Megan’s Measurements, 2023:
Waist: 28″
Full Hip: 42″
Height: 5’5″
Size purchased in all: 8 US
Reformation and I have a bit of a complicated relationship. I send back far more than I keep, but my closet is still largely comprised of their clothing and their customer service is, in my opinion, unmatched. The Mason pant is a fairly sought-after style of theirs, and I wore these trousers exclusively for two years before I switched to the Aritzia Curve Fit Essential and Agency pants (review incoming). I do still love the Mason pant, but they have some caveats that I’ll detail below.
I bought these pants in a size 8 across the board, and the fit of each one was different. The cream ‘sugar’ color and ‘black’ color fit smaller than the brown-beige and beige colors, which I believe are older seasons. The brown-beige pants (where I’m wearing a striped tee) fit a size larger than the cream color. I paid $291 CAD including all taxes and duties per pant.
Now, the size 8 was a bit too big on my waist, so I altered the pant (small darts on the waistband) to fit me. The size 8 has a waist closer to 30″, but confirm Reformation’s size chart for that. They fit well over my 42″ hip-butt and I had no issues with fabric shifting, pulling, or riding up to where they don’t belong. They also have significantly more fabric in these pants than the average pant that I had previously tried – including Anine Bing, Uniqlo, and Aritzia. The drape was so luxurious and it fell over my hips so nicely and in a way that didn’t add bulk. They’re also unlined, which did help.
The pants are also made out of my favorite semi-synthetic eco fiber, Lenzing (brand) Tencel. If I see Tencel in a garment (also called Lyocell, which is the trade or ‘generic’ name), I buy.
The thing with Tencel, however, is that it will wrinkle. If I’ve been sitting all day in those pants, it looks like I’ve been sitting all day in those pants. That’s never bothered me, as I’m a living, breathing person who sits and doesn’t want to avoid natural fibers. The fabric is lightweight without feeling cheap and, again — has a gorgeous drape.
The cream color is slightly sheer, but if you wear underwear closer to your skin tone, and avoid any laser beams, I suspect you can avoid any mishaps.
Pant Caveats
The pockets are huge, but if you put things like keys or wallets in them, they sag the pant noticeably.
The fabric itself doesn’t feel cheap, but there were corners cut in the making of these pants and I want you to know what they are.
Snip, Snip, Snip…
The waistband hasn’t been fused with a rigid enough backing (pant waistbands are usually fused with a stiffer, stronger textile to reinforce the area on a pant that will endure a lot of stress at times). The Mason pant has a very lightweight fusing used– if any, honestly– which may match the pant’s overall feel but it also creases in half, horizontally, along the waistband. If you sit in these pants, the creasing on the thighs isn’t the only place where you’ll experience those wrinkles.
There’s also no button “hook”, which is when a pant does up via a button and fly zip closure but there’s a little bit of fabric extended beyond the button so you can hook it to the pant. It’s invisible from the outside, but it prevents the fabric where the button is sewn to from flipping up to be visible from the outside.
These pants don’t have anything to secure the button “flap”, so frequently, it would flip out and be visible from the outside and it looks ugly. My Aritzia Effortless Curve Fit pant has this detail, and the pants cost $167 CAD including tax. Corner? Cut.
The belt loops are also flimsy and feel as though any belt that looks at them wrong will sever them from the pant. I avoided using a belt with these pants due to this.
The pants also attract…oils. Gross-sounding, right? I can’t even explain where they come from, but whenever I was out and about in these pants they would accumulate random little stains and dark spots from Toronto’s…ambience? Or if I leaned against a coffee bar counter waiting for my order — look, the point is, these pants attract oil. Every week I’d be gently scrubbing off something inexplicable with a soft toothbrush and some rinseless Soak wash. You have been warned!
One more thing you should know is that these pants are long. I would be thrilled if I was six feet tall. But I am not, so I had to hem each of these pants by about 4″ to have a 30″-31″ inseam for a size 8. They have a shorter inseam “cropped” version now, and they also have a Petites version with a slightly different size chart that didn’t work out for me.
Would I Recommend The Mason Pant?
I dropped a dress size or two this year, so these pants don’t fit me anymore — and even if they did, I prefer the Aritzia ones mentioned in this post (Not sponsored. So far from being sponsored!) for their more luxurious feel and touches (that’s right, we’re still talking about Aritzia). The Effortless and Agency Curve pants are where I’m at these days, and these pants are half the price of the Mason pant. The thing the Mason pant really has going for it is the Tencel fabric, as well as generous fit. If you want to look like you have swathes of pleats around your hips, these are the pants for you. If you value a beautiful drape in a lightweight summer trouser, these are the pants for you. If you’re looking for a pant that has a bit more thought and detail put into its making, and at a lower price point, consider other pants.
Wrapping Up
Ultimately, my biggest gripe with the Mason pant is that it’s just too expensive for what you’re getting. Are they nice pants with a lot of great qualities? Yes. But do they equate to the near $300 price tag? Not that I can justify. Do these pants feel cheap? No. Do these pants feel cheap priced at $300? Yes. They have virtually no structure and without knowing more about labor and other parts of production and marketing, the lack of transparency from Reformation is off-putting — especially with claims like “Being naked is the most sustainable option — we’re #2”.
Prove it.
Until next time,
Megan
