When I was first starting out in my work wardrobe I wore Old Navy slacks. The color didn’t stay true very long, maybe 15 washes, but the fit me and it was what I could afford. Fast forward 10 years and the old navy pants have changed (they don’t even make the pants I used to wear) and my favorite work pants have changed a few times. I try a new pair and I they become my favorite or I return them immediately. It’s difficult to see so many choices and know which ones to pick. Until Gap brings back the long and lean work slacks, it’s going to be a job trying to find the perfect pair of work pants.
Well I’m here for you. I’ve tried on eight different pairs of workwear pants and I’ve got reviews on all of them. Before we jump into my thoughts let’s review the parameters of the slacks I chose. They needed to be under $150 because over that and you’ve lost my interest entirely; I wanted to span the price point spectrum so we’ve got prices from X to X. I only chose one fit from each store, for instance Jcrew has a few different fits but I only chose the Cameron. I didn’t add any wide leg slacks but I do have some labeled ‘high waist,’ but I’d classify them as ‘adult’ waist so I kept them in the mix. I also wanted to try some of the workwear pants you might hear about a lot on social media or from influencers – let’s put those to the test.
To be clear, no one sponsored this post. One of the pairs was gifted to me but they know I don’t hold back. If you don’t believe in your product, don’t send it. I’ve rated each pair in these areas: quality of fabric, professional appearance, comfort, price, sizing, and my over all thoughts. In sizing my ratings will be: true to size (TTS), need to try on in person, order multiple and make returns. If it’s difficult to try on in person I’ve gone straight to order and return.
I am a big believer that leggings are not pants, unless you’re working out, and leggings do not have a place in the workplace. You can’t just slap the name workwear pants on leggings and think everything will be okay because it’s not and I will die on that hill. Along with short suits but that’s a tangent for another day…
My body type: size 14/16 depending on fit, 5’9.5″, hourglass shape with a tummy. This is important for you to consider so you can extrapolate to your own body shape. If there is a tall or curvy option I opt for those.
Spanx: High Waist Straight Leg Ponte Pants
Fabric – 5/5
Prof App – 4/5
Comfort – 4/5
Price – $$$
Sizing: Order Multiple & Return
Thoughts – These were my go to pants for a few years. It took me a few tries to get the sizing right and I was not a fan of some of the styles, I felt like they didn’t look like pants – the legging effect. I sit a lot at work and found that this waistband tended to roll a little which was slightly uncomfortable and then the elastic in the waist would get creased which wasn’t the look you wanted. Tucking in shirts to these flat to the waistband isn’t a good option, you can see where your shirt ends in the pants themselves and it’s all a thick ponte fabric that holds you in but it can only smooth so much.
TLDR: Popular for a reason
JCrew: Cameron Pants in Four Season Stretch (Tall)
Fabric – 4/5
Prof App – 5/5
Comfort – 4/5
Price – $$
Sizing: TTS
Thoughts – Love and loved these pants for years. They come in so many colors throughout the year as Jcrew releases new ones. I order the ‘tall’ versions on these and have them in the ankle length and long length. These pants can hang with the best of them and always look professional in either length. I find myself still grabbing these pants for work years after years. They have a slight stretch to them because of the fabric and the cut. Some of Jcrew’s other pants are cut different. I also like the Kate fit, they’re cut a tad straighter than the Cameron. The four season stretch is my favorite fabric; I do wear them in all seasons and I think they hold their shape better than the cotton fabric.
TLDR: Solid work pants – buy them on sale.
Ann Taylor: Eva Pants (Tall)
Fabric – 4/5
Prof App – 5/5
Comfort – 4/5
Price – $$$
Sizing: TTS
Thoughts – These pants are a fantastic workwear option – if you buy the correct size they don’t cling and they definitely don’t look like leggings. I love the length and the cut on the leg. These pants will never be mistaken for anything other than workwear and when you’re buying workwear pants that’s exactly what you want. The fabric is a bit rougher than ponte fabrics or the Jcrew Cameron pants but it’s nothing that I noticed after a minute, it’s just something of note.
TLDR: Classic choice – good cut.
Old Navy: High-Waisted Pixie Skinny Pants
Fabric – 2/5
Prof App – 3/5
Comfort – 3/5
Price – $
Sizing: TTS but long
Thoughts – Putting these on I was surprised how nice they feel; the fabric is thinner than the other pants I prefer but they’re not as thin as I thought they would be. They are super long on me, I bought the Tall length but these are bunching at my ankles and I’m 5’9″! They fit great in their rise, not high like at your waist but high enough that you don’t have to worry about anything sliding down when you sit. While these aren’t the pants I used to buy they’re a great pant to get you going as you build your work wardrobe.
TLDR: A great basic pant on a budget.
Cotidie: Larissa Trousers
Fabric – 5/5
Prof App – 4/5
Comfort – 5/5
Price – $$$
Sizing: TTS
Thoughts – Okay, I wrote an entire post on these trousers already. That post was sponsored and these were gifted and you can read that I thought they were going to be stupid and I was going to have to get creative when I wrote about them but man was I wrong. You get three different lengths from these pants and they are in a fabulously thick ponte fabric. The waistband doesn’t roll over or crunch like the spanx pants do. The only issue I’ve had is when I’ve washed them and had to make sure the waistband lay flat – easy to do and not an issue.
TLDR: My Favorite – purchase immediately. Use code DOCKET15 for 15% off
H&M: Slacks
Fabric – 1/5
Prof App – 2/5
Comfort – 2/5
Price – $
Sizing: try on in person but they run small like everything at H&M
Thoughts – These were cut very slim, almost like an inverted triangle. The fabric was horrendous, scratchy and thin. As soon as I put them on I wanted to immediately take them off. They’re $20 so I understand that if these are the only ones in your budget but I doubt these are going to hold up past a few washes. You might be better buying a pair that’s slightly more expensive and wear those out before you spend your money on a pair that will last longer. You can’t sit in them if you have hips or a butt. Do not sit. You will show your undies.
TLDR: Don’t buy them unless you have to.
Express: Stylist High Waisted Pleated Pant
Fabric – 4/5
Prof App – 4/5
Comfort – 5/5
Price – $$$
Sizing: Size up (but TTS in my ‘normal’ Express size)
Thoughts – I liked that these were more of a HIGH waisted pants – almost to my waist. My waist is high on my body so they didn’t quite reach but they were close. They have room in the hips, a lot of extra room! They were long enough (they don’t come in tall) and the fabric was soft while still keeping their shape. Honestly, it’s a nice pant but there’s a quality about them that keeps them from taking a top spot. It might be the pleats… but I still like the pleats…
TLDR: If you want pleated pants these are for you.
Quince: Ultra-Stretch Ponte Straight Leg Pant
Fabric – 2/5
Prof App – 2/5
Comfort – 5/5
Price – $
Sizing: TTS
Thoughts – I’m pretty sure these are a remake of old dance pants I used to have. Seriously, it’s a waistband and stretchy fabric; fairly confident I could do the splits in these if I stretched enough. The fabric isn’t thick enough to smooth anything and because of this they look like you’re wearing athleisure wear to work. And if I’m wearing athleisure wear to work then I’m still not wearing these work pants. They were $50 and I wouldn’t spend that on them. You have better choices for pants than these.
TLDR: Not worth the hype
I hope you’ll put my try on session to good use and find you new favorite pair of pants! Or maybe you’ll decide you need to have a few different ones to pick from – try all the styles! Check out my workwear #OOTDs to see which ones I actually wear to work.
This info is gold! I swear by Spanx, but it definitely took some trial and error to get the right fit.