The Range: Soft Pants for Work, WFH and Weekend

Every day this week, I have woken up in a mood. A mood that says, “Talk to me at your own peril.” And on top of that mood, the last thing I need is to have to wear real pants. But I have a job, and meetings to attend, and site visits to make, and toddler events to chaperone, and sweatpants (contrary to the lessons learned during COVID) are not appropriate for every occasion. So here are the pants I wear when a zipper fly is just too much to take.

We’ve talked about these pull-on work pants from Spanx before. If you’re on the fence about them, let me help you down. I wore these during an all night floor debate. I napped in them. I sat crisscross on the floor in a corner in them processing amendments. I climbed 30 flights of stairs in them. Then, I tossed them in the wash on cold, laid them flat to dry and put them on the next morning (with a different blouse and shoes, of course) to do it all again. And nothing pinched or hurt. They are a miracle.

Rag & Bone’s Miramar “jeans” are what I wear to Sloane’s soccer practice. I can sit on a picnic blanket in comfort. I can chase her on the playground after. And we can still pop into a nice-ish restaurant without feeling like I’m too underdressed.

I haven’t worn a twill pant since Jesus was a boy. I wore them so often in high school and college and early-D.C. days that I just burnt out on them. But these ones from Sold Out NYC are my “cool Mom” pants. Slightly barrel leg, cinched waist (I will probably swap the waist band for a black tie), and a great semi-cropped length. I wear them with a boxy sweater and it’s casual, but cool.

You know the $200 taffeta pants that are everywhere? They felt like I repurposed one of my Nana’s couch pillows into a pair of pants. But these ones from Quince? Like pajamas you can wear to dinner. 10 colors, two inseam lengths, add a cashmere sweater and structured flats for a cool holiday look.

These Varley pants are new addition to my closet. I usually don’t wear pleats, but I saw them on a friend with a similar body type and really liked the look of them. They’re very comfortable, and the olive color looks dressier than a basic tech pant. I wear these with a loose button down or a relaxed, long sleeve tee. I’ve even layered a blazer over them and with the right shoe (usually a sleek sneaker) it looks effortless.

When I’m working from home, these Athleta Venice pants are my first choice. The flat front pant is very comfortable and looks good with any sweater or relaxed top. Lots of colors, tall and petite, sizes run up to 3X. I’m wearing them right now.

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