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I'm all about comfort when it comes to what I'm going to wear for the day, from appointments around town to sitting at my desk for long stretches. And I want to wear something that's comfortable as sweat pants, but isn't going to make me look unprofessional or sloppy. Pants like leggings are the answer—something with a stretch waist and a polished, non-athleisure vibe. They need to look cute with my collection of comfortable loafers or comfortable heels. After all, there are plenty of days when we could really go for the ease of joggers or the most comfortable jeans, but we want to elevate our style (and ahem, butt appearance) a little more than our most casual clothes do. Here’s my rundown of the best figure-flattering pants to buy now that are also nap-friendly.
I chose our edit of pants like leggings based on waistband, fabric, figure-flattering fit, size range and reviews. Here's more about my criteria:
18 Shoes to Wear with Leggings, and Still Look Like You’re Wearing a Complete Outfit
I'll take my Everlane Dream Pants off when they pry them off my rigor mortis body clutching my laptop. There, I said it. Why am I so passionate about these guys? I love that the pintuck detail along the flat front of these Everlane babies makes them look presentable, while the double-knit cotton modal fabric is always nap-ready. Win-win. "These are my favorite pants for cooler temp seasons. So comfortable and they have really held up so well," writes one reviewer. "I’ve had them for several months, worn them frequently and they truly still look like new." Available in a handful of colors, the 27.5-inch inseam on my petite bod and the not-too-snug waistband make this a great fit for so many outings where I want to look equally chic and comfortable.
"I have wide hips and I love the way the waistband really smooths over my hip dips and lifts my butt, giving my shape a very sculpted look," says former PureWow Commerce Editor Olivia Dubyak. "The silhouette is so polished and clean-cut, for a put-together, yet sexy look." Thanks to smoothing ponte fabric and Spanx's signature flattering fit, these pull-on pants have a perfectly flat front. And the fabric has a super-comfortable four-way stretch, so you don't have to sacrifice comfort for a professional look. Wearers praise the pants' ability to shape and hold, without being overly restrictive.
"I love that they come in so many sizes, including tall and petite, and that they look polished and professional but are so lightweight and comfortable," says PureWow Fashion Editor Abby Hepworth of these bestselling pants. "They are my go-to travel pants, because the front pockets are just the right size and there’s also a zippered pocket in back for stowing important things you don’t want to lose." Made of recycled material, they have the soft feel of an expensive legging, and the wide waistband and gentle drape of the leg fabric make them crisp enough for wearing to the office on Friday or as part of an upgrade-worthy travel look. Quick-drying and UPF 50+, these pants are begging to be worn at a nice resort ASAP.
4. Eileen Fisher System Slim Ankle Pants
These are slinky little pants that can be dressed up or down, and not only are they super comfortable, I've been on trips where I washed them in a hotel sink when I was traveling, then just dried them over the shower rail. Also, I depend on these to layer under dresses all through fall. Eileen Fisher's separates are beloved for their durable construction, high-quality materials and classic ultra-wearable designs—and this pair of pull-on skinny pants is one of the brand's most popular styles, and IMHO, totally worth the investment.
5. Quince Ultra-Stretch Ponte Bootcut Pant
"These pants are very comfortable and look sleek," writes one reviewer. "I love them and will wear them through three seasons. I’m usually an XL but I sized down to a L and they fit better due to the stretch." Available in olive, charcoal, navy and black, these boot cut pants have a pull-on style with flat elasticized waistband and belt loops.
6. Ann Taylor Petite Ponte Straight Leg Pant
Petites, your straight-from-purchase, no-hemming-necessary dreams have been answered with these full-length, straight-leg pants. In petite sizing, the 28-inch inseam means these can be worn with flat boots or, since the silhouette is straight-up-and-down, with heels or boots to show off your footwear. What's especially welcome are the camel and bright blue colorways which liven up any petite's wardrobe (as a petite, I can attest to how disappointing it is to just show endless neutral color options that a manufacturer has tacked on to a collection to satisfy shorter wearers). "I'm about 5'1", and the length is just perfect," writes one reviewer. "The pant is made of a very good thick material that is just right in this cold weather."
7. Pilcro The Izzie Relaxed Pull-On Barrel Pants
With 101 reviews totaling a nearly perfect 4.7 out of 5 stars, these narrow wale corduroy pants are versatile cool-weather pant of the season. I love the tall (12.5 inches) rise, the 25.5-inch length and the way that the parentheses-shaped curve of these pants have a fashionable look, without being too tight in the hips and tummy region. In hues including moss, warm brown, dusty blue and a charming faded rose, these are the easy-to-pull-on pants you'll wear all weekend and to the office, too.
8. Banana Republic Factory Hayden Tapered Pant
"Love the fit, love the waist band. Great traveling pants!" exclaims one reviewer, and I couldn't agree more. The recycled polyester-and-rayon fabric resists wrinkling and tapers through the thigh, so you can look pulled together even as you're jumping up to race to your assigned gate at the other end of the airport. They are loose enough so that they don't show every lump and bump on your thighs, but so well-tailored they don't need a zipper to get into and out of.
9. Amazon Essentials Women's Cropped Wide Leg Pull-On Pants
"These pants feel like soft, comfortable leggings but fit like a flattering pair of dress pants," writes one reviewer. "They feel very soft and comfortable but have a crisp, professional look that I can definitely wear to work." The 29-inch inseam with an 11.5-inch leg opening is suitable for petites to wear as full-length and taller folks to sport as slightly cropped. Available in navy blue and black, these trousers pair nicely with T-shirts and denim jackets as well as profesh button-front blouses.
10. Ministry of Supply Fusion Straight Leg Pant
"Love them! Two weeks in Europe, washed them in the sink (after spilling red wine on them), wrung them out and hung on the shower head to dry," writes one reviewer. "The next morning, they were clean, dry and wrinkle-free! My new travel essentials! Love the feel of the fabric, the wide waistband and the snaps to adjust length." Machine-washable, these trousers can be adjusted from 30-inch to 28 1/2-inch to 27-inch lengths, and back again.
11. Nike Sportswear Essentials Woven Pants
With a loose fit for the on-trend swish when you walk, these pants have a versatile silhouette that means you can wear them to non-sporting events as well as weekend wear. Lightweight, they have an elastic waist and length that drapes attractively over any footwear, from sneakers to heels. And they super-sturdy fabrication and contruction means you can machine wash-and-dry these babies for years without them looking worn.
These are an elegant version of ripstop climber pants that are surprisingly flattering, have handy pockets and are practically indestructible. "Very comfortable and slimming," writes one wearer. "Easy wear with a slip-on sandal and T-shirt.
13. J.Crew Delaney Kickout Sweater Pant
The high-waist, skinny-leg knit pant became a status silhouette this year, with versions costing up to $800 selling out internationally. J.Crew's sweater pant is a more affordable iteration that has a pintuck seam running up the front that stops at the top of the leg. "These pants are great, super flattering, comfortable and the perfect High Sport dupe," writes one reviewer. "I am 5’9” and ordered the long and they hit right at my ankles." The long stretches of leg on tall people look great in this trouser, which ends in an abbreviated flare hem (it's only 8 3/4 inches wide, so it's not at all overstated). The cherry red colorway is surprisingly versatile, since it is so bright it pairs well with all the other neutrals in your closet. Other shades include black and two gray tones.
Of course the office attire pros at Theory would make a great-looking trouser with an elastic waist that looks more at home in a pitch meeting than at the school playground. With minimalist styling, a flowy leg and hidden on-seam side pockets, these recycled polyester trousers will mix and match with most of your office wear.
15. Loft Heathered Ponte Wide Leg Pants
"In am obsessed with these pants," writes one reviewer. "They are stylish and very flattering to the waist. I highly recommend trying them. I wish Loft would offer them in more colors." I agree—because the secret of these pants is the way the well-disguised top elastic and center seam on the trousers lengthens the figure (most elastic-waist pants' wide waistbands visually break the line of the body). Plus, the fabric blend is so fine, you won't believe it's machine-washable.
Pants that look like leggings are popularly called stretch pants or pull-up pants. Think of them as the evolutionary missing link between the before-pandemic days (when we good citizens thought nothing of zipping ourselves into suit pants or dress pants with a zip fly and tab closure) and pandemic times, when we maybe opted for sweatpants 24/7 because we weren't leaving the house, wanted to be comfortable full-time and maybe had a chardonnay-enhanced figure we didn't want to examine too closely. No judgement! But now that we're all seeing each other, these casual pants like leggings give us a variably figure-enhancing and dependably easy option to throw on with a nice top.
The exact definition of ponte pants is really as flexible as the knit fabric they're named for. In general, ponte pants are thick stretch knit pants that don't have a zipper, button or tab closure to keep them fastened around your waist, but they do have more structure than leggings, such as pintuck details, patch pockets or kickout flare hems. Ponte pants are named for the stretchy knit they are made of, a blend of rayon, nylon and spandex that often has a bit of texture, in contrast to the smoother and usually thinner material used in leggings.
One Reddit commentor responds to the recurring debate with a look back to the beginning of the athleisure craze: "This cracks me up because to be honest, I was in my early 20s when leggings started becoming a thing. I was ADAMANT that they were not okay to wear in public!," she writes. "Twenty years later, and you'll catch me in nothing but leggings these days." The moral of this story is yes, the acceptance of leggings-as-pants has increased in in the past decade or so, however wearers need to decide on a case-by-case basis if their leggings are going to look too casual for their situation. (For example, if my surgeon shows up in leggings and loafers, I'm a little unsettled.) My recommendation is when in doubt, wear a stretchy pant from our list instead of leggings everywhere except headed to your workout.
20 Pairs of Leggings with Pockets That Are Big Enough to Hold All Your Essentials, Vetted by PureWow Editors
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