Jesse Kamm Sailor Pants in Salt White | these are size Large, came in secondhand to slowre (not for sale yet)
Uh…guys? I am speechless. Mostly because I’ve been forced to eat all the less-than-complementary words I’ve ever said about Kamm pants. I refuse to repeat them now.
These are not mine. Yet. They came in on consignment for slowre and I tried them on a few times over the weekend (I couldn’t help it) as I was working to see how they fit and asses the condition. (I do that with everything that comes in I can possibly fit into, first to make sure everything is in excellent condition/wears well, and also to see if it’s something I can model).
I didn’t want to take them off.
And Leo likes them on me. YOU SHOULD SEE MY ASS.
Anyway, these are an older style, still in S,M,L sizing instead of numeric and these are size large. A couple years ago I tried on a pair of these pants in a size 10 and they didn’t fit me, so these definitely run small IMO. But they are comfortable to stand, walk, and work in. You have to get used to sitting in them, but they’re not as difficult as my Rachel Comey Legion pants were to sit in before they became a bit too big on me.
I don’t know what I’m trying to say, except, if you like these at all, and get a chance to try them on, DO IT. These truly make me feel like a million bucks when I put them on. I was searching through the hashtag #kammpants on Instagram (I CANNOT believe I actually did/admitted that) and someone said that wearing these pants are like getting a hug even when no one else is around. YES. YES YES YES.
That is so true, and that’s what I think I love about these pants. I’ve mentioned before that while I do really love slouchy and loose clothing, I also enjoy the feeling of being “held in” – or just held – that I get from my James Perse dresses, and tight pants. It makes me feel loved 😉 Who wouldn’t want to feel loved by their clothes??
Also, they’re white and I LOVE that they’re white.
Happy Monday !!!!
Need Supply has a nice selection, as does The Dreslyn. Anyone out there have a pair of these? What do you think?
Welcome to the cult 😉 But truly, it’s hard to deny the quality once you put them on your body, and how good they can make you feel! I’m a little jealous that the inseam is so long on you. I love a cropped pant, but sometimes I just want my ankles covered. If you keep them, do you think you’ll hem them?
haha. it is sort of cult isn’t it? in the same way that ES is 🙂 – that is to say it is DESERVED.
ALL INSEAMS ARE LONG ON ME LOL . but i thought about that, hemming them if i keep them, and i think i won’t. i don’t mind them this length, even for summer, and if i need to i can use hem tape to fold them up a little and then down when i want my ankles covered. i think that would work well for me.
Hahahahahahaaaaaaaaaaa…..
That is an L on you? That sizing is beyond messed up. Cult or not…..They’re not for me.
Those pants look amazing on you! I am also most disappointed that we didn’t get a butt shot……
Have you tried the Everlane wide leg pants? Are they similar? I didn’t like those on me so not sure how I would feel about these. Thanks!
I like how these look on you way better than what I’ve seen on the models! When I first saw these pants appear on the scene, I was very “meh” about them, especially because I thought, if they don’t look great on the model, they’d probably look horrendous on me. But they look great on you! I am now tempted to try them now. Not in white though. Love the idea of white pants, hate the practice. 🙂
I get what you mean about being “hugged” by your clothes….I like to wear good fitting skinny jeans and compression leggings for this reason. For some reason I don’t like my top to be hugged, but I do like my legs and butt to be hugged…
Thanks for the honest review. I’ve been wanting a pair for 2 years! I very much like seeing them on a “normal” person closer to my own age.
Agreed–if that is a size L and they fit Grechen like that, and a size 10 didn’t fit her, I have NO chance of ever wearing these pants. Ugh, I’m just tired of so many of the independent brands being even LESS size inclusive than mainstream brands. 🙁
I agree with you there. It really bugs me when I read about her and she’s praised for being a made in the USA woman owned brand (don’t get me wrong, that’s fantastic) but at the same time her clothing excludes all but the tiniest segment of women, both in size and price. For some reason I always get bummed out by that.
Honestly Grechen, these pants look like they were MADE for you. You look incredible!
yes, i tried the everlane pants when they were first launched. first the size 8 but they were too small and then had to size up to the 10. they fit, but the pockets right on the hip were just really bad on me, so i sold them pretty quickly. also, i think FOR me specifically, for wide legs to “work” the pants have to have a higher waist. that’s what i’m discovering anyway.
haha. i will try to provide one soon 🙂
thank you krystal!
These look amazing on you. I have wanted a pair, but her sizing does not fit me 🙁
Instead I have the Everlane wide leg cropped pants in Ochre and Black and LOVE them. They are so very flattering on me.
Neve and Hawk’s Sunrise Pants are also the bomb! Love the button up front.
i totally hear that, and get it, but at the same time, i think she’s just creating a very very specific pair of pants for a very very small segment of the population (a segment I don’t consider myself part of either BTW, but more based on age than size, although i’m nearly sized out of these as well), and that seems to be what she does best right now. she’s “perfected” the fit of a high-waist, wider leg pant for women who can wear straight sizes. maybe she’ll move on to larger sizes once she figures out how to do it?
i don’t know, i don’t feel like these pants accommodate my saddlebags very well – she probably didn’t design for someone with wider saddlbags than hips (which is clear from the sizing guidelines on her site), so she’s really just not designing for every possible body type. mine included. i just happen to be able to wear them.
yes! agree with you on that. i LOVE compression leggings 🙂
you should definitely try the pants if you can, just to see…
i never really liked the fit on models, or anyone i saw online either. either the pants were too big and i wondered how they were staying up, or too small they caused the dreaded cameltoe…
i think there’s a very fine line separating the right fit from the VERY wrong fit.
Soooo, confused as to what has changed? Is it your body or the pants? (Hope this is not too personal, just wondering if she has changed the cut and if so, when?)
both probably?
obviously my body has changed in two years, i’m 10 pounds lighter and more toned around my hips and saddlebags from the peloton
but she probably has also changed the sizing/fit a lot – going from three sizes to five or six has to change a lot of measurements, no?
Hey Grechen, I agree that these pants look great on you, and it’s exciting that you managed to luck into finding your perfect fit. BUT can I just say that your persistent use of the term “saddlebags” really bothers me? Unless you literally have leather storage bags made for a horse strapped around your hips, you don’t have saddlebags. You have upper thighs. Whether or not you mean it that way, “saddlebags” is one of those terms invented for a female body part (like “bat wings” or “muffin tops”) that has inherently negative connotations. I read your blog daily and really enjoy it, but “saddlebags” makes me cringe every time!
I think the decision has been made. You need to keep them. They look great. It was like they were just dropped on your lap! It’s destiny!
A few weeks ago, before I went on my shopping embargo, I was on the hunt for a Kamm pant alternative ( mostly because I just don’t think I could fit into the largest size of the Kamm pant–I’m a 10 but worry about how small the sailor pants run). I ended up ordering a pair of the denim Maison pants from Creatures of Comfort, which have a tiny bit of stretch in them:
https://creaturesofcomfort.us/collections/denim-all/products/maison-pant-standard-denim
They’re gorgeous, have a very similar look to the Kamm pant, but still have enough stretch so that I can comfortably wear them while eating a meal.
Gretchen! Whatever you are up to these days, you look amazing!
LOVE THOSE. excellent suggestion!!
Sizing question, Grechen. I have a pair of Everlane Wide Legs in a 00. I originally tried a 2 because everyone said they were teeny, but on me they were huge. I tried a 0 next and they were still too big because of the stretch; they were sitting on my hips rather than my waist after an hour or two. The 00s work but they still get a little slouchier than I’d like by the end of the day. I’m not that tiny, I just have a 25″ waist. I’m thinking I’d want a 2 in the Kamm Pants, which is described as ‘26.5″ at the high waist, 37″ at hip’ so a good inch bigger than body measurements — I might actually need the waist taken in? But I’m worried they’ll be too tight in the thigh (my thigh has a ~20″ circumference). Also, how much higher is the rise on the Kamm Pants? The Everlanes are about 12″ in the 00, which is plenty of length to make it to my navel, I can’t imagine wearing anything much higher.
the rise on the kamm pants i have in large is 13″, waist measures about 14″ hips 18″ and upper thigh area 21″
my thighs are 22″ around , waist is 28″, hips and upper thigh area (formerly known as saddlebags LOL) are both about 40″ – for reference…
the waist stretches a little and gets a teeny bit big on me if i wear them a while. and i have a little gap when i sit
the thighs/hips FIT. as in they’re tight, but not too tight.
i think the inseam being so high is what makes the pants so hard to fit. you REALLY have to get the perfect fit everywhere with that high of an inseam!!
Ah ha, so it sounds like it IS you lol. You did try on the old sizing, right? An L? And normally just adding more sizes doesn’t change the cut/shape, it just means those that are the right shape for the brand, but inbetween sizes, can benefit. I remember being between sizes (in everything) for years. What a pain!!!!!!
Okay, this is hugely helpful and maybe they’re worth stalking after all. My lower half/legs are the absolute wrong shape for skinnies and the right shape for wide legs, but the price tag on Kamms is a huge commitment. I’ll probably need to try two or three sizes anyway (because that’s what I do with all pants), and then stalk secondhand. Ugh. At a certain point, with all the time invested, buying retail could arguably be worth it.
honestly, if you’re like me, you won’t be able to stop thinking about them, and you’ll spend WAAAAY too much time trying to find them/agonizing over the sizing, etc. so, what i would do if i could is order a few different sizes from somewhere with a good return policy (full retail probably) and return what doesn’t work. or return them all and then stalk secondhand for the right size. i would not try and guess at sizing on these and just buy secondhand without being able to return them. although, if you do get stuck with a pair you can’t wear that’s final sale, you know where to send them 😉