I'm a simple man.

The Grouch was on to something with his Simple Man track. My roommate and I have been referring to his verses since 2003. I like beans and rice. I'm a simple man, really. I like it. It's clear. It's catchy. And best of all, it's true.

It is with this mindset that I discuss, or rather I expand on khaki pants. As mentioned in an earlier post, khaki's are quite possibly the perfect pants given their versatility and comfort. Some may argue jeans are the way to go. And I would probably agree with them to some extent. But let's not forget about those 100% cotton khakis hanging in your closet.

Last weekend I was fortunate enough to assist a friend with his hunt for the perfect pair. Given the fact that I have become quite the khaki expert, I was thrilled at the idea of lending some support and adjustments to his khaki experience.

It was a warm day in late August and my friend had been struggling with an outfit for work. "Business casual" he kept saying, "that is what I need." I felt his pain. For it was not that long ago that I too needed to step up the business casual ensemble. In an interview, I asked him "when did you first feel the need to wear khakis?" to this, he responded with unbridled enthusiasm, "it was the time we had dinner- you in your khakis and that oxford cotton blue collared shirt; it was a perfect match between comfort and style." Well, you get the idea. He was hooked. Hooked on the khakis. And I was overjoyed to walk him through it.

We arrived at the mall and quickly scanned a few stores for deals. And then it happened. On entering one of the shops we were inundated with customer service representatives pushing a 30% off sale. Brilliant. We became excited and quickly ran to the back to see what we could get our hands on. My friend ended up trying on four pairs and purchasing two. I confirmed they were a good fit and gave him the two thumbs up. Luckily, the pants were perfect (one can always have a post-purchase alteration but it's not my cup of tea). Driven by my interest in these pants, I inquired to the cashier about his latest purchase, "tell me, is it the colour or the fabric that makes a khaki? and what's the deal with khakis anyways? " I have always wondered about this issue. I have conducted some research on the subject. And I will probably write about it at some point. But I am always interested to hear people's responses. After staring at me blankly for a few seconds, she answered with "that's an odd question... I think it's the fabric." Well, I don't know about that. But I appreciated her input.

A simple pant for a simple man. So it turns out The Grouch had it right all along, it really is all about good taste, expensive or not. So if I were you, I would crank that Bonnie Tyler, throw on a pair of crisp, clean khakis and call it a day.