Can you help me find awesome pants?

May 31, 2019 12:07 PM

I’m a stay at home mom in search of comfortable pants that fit the following criteria:

In order of importance:

1. Comfortable and flexible. I’m a stay at home mom so I need to be able to bend down and sit on the floor and climb at the playground, etc. I have a narrow waist and a big butt, so I’m prone to pants gapping at the waist and showing butt crack. I’d really like to avoid that.

2. Breathable. I have swamp crotch (recurrent BV). I need some air flow in that region.

3. Pockets! Because I’m a mom and I never have enough hands for everything.

4. Easy care. I can handle machine wash, line dry, but that’s as complicated as I am willing to do right now.

5. Sun protection but not too hot. I love the idea of capris but have gotten sunburned out on long walks with them.

I pretty much only wear flip flops or running shoes on my feet and solid color or nerdy printed t-shirts on top. I will pay a decent amount to have a few pairs of pants I don’t have to think about anymore. I’m not too particular about leggings versus jeans or jeggings versus something else as long as they fit all the criteria above.

Some pants that come close but aren’t just right include Dress Pant Yoga Pants from Betabrand (not breathable enough and no pockets), Excursion pants from Athleta (not breathable enough), or Prana yoga pants (no pockets).

Any great ideas, lovely smart people? Thanks!

posted by bananacabana to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (13 answers total)

I bought several pairs of these last summer and lived in them. So easy, breathable, and comfy, and with pockets!
posted by mefireader at 12:22 PM on May 31, 2019 [1 favorite]

Try pants meant for hiking and climbing. They'll be durable, flexible, breathable, and have pockets. Many of them will zip off to shorts or roll up to capris for extra ventilation. Downside is they're often not very fashionable.

My current favorites are Cabela's XPG Trail Pants. They have elastic at the waist, so that will probably help with the gaping.

Betabrand also used to make Travel Yoga Pants that were their Yoga Dress Pants but with pockets (front, back, slimline cargo, and a couple of inner zipped ones). I don't see them on their website anymore, but they probably wouldn't have been breathable enough for you anyway.
posted by natabat at 1:06 PM on May 31, 2019

I have a pair of the pants mefireader linked above and they were my go-to all summer long last summer. They are cropped but not really Capri length. I’m 5’7” with long legs and they are more ankle length on me. Definitely longer than on the model. They’re kind of slouchy/baggy and linen-blend so they have a very relaxed look, but I found that worked well with my nerdy t shirts and sandals.
posted by jeoc at 1:06 PM on May 31, 2019

I like these; look like jeans (and have pockets) but feel like leggings.
posted by metasarah at 1:18 PM on May 31, 2019

I was just at Uniqlo and was fairly tempted by these cotton linen pants.
posted by vunder at 2:02 PM on May 31, 2019 [2 favorites]

These are my favourite pants! I find them super flattering, comfortable and stylish to boot. They deal well with the small waist/big bum factor, wash well and breathe. Some styles have pockets on the sides and I think they all have pockets in the back. Plus I love supporting a designer instead of a big business.
posted by bighappyhairydog at 3:36 PM on May 31, 2019 [1 favorite]

I have a couple pair of Athleta Gap trousers (the one I chose is just one example) and I love them.
posted by frumiousb at 4:48 PM on May 31, 2019 [1 favorite]

lands end sport knits have an elastic waist and decent sized pockets
posted by brujita at 6:39 PM on May 31, 2019 [1 favorite]

Linen pants are the best summer pants. Mine came from Athleta a few years ago.
posted by asphericalcow at 7:38 PM on May 31, 2019 [1 favorite]

I hesitate to recommend this sizist brand, but I also require breathable fabric due to recurrent BV, and this is the best I've found. Lululemon on the Fly pants (woven).
posted by Juniper Toast at 9:00 AM on June 1, 2019

I haven’t tried this particular pant but Duluth Breezeshooter pants seem promising. Specifically says they’re breathe able, FIVE pockets, and full length but convertible if you want. I tend to have a waist gap due to boo-tay and this brand has generally been ok.
posted by Pretty Good Talker at 5:02 PM on June 2, 2019 [1 favorite]

Linen pant. The J Crew seaside pant is great but can be pricey. Old Navy has lots. Roxy makes a version that is nice as well. I live in S. Florida and find the summer pants thing to be difficult, too. The ones with drawstrings help the waist-butt ratio.
posted by mrfuga0 at 6:15 AM on June 3, 2019

> I haven’t tried this particular pant but Duluth Breezeshooter pants seem promising.

I have a pair of those exact pants and yup, that's what you want.
posted by The corpse in the library at 8:57 AM on June 3, 2019