A short, interesting, patriotic story about one of our hottest sweaters this season (literally and figuratively). 

Side note: pretty much every employee has now bought at least one of these sweaters, so apparently Fridays have become Shetland Fridays at the store this season. Stop in today and you'll see what I mean. 

Bills' Khakis Limited Edition Shetland Wool Sweater. Available in 10 colors.  $225

The Bills Khakis Trunk Show is TODAY from 12 noon until 6pm at our Lobby Level store in 1 Embarcadero Center.

When we say there is "a ton" of Limited Edition Fall merchandise, we mean 2,000+ pounds of pants, 5-pockets, shirts, jackets, vests, sweaters, and more. Corduroys in 3 different styles (Dixie Wale, 11 Wale, and Pima Cotton), Cramerton Twills in pants or 5-pockets, Donegal tweeds, new twills, dozens of different sport shirts, jackets in leather and fleece, sport coats, and even a few GTH pants for your holiday parties this December.

In addition, you can pre-order from the Spring 2012 line to ensure that you get the linen pants in oyster in Model 1 in a size 37 or the powder blue seersucker shorts in a size 40 in case On The Fly doesn't buy them for the store. If you think the Fall line is huge, wait till you see Spring. Reserve your favorites today.

For those that are unfamiliar with Bills Khakis, you may want to start by reading our seminal work: The Top 10 Things to Love about Bills Khakis in Descending Order with Footnotes. Or just come on in and see for yourself.

We hope to see you today!

Ten plus years ago, I purchased a pair of Incotex cotton/cashmere corduroy pants. I liked them so much I bought a second pair. I may try to find and scan the receipt because, if I recall, they were around $500/pair (made in Italy, a touch of cashmere, you can see how that's perfectly reasonable). Now, this was during the dot com boom, so it was common for people in these parts to spend $500 on a pair of casual pants, wear them once, and use them to wash the car. 

At Market in January of 2010, Bills' showed a Pima Cotton Corduroy pant that felt every bit as good as my old Incotex cotton/cashmere pants, made in the US, for the low, low price of $245! We bought it in a 5-pocket and a pant last fall, and we re-upped this year.

In all seriousness, this is an expensive pant, but I actually think it's a great value relatively speaking. One stroke of the fabric and you'll immediately know why this costs more than the 11-Wale Cord at $165. Both are great autumn staples, but this is in a class of its own.

Bills Khakis Limited Edition Pima Cotton Corduroy Pants  $245

Unfortunately, "Fall" doesn't start for most clothing companies until mid- to late-August, which means the Bills Khakis Limited Edition Independence Twill shirts are too late for your July 4th BBQ this year, but we would agree with Bills' that red, white & blue are never out of fashion.

The combination of red, white, and blue is a familiar combination at Bills Khakis, regardless of the season. They show their true colors with this shirting weight, brushed twill plaid. Features a button down collar and a single open pocket.

Appropriately, made in the U.S. of 100% cotton. Machine washable. Three styles available.

Bills Khakis Limited Edition Independence Twill Shirt  $145

 

Despite what the weather says, fall is officially here as we received our first shipment of Limited Edition products from Bills Khakis. We'll spotlight a new product each day, but you can see all of the new arrivals here. 

The first product we'll showcase is the one likely to sell the best: the Original Twill in Olive Drab and Chino. Made of their signature 8.5 oz cotton, they are available in the plain front Model 2. If you don't see your size or model, we are happy to inquire with Bills about a special order, but the stars will have to align.

Bills Khakis Limited Edition Original Twills   $115

If you haven't heard, Bill Thomas, Founder of Bills Khakis, will be out in San Francisco this coming Friday for the Grand Opening Party for our new store. We're going to take the opportunity to shoot some video of the event including some brief but candid interviews with the likes of Bill, the Founder & CEO of Mulholland Brothers, Lawrence Behar of Ike Behar, Margo Petiti and others. Since I'd like to be prepared for the interviews, I've begun to write down some of the questions I plan to ask:

• You make every single one of your products in the U.S., but that's probably because you don't know that you could save millions by moving your production to low-wage countries. Now that we've brought this idea to your attention, how soon can we expect the first "Made in China" Bills Khaki?
• You sell khakis that start at $115; the Gap sells khakis at $49.50. Who's right?
  
• You have decided to base your company in Reading, Pennsylvania. We thought it was pronounced like "Redding" but we've had customers tell us it's pronounced "Reeding". Are they liars? 
  
• I realize you could alienate millions of potential customers, but: Phillies or Pirates? Eagles or Steelers?
  
• You offer a 110% satisfaction guarantee. Have you ever had a customer return your pants because he was more than 100% but less than 110% satisfied? Did you smack him?
  
• You recently commemorated the 20th anniversary of your company with a limited edition pant to benefit the USO. How much money was raised in the effort, and do you think it will be enough to oust Gaddafi? 
  
• You've recently dabbled in shirts, jackets, scarves, gloves, bags, beach towels, and you have a boot coming for Fall. What could possibly be next? A Bills Khakis Airstream Trailer? 
• The Fall 2011 collection is already in production which means you've spent the last few months immersed in Spring 2012. What's it like living in the future?
  

Any questions I missed?