Most men have made peace with cheap cotton trousers and it is costing them more than they realise. Not in money, but in how their clothes look after three months of wearing. The fabric goes thin at the knees. The colour washes out. The seat loses its shape. You end up buying two pairs in the time one decent pair would still be going strong.

What separates a well made cotton trouser from a forgettable one comes down to fabric weight, how the waistband is constructed, and whether the cut actually allows for movement without bunching. We have been looking specifically at pieces that sit in that useful middle ground, smart enough to wear with a leather shoe, relaxed enough to wear with a trainer. Trousers that work across the week rather than being filed under one occasion.

The slightly higher price on these is not padding margins. It is the difference between a trouser that lasts and one that disappoints by autumn.