Trousers

*A Glossary of Trouser Terms*
Cavalry Twill	A twill made from worsted yarns, once used in military uniforms. A closely woven material, it has natural elasticity and is highly durable. An excellent choice for a dress sport pant.
Corduroy	A cut filling pile cloth with narrow to wide wales running in the warp direction of the baric. Made by using an extra set of filling yarns in construction. The back of the cloth is a plain or twill weave. All cotton.
Flannel	Usually a twill weave, slightly napped on both sides. It can be woolen (carded) or worsted. Worsted flannel is lighter, not as soft as woolen flannel, and has a more visible and resistant weave.
Gabardine	A tightly woven, nearly waterproof combed yarn characterized by vertical twill lines created by using more threads in the warp than weft.
Herringbone twill	A broken twill weave named for its resemblance to a herring’s backbone. Distinguished bya balanced zigzag effect to the left, then the right.
Houndstooth	a medium sized broken check often used in clear finish worsted, woolen dress goods. Based on a herringbone weave, with four ends on left, then four ends on right. The check is shaped like a four pointed star.
Khaki	A color description given to yellow-brown, earth/dust tones or greenish tinged shades, the term has also evolved to define a strong cloth made of cotton, often twill. Originally in uniforms by British armies during the Crimean War in 1853. The term khaki can be used interchangeably with chino as a style or cloth.
Linen	A natural fiber produced from the stem of the flax plant. Stronger, stiffer and more lustrous than cotton, it yields cool absorbent fabrics that wrinkle easily.
Microfibers	Continuous filament fibers that can be spun to be thinner than a silk thread and therefore allow manmade fibers to have an array of aesthetic and performance qualities that were unheard of before.
Seersucker	A lightweight fabric made of cotton with crinkled stripes made by weaving some warp threads slack and others tight.
Super 100s, 120s, 140s, 150s, 180s	Increasingly used in better tailored clothing, refers to the length in centimeters one woolen yarn can be stretched. Eg. Super 100s yarn is stretched to 100 centimeters. The longer the yarn, the higher quality the fabric. They will be lighter weight, more lustrous, softer because of the fineness of the yarn when spun out to its maximum, and the tightness of the weave that permits.
Tropical	This plain weave, worsted fabric consists of relatively high-twisted 2-ply yarn, sturdy but lightweight and airy, and used for summer clothing.
Worsted	A general term applied to fabrics and yarns from combed wool which is smooth surfaced and spun from evenly combed long staple. Woven tightly with a smooth hard surface. An example is gabardine.Top

At Ben Silver, we intend to offer the very finest quality clothing. As with all clothing, the quality of a trouser is determined by its construction its materials. All of the construction features of a fine pair of dress pants are designed to allow the pants to fit in a clean and tailored manner A great many steps go into the production of a finely made pair of pants. For example, a proper waistband has a self-curtain of trouser fabric as well as its lining, and each of these features requires handwork, and a return to the tailoring process for several step. A lesser quality pants can be made with many fewer steps, and much less attention to detail. Fabrics and construction will contribute to the longevity of the garment as well. A quality pair of dress pants will certainly have:
…a fully constructed waistband, with a non-woven material inside to keep the band from rolling,
…a one-piece French fly with a hook and eye closure,
…a nylon, rather than a metal, zipper,
…blind stitched, narrower, belt loops,
…reinforcement of the crotch area,
…pure cotton roomy pockets,
…open pressed roomy, taped seams,
…taffeta or Bemberg lining to the knee where appropriate to outside fabric,
…pleated or plain front: we forward pleat (toward the fly front) with no extension tab, many of our trousers, as this is the traditional pleated model. However, reverse pleat, with extension tab, is a contemporary choice for many well dressed men. Plain front is no longer as widely worn as in the decades following World War II, when service uniforms created the style,
…pressed creases down the center,
…the best fabrics, in super 100s or finer in wool and Egyptian or Sea Island cotton in cottons.