Help me shop for pants!

August 25, 2023 10:00 AM

Once the weather cools down enough, I live in either jeans or dresses. I'd like to diversify my bottom half a bit.

I'm trying to break a weird quirk where I mentally classify every pant style that isn't jeans as "fancy" and thus leave it buried in my closet to rot. In my head, "fancy" means they require a nice blouse, maybe a blazer, they're corporate wear, they need nice shoes. But I work in the basement of a museum and have to be presentable but rarely "public-facing professional." I also need to be able to move and lift things. So I'm interested in pants that are not jeans, but which could work with more casual tops and which would be ok with sneakers or my very basic black Merril clogs. I'm plus-size, and depending on the cut fit anything from 14 to 18 with a 16 usually being the sweet spot. Any ideas?

posted by PussKillian to Shopping (18 answers total)

Best answer: Anything from Duluth Trading is worth checking out. Cargo pants that aren’t baggy messes yet can actually hold stuff, for example.
posted by Mizu at 10:07 AM on August 25, 2023 [3 favorites]

Maeve makes great pants. I especially like their Colette Cropped Wide-Leg Pants.
posted by maddieD at 10:15 AM on August 25, 2023 [2 favorites]

Comfiest pants I've ever worn

I'm wearing a pair right now. So compellingly comfy as to make me strongly resistant to wearing pants of any other kind ever.
posted by flabdablet at 10:27 AM on August 25, 2023

Hiking pants! They usually have more or better pockets than jeans and hold up better for me.
posted by abeja bicicleta at 10:31 AM on August 25, 2023 [1 favorite]

I love pants that aren't businessy and also aren't jeans. My personal style is a whole lot so you may not like any of my picks but hopefully they will expand your visions of what pants can be:

Lovely comfy artsy slouchy trousers

Money is no object slinky pink velvet flares

Ridiculously wonderful clowncore pants with lace panels

Ignore the styling when you're pants shopping online. Styling is what dresses you up or down. Fancy is relative to the rest of the outfit. I would wear all the pants I linked with casual tops and clogs/sneakers.
posted by RobinofFrocksley at 10:40 AM on August 25, 2023 [1 favorite]

Hiking pants!

I have these in black and they fit great and look good. they do only go up to 16, but hopefully that would work for you, they are fit to size in my experience. (I have owned a pair at different weights)
posted by supermedusa at 10:41 AM on August 25, 2023 [1 favorite]

Wear better jeans, dark wash, that fit well and aren't worn. Jean styles change, but straight leg, normal waist always looks good. The addition of spandex to jeans makes them look less casual. LLBean is near me, so I shop their outlet.

I have nice black cropped pants and somewhat loose linen cropped pants and I wear them until the weather gets bad, with a nice tshirt or a sweater. To me, it's a nice tshirt if it has no printing, is not a mens-cut tee, in very good condition. I buy tees at LLBean and JJill(outlets).

These jeans look comfortable and work-appropriate, lots of non-denim color options. I have not worn them, would not buy without easy return options, have them in my maybe later cart.

I don't think you have a shopping problem, more of a just wear it problem. If you don't have a full length mirror in a well-lit area, make that happen. Take pictures of yourself wearing the pants you own that fit with a tshirt, a sweater, cute top, blouse. Which combinations do you like the look of? You may realize that some items are ready to be retired to the weekend. Look at how people at work and in town dress. Who do you think looks good but not fussy? Take a picture, mobiles make it so easy, try to recreate an outfit.
posted by theora55 at 10:47 AM on August 25, 2023 [1 favorite]

Best answer: REI is having a Labor Day sale right now, and a lot of hiking pants they carry are just super comfortable and come in plus sizes. The brand Prana is very comfortable - I wear my one pair of hiking pants from them regularly, and for non-fancy workplaces it is work appropriate.
posted by coffeecat at 10:50 AM on August 25, 2023 [1 favorite]

I absolutely adore these.
posted by thivaia at 11:30 AM on August 25, 2023 [1 favorite]

I recently got a pair of Coalatree trailhead pants and like them a lot.
posted by wicked_sassy at 11:30 AM on August 25, 2023

Also, if you're feeling bold color-wise. Big Bud Press makes some pretty great pants.
posted by thivaia at 11:34 AM on August 25, 2023

Haha! I was just coming to past in a Big Bud link. I actually like the Pencil Pants best for fit, but the work pants are great. I also basically work in an art warehouse and they are durable and colorful and a good length.

I think what I like about them is they remind me of a time before Dickies were licensed and got shoddy. They look great with Blundstones.
posted by Lawn Beaver at 11:37 AM on August 25, 2023

I’d like to introduce you to my magical unicorn pants, the Rafaella slim leg comfort fit. I wear them in straight sizes, but I’ve linked to the plus size version here per your guidelines.

I love these pants because:
-They’re elastic-waisted and therefore don’t feel as constricting around my stomach as jeans can.
-They match effortlessly with plain everyday t-shirts or business casual workplace tops, sneakers or nicer shoes.
-As a short person, they taper nicely at the tops of my ankles, so I don’t end up with ripped cuffs over time.
-My oldest pair is coming up on 6 years, and I’d have to look at it really closely to spot the tiny signs of wear that would set it apart from newer pairs. As long as you clip stray threads now and then, these wear like iron and also don’t need to wash or dry in any special way. I say this as a lazy laundry-doer with a pattern of wearing through the knees of almost all my jeans over time.

They do not have functional pockets, alas, but I’m willing to concede that for comfort.

I used to be a jeans almost every day person; now I have multiple pairs of these pants in black, gray and brown and save my remaining jeans for the last days before I do laundry.
posted by ActionPopulated at 11:52 AM on August 25, 2023

I am a devotee of the Madewell Harlow pant, they are generous, comfortable, have functional pockets and are both nice enough to wear with a blazer at my finance job, but I also feel comfy hanging out on the floor with my friends kids with them in a tshirt. They also seem to last longer on my thighs than other pants, which is always a delight. I wear a 14tall and find they are relatively true to size for a “younger” brand.
posted by larthegreat at 11:53 AM on August 25, 2023

Eileen Fisher is pricey (but with regular seasonal sales) and pretty perfect for this. They have a few basic silhouettes -- straight, wide leg, slim, lantern -- and make them in incredibly soft, high quality, machine washable fabrics in basic colors. I'm a size 20 (2x) and the wide leg is my favorite to balance my butt, but the straight also look really good. They're like a hybrid between sweatpants and fancy pants, which seems impossible, and yet they exist! I mostly wore dresses and skirts for over a decade, but tgese babies got me into pants again. You can move and bend, wear with almost every top you own from a dressy blouse to a tank top, and look polished, casual, or anywhere in between depending on shirt, shoes, and accessories.
posted by mostlymartha at 1:45 PM on August 25, 2023 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Corduroys are the jeans of fall. Come in lots of great colors and pretty much every cut jeans come in. I don't have a brand for you, but your preferred jeans brand probably offers cords too.

Old Navy's Pixie pants are also hard-wearing and comfy. They come in a few different cuts (slim cropped, full-length flare, ankle-length wide-leg) and lots of colors, and Old Navy has a pretty good range of sizes.

Also, I love a nice, loud pair of plaid pants. They'll feel like a lot on their own, but with casual shoes and a plain sweater, they turn into a nice casual fall/winter outfit. No brand recs, just a note to not discount plaid as a casual option.
posted by snaw at 2:16 PM on August 25, 2023 [1 favorite]

Athleta has good enough for work knit pants on lock, often with very good pockets. Super pricey. Catch them on sale or Poshmark. The Cabo linen pants have zippered pockets. I am living in the retroplush.

These pants from AE are more khaki than jeans. Very comfy.
posted by joycehealy at 3:01 PM on August 25, 2023

I’m a little obsessed with these pintuck sweatpants from J Crew Factory. They look nice but feel like sweatpants, have good pockets and an elastic stretchy waist, are machine washable and affordable, and I don’t know your height but I don’t need to hem them if I get them in a petite size. Highly recommend.
posted by kat518 at 7:57 AM on August 26, 2023