BR Martin skinnies, keep or return

So I've been on a lookout for straight or skinny black dress pants for about a year. Last year I tried BR Martins but did not like the fit. Ended up buying straight leg pants from ATLoft and wore them for a few months. Lately, looking at the pictures, I discovered that Loft pants tend to look pretty baggy, at least with flats. So I decided to give Martins another try and size up.

Here are photos. I added ATLoft pants for comparison because I don't want to keep Martins if they are not any better than what I already have. Thanks for looking!

1,2,3 - Loft, Martins 6short, Martins 8short with oxford booties. 4,5 - Loft, Martins 8s with flats. 6 - Loft pants side view to see if they are too short (Martin pants have more scrunch with the oxfords).

My impression is that all of these look shlubby with flats but pretty good with booties. I cannot see any differences betwen size 6 and 8 in photos but in real life there is some bagginess with the larger size. On the other hand, the smaller size is pretty tight and may be uncomfortable after a day at work (or, reversely, the larger size might stretch too much). Those of you who have Martins - do they stretch a lot? Also, do you always dry-clean them? Thanks!

I have to say that the idea of wearing skinny pants with heeled oxfords to work scares me a bit. For some reason this feels quite daring, even though I wear bootcuts with heels all the time.

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14 years ago

sarah

Veteran

Makrame - I have the BR Martins, and I wear them about 3x/week. They are the perfect work pant for me. They do not stretch out after wearing. I wash them in the washing machine on the "handwash" cycle and line dry. THEY DO SHRINK A BIT IN LENGTH doing this. I had to let out the hem on mine, and sometimes I think that they are a bit short now. So, I would recommend buying them on the long side if you plan to wash them. My pants are quite snug (well, "form-fitting"), but I never tuck with them, so that's OK with me. It is hard for me to tell from the photos, but the Martins look "skinnier" in the leg than the Loft pants - that suits me. Does it suit you?

Kyle

Photo number two is my favorite fit. Martin over Loft by a mile. The booties are great. I find that Martins stretch a bit. I think they look best when quite fitted.

Sarah

Photo #2 is my fav as well. I'm with you, I prefer the booties over the flats.

Makrame

Great, that's very helpful!

I was originally after the "skinny" look but had to settle on the Loft pants. So I think the skinniness of Martins is a good thing.

It looks like I now have a new dilemma. If I would like to wash mine, sounds like it may be a good idea to go back to regular length (33") instead of short (31") since they might shrink. Maybe I'll exchange for the longer length and hem the pants, so that I can let them out later.

Diana

I like the Martins on you over the Loft as well. Definitely in the smaller size.

I have them as well, and I find that they are fairly stretchy (so comfy even when quite fitted) but they don't seem to bag out much. I wash mine in the machine on cold or by hand, and I line dry, and they hold up fine. I think Sarah is right and they do shrink a little in length - at the moment mine are a little bit short so I only wear them with boots but I think I will let the hem out so that I can wear w/ other shoes as well.

Erin

Martins here too. If they are going to shrink at all I agree to switch to the longer ones. You do not want to end up with pants that are too short. Even if you still had to hem after the shrinkage.

Jenava

(website)

I like the sleeker Martins. I have them and I would recommend getting the longer length and washing them before you hem them. I find that mine are fairly fitted but since they have stretch they are comfy. They dont stretch out, though, so if the 6s are truly too small I'd size up. But if they are just fitted then I wouldn't worry about them being uncomfortable.

modgrl

I also prefer the sleeker martins on you. It is a more modern look. They are a little slimmer and slightly longer than the rest. They look great on you.

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