Pajama/lounge pants with no strings attached

April 20, 2020 6:50 AM

I'm looking for high-quality women's pajama or lounge pants with an elasticized waist - no ties. For some reason, this is hard. Other snowflakes within.

In addition to no ties, I'm looking for a light fabric - so not flannel - and something that's meant to fit in a loose way - not tight against the calves. Also, prefer no or only very light elastic at the ankles. The very few pants I find without ties seem to have very low waists, and it seems like they wouldn't stay up well - am I missing something there? I've used lounge pants, pajama pants, and yoga pants for search terms - are there some possibilities I'm missing? As far as size goes, I'm female and basically between plus sizes and regular sizes right now, so either would probably work.

Also, please nothing about how I can take out the ties and make the pants into elasticized pants. In a more perfect world, I suppose I could do that, but I don't have the bandwidth (or the sewing machine) right now.

Thanks!

posted by FencingGal to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (17 answers total)

MeUndies lounge pants? They're made from a super soft, light fabric. They do fit more like joggers than like "typical" PJ pants, and you can feel them on your calves (but not in a constricting way) - I'm not sure if you'd consider that too tight.
posted by mosst at 6:53 AM on April 20, 2020

I have lounge pants that have both thick elastic and a thin, separate inner drawstring where the elastic is sufficient to keep them up (several have lost the drawstring entirely) - is that a suitable option for you? Mine are ancient and are warmer fabric so I can't recommend brands, but they have no trouble staying up without the drawstring.
posted by needs more cowbell at 7:15 AM on April 20, 2020 [2 favorites]

Old Navy
posted by yawper at 7:18 AM on April 20, 2020 [2 favorites]

Like needs more cowbell, most of my PJs/lounge pants have elastic with a drawstring, but the elastic is sufficient to keep them up and I only tie the drawstring if we have guests. I've gotten a decent amount from Target, and on quick preview their selection has a lot of the "thicker elastic/decorative drawstring" style inventory.
posted by DoubleLune at 7:32 AM on April 20, 2020

Right at this moment I am wearing a pair of Karen Neuberger lounge pants I got in a 2 pack from Costco. This pair met with an unfortunate spin cycle incident and lost its drawstring some time ago.

- elastic waist is plenty to keep them up
- they ride above my ample butt while sitting, not high rise but not low riders at all
- loose through the leg and ankle
- t-shirt fabric weight

They were still at Costco last time I was there so I don't think this was some exclusive one time run. I think it's just a stock item from that loungewear line.
posted by phunniemee at 7:45 AM on April 20, 2020 [1 favorite]

The Mola pants from Universal Standard meet your requirements (and they have pockets!), but it seems like maybe they're being phased out right now -- they're only available in black and many sizes are sold out.
posted by amarynth at 8:06 AM on April 20, 2020

I generally buy my pj pants at Target or Old Navy and they almost always have a drawstring in addition to elastic waistbands and I've never, ever had to use the ties. Some of my pj pants are at least 5 years old and falling apart but the elastic is still going strong.
posted by cooker girl at 8:22 AM on April 20, 2020

Since you said high quality, you might be interested in these Eileen Fisher lounge pj's that fit all your criteria. The website this links to, Garnet Hill, also has tons of similar, very nice and a bit less expensive ones, though some seem to be a little more low-rise in the waist.
posted by nantucket at 8:44 AM on April 20, 2020

They only come in size 12-44 (petite, women's, or tall, see size chart for full measurements), but I just ordered 3 more pair of Woman Within's 7 Day Knit Straight Leg Pant (they also have a "wide leg" boot cut), which are my Work From Home pant. Elastic waist that is sturdy and not bunchy, good leg, poly/cotton, POCKETS. They're nondescript enough to wear out for errands.

My original pair (which I have on now) are starting to pill slightly after almost two years of weekly washing, but I notice it's only where I tend to bump into stuff or a seatbelt edge might rub, so that might only be operator error.
posted by Lyn Never at 8:56 AM on April 20, 2020 [2 favorites]

I don’t know whether the sizing will work for you but I absolutely love these “slouchy yoga pants” from Ripple. I personally like the extra-long ones and have found that they’re not too tight around the calves, but you may prefer the other style. The stone wash fabric is fairly thick, but the organic cotton is thin and soft and comfy. The waistband is just a double layer of fabric, but stays up surprisingly well. They’re the only lounge pants I have that I can actually sleep in — I can barely even tell I’m wearing anything.
posted by duien at 9:13 AM on April 20, 2020

I always find sizing a little tricky to figure out from online measurements, so for a reference point on Ripple's sizing: I generally wear a size 10-12 for bottoms, and have an XL in the stonewash and a L in the cotton. I could have pretty easily worn the next size down for both (and would probably size down if ordering again), but did find that I prefer the stonewash one size larger than the cotton.
posted by duien at 9:26 AM on April 20, 2020

These Jockey slim bootleg pants are great, in my experience. I'm an Xl, or size 14 usually. They have a soft comfy waistband, no ties, but stay up really well, and wash and wear well. I've had my pair since 2017 and wear them weekly, and only recently thought they might need to be replaced.
posted by See you tomorrow, saguaro at 9:29 AM on April 20, 2020

I got these stretch pants from Uniqlo recently. No ties, have pockets, fit loosely around the calves and ankles. I don't have any problems with them staying up.
posted by yasaman at 12:15 PM on April 20, 2020

I have joggers (loose at ankle on me) from both Old Navy and Target. They have elastic waists and drawstrings. In some of my pants I've just pulled and cut the drawstring and relied on the elastic. In others, the drawstring is stretchy too and doesn't get in the way.
posted by Crystalinne at 2:07 PM on April 20, 2020

Having looked for something similar when it became clear that I was going to be working from home for an indefinite amount of time, you may want to check out these TomboyX pyjama pants. They have elastic waistbands, a loose straight-leg fit (no ankle elastic), and light microfiber-y fabric. And pockets, which are important! There are also some slightly heavier ones (T-shirt fabric, not flannel) that have drawstrings that are essentially decorative over elastic waistbands.
posted by ASF Tod und Schwerkraft at 4:06 PM on April 20, 2020

lands end sport knit
posted by brujita at 7:00 PM on April 20, 2020

Seconding the Uniqlo suggestion--they fit all of your criteria and are fab. I live in mine at home and they've held up great through frequent washing and drying over the past 12 months or so.
posted by stillmoving at 11:36 AM on April 21, 2020