I think they can look alright, I've seen plenty of people wear proper Nantucket red pants and shorts and look good in them.  But linen and poplin reds never look right because they won't fade.  I was once given a pair of reds many years ago but I gave them away because they weren't right for me, the color was too colorful for pants, for me.  I can only wear pants in shades of gray, blue, khaki, or olive, anything else is a bit wild, for me.  Shorts are a different story, I like madras shorts a lot and will wear virtually any color of madras shorts in the right setting.

If you like the faded sun-washed salmony color of real Reds, then wear them, but in cotton canvas so they get that fade.  Reds in other materials will not look right as reds qua reds but if you like a deeper cranberry color then why not?

I just don't like red or pink pants on me but some of my friends have them and wear them and they don't offend me.

Last edited by stanshall (2014-09-13 11:27:26)

On a more general note, I don't usually buy anything that is 'on trend' at the moment but rather give it a few years to cool down. Another example would be Polo coats, what with all those post-twenties girls wearing camel coats. On the other hand I just ordered a duffle, after it got usurped as an overcoat for business wear (!) a few years ago, this being Switzerland.

Woof's Press twills are reds, and good ones, the color and fabric is right ... Ollie's aren't reds but are a different kind of country club/yacht club pants, quite preppy, loud on the street but could easily be a hit at some rum-soaked party, with a white shirt and a blue blazer, nice for a yacht-club rehearsal dinner or wedding  ...   

. with Ollie's striped sport coat I would wear ... ah who am I kidding?  I'm too shy for either the sport coat or the red pants, but with that jacket I'd wear medium gray tropical wool trousers rather than any shade of matching red trousers..  Sport coat makes a reasonably strong statement on its own.

the reds are nice with just a white buttondown or polo or a navy polo or a light blue ocbd or some blue striped ocbd, long or short-sleeves ... sunny day or out by a lit-up pool at night, obviously anywhere near some nice preferably salt water  .... do they absolutely have to be literally worn near the water to look right?  sort of.  D.C. is southern enough, and Woof is the kind of guy who looks distinguished in anything though.

if somebody gave me a nice pair of reds like the ones Woof and you have though I'd wear them for tropical Christmas maybe .....

wear them in good health and don't press them too sharply ..... I actually have a pair of Nantucket red cotton swim trunks from Andover, they're from the mid-'80s, I wore the hell out of them and they were cool .....

wear the reds with an old white ocbd and faded navy canvas deck shoes or some nice boat shoes or beach loafers like your Rancourts, if the reds are faded then the color has become neutral and you can treat them like any old pair of khaki chinos ........

I have red chinos, cotton trousers and also cords.

I'm always troubled about compatible footwear. Black suede desert boots are good. I have one pair. But leather I'm never comfortable. Black leather too business/formal, brown dark doesn't look right, same with brown suede. A light tan boot or brogue shoe works but often feels too wintery for a cotton summer trouser. Is it just me?

I never wear loafers/slipons. I don't have any. I don't have boat shoes either. Although I feel in my waters I may be overcoming my a version to Sperry Topsiders in that reddish brown.

Oh yes it is, here on Twitter:

https://twitter.com/lamfrt

I have the shorts but couldn't see me wearing full length.
Incidentally Mrs AC has wanted me to get pink chino's for a couple of years for some reason.
Its not going to happen.

No (real) offence ment