Robbie - Those TKMaxx Folk T's are superb. I brought a few a couple of years ago. Nice heavy material. Regular use, no shrinking or neck bagginess. Nice stripes. Can't say anything bad about them at all. There is a lot of Folk stuff in my local TK's at the moment. Some ok some not. Really pleased with some chinos I picked up. As you say it's probably made to TKs pricing but still good stuff.

RG - I know what you mean. I went into the Kingston one expecting great finds. It was just the same but more of it. I only go in them on weekdays when I pretty well have the place to myself. Otherwise it's like a Saturday in Sports Direct. Robbie's right. It's at best a one in ten success rate. I've not brought anything in there for months. Yesterday I picked up six pairs of merino Panthrellas for £14

My problem is I follow the TK Maxx Hunting IG page, you always see Baracuta's, Selvedge Jeans, Barbour jackets etc. Recently some stores were selling the Holubar Mountain Parkas like the one De Niro wears in the Deer Hunter.

Went to a couple of branches but there was bugger all there.

Spendy - This isn't their website, it's a personal IG page where the individual/follower will post bargains that they find and tag the store they found it in.

Coincidence RG - L Wool G9 and all sizes Holubar deer hunter parka on TK's website today. Usual TK compromise with that one though. Only available in cream

Another pair of chinos bought online that don't fit, this time it was 'Wood Wood', been looking at them for a while on End and Modern Draper , and yesterday saw then on Flannels website reduced from £125 to £38 with an additional 20% off, they arrived today, they were supposed to be a regular fit, but extremely baggy 18 inch leg opening which is more that the spec shown online, so they'll be returned tomorrow, So this year I've ordered and returned 3 pairs of chinos online, probably spent £35 in shipping costs ! I have now learnt my lesson to buy trousers only instore, aaah,

The chinos are still full price on the Uniqlo web site so must be in-store sale only. I bought two pairs in olive and kharki. One was 35 inch waist which is a bit unusual in the UK?

I saw them online Robbie, and they looked good, better than previous Uniqlo chinos I've seen, I never liked the shape of the front pockets and the stitching on the seams but these looked better, how was the fit ?

I’ve 4 of their merino crewnecks, bought initially to wear in the office and they were ideal, they’ve washed well, I bought a merino crew from Arket a couple of months ago, I’ve been pleased with it so far, more expensive than uniqlo but still good value,
Alvey - have you any experience of Trunk merino? On Arrkt there are a couple of NWT’s Trunk merino polos, £75, (RRP around £175),I’m usually a L , but they only have XL , spec-wise it seems like a L for some other brands,
Could they be more ‘fashion sizing’ than a regular fit ? Be interested to know, thanks

Thanks anyway Alvey, the merino is Italian, I’ll report back if I go ahead, cheers

The Uniqlo chinos I would say are not smart-casual but casual-casual. They are a Khaki more than a chino if you get me.

Robbie - thanks for the feedback, your comments make sense, I'm thinking I might have a trip into London this week and make a visit to Uniqlo, I've got a couple of pairs of chinos that I'm looking to retire so I can replace them with a clear conscience (!), I take your point regarding more a khaki than chino,I was tempted to buy online but with the 3 duds I've had this year buying chinos online I need to try them on, I'll probably also drop into Cordings to see if they've any lighter weight chinos still in stock as I could do with a lighter pair as I'm off to a warm climate in January and trousers rather than shorts might be more appropriate in some situations,

Robbie - I was in town yesterday and took a look at the Uniqlo chinos, couldn't find any fault with them apart from maybe the belt loops were on the large size, but that's a minor thing, so like you I bought the beige & olive, at £34.90 it was a no-brainer as they say, first stop was Chiltern St, I had finally convinced myself I needed an overcoat, ( probably don't but what the heck), that'll be popping through my letterbox next week after the sleeve alterations, I tried on one of the new Ivy jackets, the bold check one, excellent fit for me, but I wasn't in the market for a jacket and my Wife wouldn't have stepped out with me in something that bold ! There was a black leather 'trucker'(?) jacket hanging up, not my thing and probably not for most on here, Sean said it was a sample and they were going to do it in brown leather, it's a JS/Weller collaboration, he nodded when I said they'll fly out of the door, the shop was busy while I was in there which is good to see in these difficult times,

Missus bought me another Uniqlo cream t shirt while she was out and about shopping. I really like their new ones which are good quality. Made in Vietnam.
I'm getting my chinos (which only seem to come in 34 length) altered at a local place. Haven't used them before but the price for alteration in length of trousers has gone up from £4 to £7 in the last few weeks. Wife has two sewing machines but I have to practically beg her to use them for me. Then she gets the hump when I tell her I've put them in for alterations. I can't win. I need to learn how to use a sewing machine. It can't be that difficult, can it?