooth up top, but a little more bold and thus a little more limited in terms of what you can wear it with — but that’s ok, because when you nail the look…
Pair ‘em with: a crisp white button-up, swaggy black Belgian loafers and a GTH black timepiece.
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