Hey guys! Welcome back to Products Worth Talking About — the show about disruptive physical products and the people who built them. Today, we’re going to ask a question that many people have asked, but few have found the answer to: Who makes the best men’s dress pants?

A good pair of dress pants need to be durable, comfortable, and stylish, all at once. It’s easy to find dress pants that have one of these features, but to find one with all three is a miracle.

There are hundreds, if not thousands, of different men’s apparel brands, but today, we’re going to review the three brands that we’ve been hearing the most about — Mizzen+Main, Lululemon, and Nantucket Whaler Apparel.

First, we’ll start with a product review and give our personal opinions about the quality of each product, as well as what we like and don’t like. We’ll be testing the dress pants on four different features, including:

Everyday Carry: Which pair of men’s dress pants/slacks best handles the everyday items that we keep in our pockets?
Anti-Ball Crushing: This one is a little funny, but also important. Which pair of pants do we think is the most comfortable in the lower regions of our body?
Sit, Lunge, Squat: How do we feel that the pants perform related to movements such as sitting, lunging, and squatting?
Care and Material: Do we like the material? How easy is it to keep the pants in top condition? Will they hold up to the test of time and everyday use?

We’ll also provide some information about each individual brand — what sets them apart, how they started, and their marketing strategies. As entrepreneurs of Vortic Watches and REBL Jane, we both find this information super fascinating, and we hope you do too! Let’s get into it.

Nantucket Whaler Apparel Review and Company Background

Product Review

First, let’s talk about the Nomad Stretch Slim-Fit pants from Nantucket Whaler. These pants come in six different colors — gray, navy, red, blue, white, khaki, and olive green — so you have a lot of style options. Made from 98% cotton and 2% spandex, these pants are both durable and stretchy, which can be a hard balance to achieve. Here’s how these Nantucket pants scored overall:

Care Test: We washed and dried the pants a couple of times, and they actually looked really good. They were only a little bit more wrinkled, but since they have a casual fit, this isn’t too much of an issue.
Everyday Carry Test: Tyler thought that these Nantucket pants were stretchier than all the other pants we tried on in this episode. For something you wear frequently, you want the fabric to be comfortable and durable, and these Nantucket pants achieve that balance. However, if you’re not wearing a belt, you may want to be careful that you don’t stretch too far down, or else you may lose your pants. You can easily fit your phone, keys, and wallet in the pockets of the pants; however, the stretchiness might make the phone visible over time. Overall, these pants are great for wearing around the house, walking outside, or working at the office.
Anti-Ball Crusher Test: We know exactly where your mind is going, and that’s exactly where we’re at. It’s not enough for dress pants to be stylish and durable — they need to be comfortable. RT gave these pants an 8/10 for crotch comfortability, with the hope that over time, they would become even more comfortable. Tyler agreed, pointing out that they have a lot of room for movement.
Squat, Lunge, and Sit Test: These pants passed the SLS test with flying colors. Made from 2% spandex, these pants give you the flexibility you need to move actively without issue.

Scoring high in all categories, Nantucket’s stretch slim-fit pants are excellent. When putting on a pair of these pants, RT said he felt like cracking open a Corona on a yacht off the East Coast. However, we did have one concern — Tyler disliked their use of middle sizes and found that the pants didn’t fit him as well as his normal size pants would.

Pricing

You can buy a pair of Nantucket’s Nomad Stretch Slim-Fit pants on their website for $78 with a flat $5 shipping fee.

Company Background

Nantucket Whaler was founded in 2017, and the current President and CEO is J. Michael Prince. Nantucket Whaler was inspired by whaling in the mid-1800s but was reborn today as a conservation-supporting brand with a native startup strategy. The company is a joint venture between Toronto-based Grand National Apparel and the management of the US Polo Association Brand. Backed by these large entities, Nantucket is less of a startup and more of a spinoff. With their funding and direction, Nantucket has proven to be a solid brand with great marketing and great pants.

Mizzen + Main Apparel Review and Company Background

Product Review

Now, let’s hop off our yacht to talk about Mizzen + Main — specifically, their Baron Performance Chino Pants. Made from 100% polyester, these pants come in four neutral colors, including navy, gray, khaki, and olive green.

Care Test: So, we ended up not washing the pants because you can’t dry them in a standard dryer. To wash them properly, you must use cool water only and tumble them dry on very low heat. For Tyler, this was an issue — he wants to wear pants that he really doesn’t have to think about.
Everyday Carry Test: Compared to the Nantucket Whaler pants, these pants aren’t as stretchy and don’t have as much room for your everyday objects. They are definitely more formal pants and aren’t made to carry your wallet, phone, and keys 24/7. They do have pockets, but when you fill them, they look awkward on your hips. However, when you don’t have anything in your pockets, they look great — classy, clean, and stylish.

Anti-Ball Crushing Test: These Mizzen+Main pants fully passed the ABC test. Because they’re so light and airy, it’s easy to move around and not feel trapped, if you know what we mean.
Squat, Lunge, and Sit Test: When RT first squatted and jumped in these pants, they did fall down a little bit, but overall, they did well on the SLS test. They are a little tighter up top than below the knee, but in an office setting, these pants are absolutely perfect.

Mizzen+Main’s Baron Performance Chino Pants scored well in ABC and SLS, but not so much in Care and EDC. These pants are more dressy, meaning that you can wear them in a corporate office or to a formal event and look sharp. However, if you are wanting something a little more informal, comfortable, and useful, these pants aren’t the best choice.

Pricing

You can buy Mizzen+Main’s Baron Performance Chino Pants on their website for $98. For formal dress pants, this price isn’t too bad; however, it’s definitely not cheap. But we got your back. Use this link to receive $50 dollars off your pants purchase!

Company Background

Founded in 2012 by Kevin Lavelle, Mizzen+Main is based out of Dallas, Texas. On LinkedIn, they have 78 listed employees. Interesting fact: Mizzen+Main has been endorsed by several top athletes, including Phil Mickelson and NFL player, David Vobora. They definitely have the authority and respect they need to keep making kick a** dress pants.

Lululemon Apparel Review and Company Background

Product Review

Even if you haven’t heard of Nantucket and Mizzen+Main, you’ve most likely heard of Lululemon — the behemoth of the apparel industry. We’re talking specifically about their ABC Pants. ABC stands for — you guessed it — “Anti-Ball Crusher.” Now made from 100% polyester, these pants come in eight neutral colors, including a classic black.

Care Test: For RT, there’s no doubt about it — these Lululemon pants are machine washable and machine dryable, meaning they are super easy to take care of. After washing his pants over 50 times, RT claims he can see no wear or tear.
Everyday Carry Test: Compared to Mizzen+Main, these dress pants can hold items much more comfortably. However, over time, you’ll start to see an imprint of your phone in the pocket. This is something that naturally happens with a lot of pants, though.

Anti-Ball Crushing Test: Considering that we borrowed the ABC test straight from Lululemon, we can safely say that these pants are the most comfortable for your nether regions.
Squat, Lunge, and Sit Tests: Whether you’re jumping, squatting, or just walking around, these Lululemon pants will not budge — even if you don’t have a belt on.

Overall, these Lululemon pants scored very high. Again, Tyler had an issue with the middle sizes, so if you have a Lululemon store near you, we recommend going into the store to try them on. There are also a LOT of different options and variations of these pants, so it’s easy to get confused. Not only that, but these pants are expensive…

Pricing

Lululemon’s Classic ABC Men’s Pants are $128 each. However, with that purchase, you are getting a pair of dress pants that are not only comfortable and stylish but will also last you a long time.

Company Background

We discussed Lululmeon’s background in our Best Men’s T-Shirt episode, but we’ll include it here for the uninitiated.

In 1998, Lululemon was founded in Vancouver, BC, by Chip Wilson, a Canadian businessman and billionaire. They currently have about 14,000 employees on LinkedIn, and that number is steadily rising.

Lululemon is a publicly-traded company, meaning that shareholders have a partial claim to their profits. They went public in 2007, raising about $327 million in that year alone. Their market cap is currently $45 billion, and their current stock price is roughly $350 per share.

Fun fact: The brand once claimed that seaweed incorporated in clothing was performance-enhancing. Crazy, right?

Social Media/Website Scorecards

Now, let’s look at their social media scorecards — we run through Instagram, Facebook, and so forth to check out each brand’s social media presence and advertising. Tons of people base their purchase decision based on a company’s Instagram — that’s why RT spends so much time on Vortic Watches’ Instagram and Tyler spends time curating REBL Jane’s Instagram. Social media is usually most people’s first impression of the company.

Nantucket Whalers’ website is incredible. With clear and clever branding, the company stands out as your main choice for East Coast men’s apparel. We both agreed that they could include more customer reviews on their homepage, and if they waived the shipping fee for their clothing, they would probably be even more popular! On Instagram, they have only 6,593 followers, but their feed is well-curated, with models wearing their clothes and some tasteful East Coast photography.
Mizzen+Main has a strong social media presence and ad campaign. They have 71.3K followers on Instagram, blowing Nantucket out of the water. By using influencers and the support of top athletes, they do a great job of catering to both businessmen and athletes. On their website, you can find several customer reviews that add credibility to the brand. When we ordered the pants, we paid just $13 for overnight shipping, and they got them to us the next day — last minute, no questions asked. They also offer free normal shipping, which is a great sales tactic.
Lululemon does a phenomenal job on social media — they’re a huge brand and encompass a lot of different apparel areas. They have a whopping 3.4 on Instagram; however, their feed seems to be particularly catered towards women. Then again, that’s most of their client-base, so it makes sense. Their website is also fantastic and they do a great job using conversion tactics. In addition, they have thousands of stores across the U.S., making them a popular choice for apparel needs.

And the Best Men’s Dress Brand Brand Winner Is…

Lululemon’s ABC Men’s dress pants took the crown for this episode of Products Worth Talking About. Even though their pants are expensive, they are so comfortable, stylish, and will last you for several years. Not too far behind, Nantucket took second place in the competition, and we plan on reserving our Mizzen+Main pants for fancy occasions.

On Products Worth Talking About, our mission is to not only give you reliable information on disruptive products but also give you valuable insight into what makes great businesses successful. In this episode, we both had several takeaways that we plan to apply to our own businesses.

Website User-Experience: Lululemon’s website is basically like an app. It’s sleek, fast, and organized, despite the number of products they sell.
Purchase Experience: The purchase experience of Lululemon is seamless. The simpler the purchase experience, the more likely people will buy your product in the first place.
Shipping Experience: When you don’t charge a shipping fee, people are more likely to buy your product, even if it is a little more expensive. It’s also a good idea to include an “upgraded shipping option” where you can purchase faster shipping if needed.

If you’re an aspiring entrepreneur who wants to build a product-based business, check out our business plan that literally writes itself! Within no time, you’ll be ready to pitch to investors and start the company of your dreams.

We hope you enjoyed reading this post. If you learned something today, we would love to hear from you. Take a screenshot of the episode and share your greatest takeaways with us on Instagram, @productsworthtalkingabout. And if you love the show, make sure to subscribe on YouTube so that you can get new content delivered to you directly! Let us know what products and brands you want us to review!

Thanks for reading! Until next time—

RT and Tyler