Ask The Edit: In Need of Pants for Summer
May 31, 2017
Hi Belle,
My office has a strict no jeans policy and I need pants to wear on casual Friday. I went shopping but got overwhelmed by all the options, good and bad. Dresses aren’t an option because my office is kept at 58-degrees in the summer. (The supervisors spent their holiday bonuses on better A/C units last year. It’s great being the only woman engineer in the place.) Could you do one of those roundups you do? I feel like I just need 5 or 6 good options to look at.
Love your blog! Avery (yes, your dog and I have the same name)
Chilly offices are definitely a thing, I just didn’t realize there were men so dedicated to being cold that they would give up bonuses to work Arctic-like conditions. Regardless, there are a lot of great summer pant options out there, so let’s narrow it down a bit. Here are the styles that caught my eye.
Cropped Skinny Chinos ($60, also petite and tall)
Great color selection. The comments are very complementary of the fit and style.
Body Defining Ankle Pants ($79)
A bit more structure than above. Love the color. They claim they’re wrinkle free and washable.
NYDJ Linen Five-Pocket Pants ($115, regular & petite)
Unsure if these are lined. They come in nine colors.
BR Chambray Wide Leg Pant ($88, also in petite)
They’re not jeans; they’re chambray. Also, Banana was the clear winner for pants selection.
A bolder choice, to be sure. Wear them with a structured white blouse and a green flat.
Talbot’s Plus-Size Linen Pants ($90)
Adding my recommendation to the Banana chambray pants. I bought them this past weekend, and I may never take them off. They are the most comfortable pair of dress pants I’ve ever worn.
If you’re looking for something other than jeans/chinos, I LOVE the “Maddie” pants from J. Crew and they come in many different colors. https://www.jcrew.com/p/womens_category/pants/slim/maddie-pant-in-bistretch-cotton/f9059?isFromSearch=true&color_name=tawny-sand&N=0&Nloc=en&Ntrm=maddie%20pant&Npge=1&Nrpp=60&Nsrt=0.
They could be worn with a cute striped t-shirt and ballet flats for casual Friday, or a dressier top for other days of the week. (They’re also super comfortable).
http://www.thepolishedblog.com
I’d like to put in a recommendation here for the Liverpool pull-on pants (available on Amazon) and the Dress Pant Yoga Pant by Betabrand. I wear them with long blouses and they are super comfy and stylish!
I second the Betabrand Dress Pant Yoga Pant! LOVE them. I tried the Liverpool pants in a stitchfix (I think?) and they were good for a few months but eventually got tiny holes along the back pockets 🙁 Yoga Pants have stood up for 6+ months of 3-4 wears/week with no issues!
I love these gap pants so much. I just bought a second pair. Super flattering and they don’t wrinkle. https://www.gap.com/browse/product.do?cid=1077007&vid=1&pid=130046522
If you’re willing to spend a bit more, these MM LaFleur pants in black are one of my faves — exceedingly comfortable, stretchy, professional-looking (though on the skinnier side), wrinkle resistant, and machine washable.
https://mmlafleur.com/shop/foster-black
MM LaFleur pants are amazing. I wasn’t really planning on spending $200 on pants in DC, but I bought the Nakamura trousers and have no regrets. My favorite part is the pockets with plenty of real estate for keys, smartphones, snacks, etc. I had resigned myself to pocketless pants but no more.
+! on the chambray pants. I have a few pair and they’re so light and comfortable, and they’re great because you can style them like jeans. Loft usually does great versions — right now they have a cropped version, they usually have a few good options each season: https://www.loft.com/chambray-belted-culottes/434131?skuId=23155947&defaultColor=4647&colorExplode=false&catid=catl000014
The LOFT Chinos are garbage– the fabric loses its shape quickly, wrinkles like hell and makes for some serious diaper butt.
Damn. I just ordered a pair. The comments said they stretched a little but held shape. Damn.
I live for the Frankie Chino from JCrew Factory and they are practically always on sale (and available in petite):
https://factory.jcrew.com/womens-clothing/pants/chino_cotton/PRD~08621/08621.jsp?Nbrd=F&Nloc=en_US&Nrpp=48&Npge=1&Ntrm=frankie&isSaleItem=false&color_name=RED%20CLAY&isFromSearch=true&isNewSearch=true&hash=row0
Any suggestions on how to figure out if pants are too tight? I loved the Limited Exact Stretch. They were stretchy without showing the full outline of my bum. I’m trying the BR Sloan and the Old Navy trouser pants but they’re tight (but not sure if they are too tight!). The BR Ryan stretches out to a full size larger over the course of the day. Stupid Limited!!
Do they pucker under the tush or at the knees? That can be sign they’re too tight.