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Moving from conspicuous to conscious consumption and doing reviews along the way.  Find plenty of unsponsored reviews of Quince, Everlane, Grana, and Cuyana on the site!  I'm working towards a minimal waste lifestyle, and oh yea I love bags >.<

Grana Review Silk Flat Front Ankle Pants and Grana has changed their silk!

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So this might be old news for some of you (that Grana has changed the silk of most of their items).  But for those who don't know yet, Grana is now using 16mm crepe de chine silk which is 2mm thicker than their original 14mm crepe de chine.  BUT (and this is a big but here) they are no longer doing double layer silk.  So it might seem like one step forward but it's actually two steps back.  And the perfect example of this is what they did to my all time favorite Grana product: the silk ankle pants.  

So the original silk ankle pants (which they still have so go get those while they're still available!) is made of double layered 14mm silk.  I reviewed those pants here.  Now they have the new silk flat front ankle pants which are almost like the original in style, except they have a flat front. And they are made of a single layer of 16mm silk.  You can definitely tell the difference, the biggest one being that now you have very obvious VPL with the single layer flat front pants.  

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Ok so not a flattering picture but just wanted to show proof of the VPL (though I'm sure most of you would have just gladly taken my word for it).  

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{Wearing: Tradlands The Faroe top (reviewed here), Grana Flat Front Silk Ankle Pants, Everlane The Day Heel, and Hermes Lindy 30 (similar here)}

On the positive side, I do like the cleaner look of the flat front pants (instead of the pleats of the old silk ankle pants).  They're able to achieve the flat front but keep the waist band elastic by having a non-stretchy flat waistband in the front.  In general, this does make the pants a bit more fitted and tight.

As for the silk material I can't tell the difference between the 14mm silk and the newer 16mm silk.  But I definitely miss that extra layer of silk.  I think my perfect pair of silk pants would be the styling of this flat front silk pants but in the double-layered silk.  And well I don't think that's going to happen because a reader had emailed Grana asking them why they went with a single layer for most of their new silk offerings.  They replied because now that they're using a thicker silk material it's adequate for a single later.  Eh, I don't think so Grana.  Until it goes back to double layered silk, I don't think I'll be purchasing any new silk items from Grana.

But if you want to purchase any of their remaining double silk items (check the 'Details & Care' section, it will tell you if it's double-layered or not) and you're a first time Grana customer you can 10% off your first purchase (referral link).  And you can find all my other Grana reviews here.

Grana Review Silk Ankle Pants Review

Still catching up on all my Grana reviews here so bear with me as I post several Grana reviews in a row.  These silk ankle pants have been making their rounds around the blogosphere with mostly favorable reviews so I thought I might as well try them out as well.  These ankle pants are made of Grana's 16mm crepe de chine, which I'm not really a huge fan of (I much prefer their 22mm georgette satin which is what their v-neck tank and slip dresses are made of).  But at the very least, these are made with 2 layers of silk which makes the pants feel much more substantial.  Also because of the double layer of silk, there's no VPL which is also a win in my book.

First a note on sizing, I ordered the pants in medium short because although I'm 5'4" I have the legs of a short person.  I love that Grana sizing comes in short, regular or long so you can really find the fit that works best for you.

Anyways I love love love these pants.  They're super comfortable and they feel like PJs really.  I wore them for the 20+ hours plane rides and layovers that it took to get to Thailand and they were perfect (very little to no wrinkling!!).  Felt like PJ's but didn't look as shabby.  These are now my go-to airplane pants.

The only annoying thing about these pants is that with prolonged wear, the elastic band sometimes twists.  So every now and then you have to straighten the elastic out.  But other than that a pair of quality silk pants for $69 is totally worth it.  If you're interested in getting your own pair, this referral link will get you 10% off for first time customers.  And you can find all my other Grana reviews here.

And here are some other blogger's opinions of these silk ankle pants: Capsule Closet, Karen Cheng, and K is for Kani.