Lemaire Five Pocket Twisted Pant

The five-pocket is the most standardized garment in existence. Everyone knows where the seams go, and that is exactly what makes it a good place to change one thing. Here the change is in the front panels, which are twisted, meaning the seams do not run straight down the outside of the leg the way the convention demands. Once a seam is rotated, the cloth on either side of it is no longer hanging as two flat planes; it is wrapping. The leg reads as a soft cylinder rather than as a front and a back joined at the sides, and the fall of the fabric curves gently around the body as it drops. On a thick denim this is more visible than it would be on a fluid cloth, because heavy cotton holds the line it is given rather than collapsing out of it. The rest of the trouser is left alone. Straight leg, five pockets, no distressing, no decorative hardware, black. That restraint is what makes the twist legible instead of just one more thing going on.

Why we selected it

It is the plainest possible trouser with one real idea in it, and the idea is structural rather than decorative. Thick denim in black is also the most useful version of this to own.

The Twisted line is one of Lemaire’s longest-running ideas, and this is its most conventional application.

Materials and construction

100% cotton in a thick denim, made in Morocco, in black. Straight leg, five pocket, with twisted front panels.

Fit notes

Straight leg through the thigh and knee with no taper to speak of. Heavy denim has very little give when new and will soften and mold with wear rather than stretching at the waist the way a lighter cotton does, so it should feel right rather than roomy from the start. We do not hold measurements, and there is no Lemaire size chart on this site.

Styling

The twist reads best when the leg is visible along its length, so this works with a shoe that does not break the line and with a top that ends at or above the waistband. Black denim is the version that goes under tailoring.

Care

Wash denim rarely, cold, and inside out, and let it dry away from direct heat and sun. On a black denim in particular, washing greys the cloth faster than wearing it does. Our fabric care guide has a section on denim.

Related pieces

The Twisted Belted Pant and the Twisted Workwear Pants carry the same construction, and the High Waisted Curved Pant is the denim cut high. Everything we carry from Lemaire is listed together.