The Acajou Pants by Deer and Doe Patterns
The Acajou Pants pattern has been sent to me for free by Deer and Doe in exchange for a review. They have encouraged honesty in all our communications regarding this review, and all opinions stated below are my own!
The lovely folks over at Deer and Doe Patterns reached out to me last month to see if I would be interested to review one of their two newest patterns, the Acajou pants, and I don’t remember saying yes to anything more quickly! :) I finished making them within the first couple of days of receiving the pattern, and I haven’t been able to take them off since! I’m so glad that they don’t have to exist as secret pants anymore 🥳
They are high waisted trousers with an elasticated back, a cocoon shape to the legs, seams going down the front of the legs, beautiful slanted pockets and a patch pocket on the back. They come in two views, one more classic (which is the one I made) and one more casual. I made my pair out of some dark grey gabardine suiting to maximize the effect of some of their more classic features, but you could get a totally different look by using a more casual fabric and / or going with the view B, which features cargo pockets and elasticated cuffs!
FITTING NOTES
I made a size 34 with no fit adjustments, and I’m very pleased with the way they fit. I’m not a huge fan of elastic waist pants on me (I know, I know…) so I was slightly apprehensive about the elasticated back on these, but I’m pleased to report that they got the amount of ease just right! It’s extremely comfortable, but there isn’t an overwhelming amount of fabric gathered at the back of the waist. They still look nicely fitted in the back, while allowing for some room for inescapable bloating throughout the day :’)
The crotch is slightly dropped on my pair, which is exactly how I want my more classic trousers to fit. I should note, however, that I’m not sure if this is built into the pattern, or if it’s caused by my rather short height. Deer and Doe patterns are drafted for a height of 1m68 (5’6″) and I’m 1m63 (5’4”) so I think it might be the latter. I would recommend making a quick toile to see how the rise is on your body, and going from there.
The instructions called for a 1.9 cm (3⁄4”) hem, but I went for a 3 cm one instead, and that seemed to do the trick when it comes to the length of the pants.
THE DETAILS
I absolutely LOVED the way the zip fly is constructed for these pants. The instructions were crystal clear, and I love how neat and precise the end result is. A lot of construction techniques for fly zipper closures I’ve seen stress me out, but this was extremely pain and stress free! I might even ditch my previous beloved method in favour of this one!
Another incredible feature of these pants is the front pockets. They are the deepest pockets I’ve seen on a pair of trousers (at around 33 cm / 13 inches) and more importantly, they feel very secure and sturdy. The pocket bags are sandwiched between the side seam and the center front seam going down the legs, so they are supported by three seams (waist, side and center front) instead of the usual two!
I also found the way the elastic is inserted to the back of the waist to be absolutely genius! There is a short slit in the inside of the back waistband through which the elastic is fed which makes it really easy to adjust in the future. It’s great if your measurements fluctuate over time or if your elastic gets worn out and needs replacing.
I only made three little adjustments to the details of the Acajous:
The instructions called for topstitching only for the View B (which is a more street style inspired, casual pair with cargo pockets) but I loved the way it looked of my fabric so I added in some subtle topstitching along the front seams, the inseams, as well as the side seams until about hip level. I also added bartacks to the end of my topstitching down the side seams.
I added in five belt loops because you know I cannot live without my belts.
The instructions told me to cut the pocket facings out of my self fabric, but I went for a graphic print mustard yellow quilting cotton for a fun, secret pop of colour. I would also consider making my pocket bags out of lining fabric if I was using a heavier weight fabric.
THE OUTFIT
I’ve been wearing my Acajous out for the past month, and so far I have styled them with my cropped and mandarin collared Olya shirt, big jumpers and Tyra Tees. Since the weather is finally getting cooler, I wanted to recreate one of my go-to fall/winter outfits for the photos, so I layered up in my favourites!
The black mockneck top I’m wearing is Le Col Montant from the Dressed e-book by Deer and Doe (in the size 34 and view B).
The beautiful, cream coloured corduroy shirt originally belonged to my mother (as is the case for nearly all my non-me-made clothing), it’s probably from the 90s.
The shoes are Dr. Martens 1461s, and my mask made using the 3D mask tutorial by Keiko Olsson on Youtube. And yes, it matches my pocket facings because I’m *that* person :’)
