« Feeling Nostalgic In Fila »

Growing up in the 70s and 80s, Chapeau Noir was wont to do three things in the summer - play golf, play tennis, and go to the beach. As you can well see, Chapeau Noir's formative years were wrought with difficulty and hardship.

It was Wimbledon that would alway marked the true start of summer for Chapeau Noir in Ontario's Near North, because by that time school was out and the lakes were finally beginning to warm to tolerable levels of enjoyment.

Always an early riser, especially for golf, Chapeau Noir would get in an early 18 before 10 AM with a retired next door neighbour, and would cycle over to the tennis club by noon to engage in epic matches with a tennis fiend who shared Chapeau Noir's desire to emulate duels between the likes of McEnroe and Connors in 1984.

More than any other sportsman of the time, save for Jack Nicklaus, Chapeau Noir held Bjorn Borg in highest regard, for both his patient baseline style and for the look he projected through Fila.

Coveting and eventually acquiring Borg's Donnay raquet, Chapeau Noir ultimately failed to complete the look of the stoic Swede for two reasons. First, Chapeau Noir was still years away from growing anything that resembled Borg's excuse for a beard, and second, acquiring Fila meant, at minimum, a trip to either Toronto or Montreal to hunt the sport shops and it was not a request that would go over well with the parents.

Regardless, it wasn't a pursuit Chapeau Noir had a great deal of interest in as there were plenty of golf balls, tennis balls, and of course girls, to chase. Chapeau Noir would have to make do in the Jimmy Connors line that was sold through the Sears catalog.

The Oslo pant from Fila Golf. Just enough sheen to make a de rigueur chino a luxurious treat.

Which finally brings us full circle to present day, after the longest product review preamble of all time, more specifically to last week, when a package arrived at Chapeau Noir's humble abode. Chapeau Noir was awash in nostalgia upon opening the package, because staring him straight in the face was some Fila - Fila Golf to be specific.

Though it was 29 years since Borg brought the brand to a young CN's attention, it was better late than never. Besides, Chapeau Noir doesn't play tennis any more.

The Oslo pant in Coyote Brown, from Fila Golf.While no one will ever mistake the Oslo pant for something Borg wore to center court in his heyday (though a vintage line is available. Want!), there is no mistaking the cache of the Fila F-box patch, sewn above the back right pocket.

Chapeau Noir must admit that a chino - Fila Golf or otherwise - would rate near the bottom of his list of preferred pants, but what Fila Golf has done with the Oslo is to make the trouser slim enough to not billow and bunch, and roomy enough not to bind.

Described by Fila Golf as having a relaxed fit, the Oslo's comfort is enhanced significantly by Fila Golf's use of spandex sateen. Just two percent of this silky stretch material gives the Oslo a modern fit and feel.

This is a simple, straightforward offering from Fila Golf, featuring smooth to the touch side seam pockets and two back welt pockets with button and loop closure.

The Oslo doesn't try too hard to be something it's not. It's a strong, no nonsense take on a classic pant, without a boot cut, nor golf slit to be found, which is far from being a criticism, because it simply doesn't need bells and whistles to stand out.

The Oslo stands out because it's Fila Golf, and because it makes you feel good when you wear it. What more can we ask?

As fit is an ultimate concern for all (and if it's not, it should be) and as a 'tweener Chapeau Noir measures in at 33 /34 the Olso's in a 34 / 34 fit  supremely.

Nostalgia may bring you back to a brand, but quality, and how the brand makes you feel when you wear it will keep you coming back for more once the novelty of nostalgia has worn off.

Chapeau Noir is happy to report that through the Oslo, Fila Golf has a luxurious feel that will keep me coming back. If the Olso pant is any indication, there will be plenty to like in the new Fila Golf range, though a visit to the retro section is definitely in order.