The Best Dress Pants for Mastering Business Casual | Gear Patrol (2024)

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Dress pants is a broad category. Unlike chinos or jeans, there is no singular definition dictating what dress pants look like, how they fit, how they’re made or what they’re made of. In fact, the only thing tying the spectrum of options within the dress pants category together is their appropriateness at a wedding or at work or at any other formal get-together. They should work well with your dress shirt, no matter whether it’s a standard white one or made from performance fabrics.

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Bonobos

Best Overall Dress Pants: Bonobos Weekday Warrior Dress Pant

• $99.00 at Bonobos

• Country of Manufacture: Bonobos produces garments in Vietnam and India
• Fit: Tailored, Slim Taper, Slim, Athletic or Straight
• Materials: 97% cotton, 3% elastane
• Care: Machine wash warm with like colors, tumble drylow

For its Weekday Warrior Dress Pants, Bonobos mixes the best features from a stretchy adventure bottoms and standard suit pants. This formula yields a pre-creased dress pant that’s perfectly plain, and looks far more formal than it feels, while also providing all day comfort for the wearer and minimal wrinkles with repeated wear. A wide array of colors to choose from helps you match them to the shirts you already own, and several fit options help offer personalized sizing.

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Best Upgrade Dress Pants: Drake’s Tropical Wool Flat Front Trouser

• $695.00 at drakes.com

• Country of Manufacture: Italy
• Fit: A tailored fit that’s a bit slimmer than other trousers
• Materials: Cotton
• Care: Dry clean only

If you look back at what men wore in the ’30s, ’40s, ’50s and ’60s, you’d be hard pressed to find skinny-fit pants. They were all what we now call regular-fit or even wide-fit — or sometimes called straight-fit. They had room in the thighs and tapered down toward the ankle. Drake’s Herringbone Trousers, seen here in gray, are a lot like these older pants. They have a classic vibe to them that doesn’t venture into costume territory. Made from tropical wool, they have a great construction that can be worn year round (yes, even in the summer).

Uniqlo

Best Affordable Dress Pants: Uniqlo Smart 2-Way Stretch Pants

• $50.00 at Uniqlo

• Country of Manufacture: Uniqlo works with factories across China, Vietnam, Bangladesh and Indonesia and Turkey
• Fit: A tapered slim fit
• Materials: 67% Polyester, 29% Rayon, 4% Spandex
• Care: Machine wash cold, gentle cycle, Dry clean

Uniqlo’s softer approach to classic slacks results in a pair of dress pants with two-way stretch, so you’ll never feel constricted. There’s an elastic waistband, creases on both the front and back and the pants are cropped at the ankle, creating a more modern silhouette. These pants are perfect for everyday wear without worrying too much about being “precious” with your garments, given the price point.

Todd Snyder

Best Everyday Dress Pants: Todd Snyder Modern Chino Trouser

• $278.00 at Todd Snyder

• Country of Manufacture: Vietnam
• Fit: Relaxed fit, tapered leg
• Materials: 97% cotton, 3% elastane
• Care: Machine wash cold

Todd Snyder’s trouser mixes comfort and elegance perfectly, which pretty much describes the brand as a whole. With a cropped, tapered fit, a single pleat, and a drawstring, it’s a chimera of styles which come together seamlessly to create a garment that can easily be worn every day for work, happy hour, or weekend lounging.

Alex Mill

Best Contemporary Classic Dress Pants: Alex Mill Standard Pleated Pant in Chino

• $145.00 at Alex Mill

• Country of Manufacture: China
• Fit: Relaxed fit throughout. Sits below natural waist
• Materials: 98% cotton, 2% elastane
• Care: Hand wash if possible, or machine wash cold and tumble or hang dry

Alex Mill has made a name for itself as a brand that elevated the basics to a new, modern feel. Their pleated pants are no different. At once totally casual while also being dressy enough for when it’s time to wear a jacket and button-down, these pants can easily be incorporated into your wardrobe for longterm wear. With the small detailing that’s become expectant of Alex Mill, like the subtle pleats and visible coin pocket, there’s enough eye candy to keep these pants from being anything but boring.

Abercrombie & Fitch

Best Stylish Fit Dress Pants: Abercrombie & Fitch Malone Trouser

• $80.00 at Abercrombie

• Country of Manufacture: Philippines
• Fit: Relaxed fit
• Materials: 63% polyester, 33% viscose, 4% elastane
• Care: Machine wash cold, tumble dry low

For the classic Hollywood style, look to Abercrombie and Fitch. Over the years, A&F has turned the ship around and has been creating garments that seem elevated way above their price point. Gone are the days of a pastel popped color and the new era of Abercrombie is all about style and substance. Their Malone Trouser has a contemporary feel with its baggy fit but pairs the relaxed look with some tailoring details which elevate it to a cool, contemporary look.

Brooks Brothers

Best Dress Pants for Bigger Waists: Brooks Brothers BrooksFlex Regent-Fit Wool Trousers

• $198.00 at Brooks Brothers

• Country of Manufacture: Italian-produced wool, finished in the U.S.
• Fit: Fitted through the hip and seat with a moderately tapered thigh and leg opening
• Materials: 99% wool, 1% elastane
• Care: Dry clean only

Brooks Brothers is an iconic name in the menswear industry and for good reason. Not only do these dress pants further the brand’s formalwear legacy, but they build upon it, infusing new performance fabrics and offering a more inclusive assortment of sizes.

These 99 percent wool dress pants, for example, are offered in sizes 30 through 50, and they come pre-hemmed, making them wearable from the moment they arrive. Not only that, but they infuse a classic quality their entire product offering, making it easy to style, pair, and wear every Brooks Brothers product from the moment it arrives with very little stress.

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Best Comfort Dress Pants: State and Liberty Athletic Fit Stretch Pants

• $25.00 at stateandliberty.com

  $135.00(81% off)

• Country of Manufacture: Made in Asia (not specified online)
• Fit: Athletic taper fit
• Materials: Rayon-nylon-polyester-spandex performance blend
• Care: Gentle wash on cold, hang to dry

Stretch pants both help with fit and comfort. And while many brands have tried, just as many have failed at providing a pant that looks and feels good. State and Liberty seems to be one of the few brands that have succeeded in making a quality pant with a dedicated following of men who found that traditional pants never quite fit right.

With their use of performance fabrics and tailoring principles, State and Liberty has produced a garment that’s functional and versatile.

Everlane

Best Dress Pants for a Casual Office: Everlane The Athletic Fit Performance Chino

• $68.00 at Everlane

  $155.00(56% off)

• Country of Manufacture: Made in Jiangmen, China
• Fit: This is an athletic fit, roomy in the thighs and tapers down the leg
• Materials: 94% cotton, 6% elastane
• Care: Machine wash cold, tumble dry low

Because of the ambiguous nature of what defines a “dress pant”, we’ve broadened the definition to include chinos. Take Everlane’s The Performance Chino, for example. Ostensibly a casual pant, its sleek design and tailored fit elevates it to a dressier option while still giving you all-day comfort for a competitive price.

Rhone

Best Dress Pants for Commuters: Rhone Commuter Pant

• $35.00 at Rhone

• Country of Manufacture: Imported
• Fit: Classic, Slim, Skinny or Five-Pocket
• Materials: Flex-Knit fabric with a 4-way-stretch feel
• Care: Machine wash cold with like colors, lay flat to dry

Do you ride your bike to work each morning? What about a 2.5 mile walk instead? Have you tried scootering? No matter your method, if you’re a commuter, these are the dress pants you should wear to work. While, yes, being seen wearing wool dress pants on a vintage cruiser would be cool, wearing something more functional is the way to go.

Rhone’s Commuter Pants look modern, come in over a dozen colors and are made from the brand’s proprietary fabric, FlexKnit, which stretches in four ways. Plus, there’s a zipper pocket so your valuables aren’t lost on your way in.

charcoal

Best Half-Lined Dress Pants: Spoke London Charcoal Smarts

• $230.00 at spoke-london.com

• Country of Manufacture: Spoke London has factories across Portugal, Italy, Turkey, Vietnam, and Sri Lanka
• Fit: Modern cut trousers
• Materials: 100% wool
• Care: Dry clean only

Spoke London uses Italian wool from Guabello, a storied Italian mill responsible for some of the finest fabrics in the world. It’s the perfect foundation for the brand’s Smarts, which are, as the name suggests, its most formal trousers.

It’s the small details of this garment which really make it feel expensive and elevate, including a hidden ticket pocket and a notch at the back of the waistband. Couple that with the Smarts trousers being half-lined for additional comfort and durability, and we’re sold.

Nordstrom

Best Dress Pants for Wedding Guests: Canali Flat Front Wool Trousers

• $425.00 at Nordstrom

• Country of Manufacture: Italy
• Fit: Relaxed, straight fit
• Materials: 100% wool
• Care: Dry clean only

At a semi-casual wedding, you never want to outshine the groom, but you do want to stand out still. Do it in a pair of flat front wool trousers, like these from classic clothier Canali. They’re made in Italy, lined to the knee and 100 percent wool. They’re the sort of pant that will always be in your wardrobe rotation for events that require you to dress up, but not stand out.

What Are Dress Pants?

Like I said, there isn’t a single definition for this style. At the bare minimum, they’re a step above basic blue jeans or chinos, but separate from suit and tuxedo pants, which are designed to match your chosen jacket (though often dress pants will coopt the term “suit” or “chino”, broadening the scope of the definition even further).

Dress pants, on the other hand, are meant to worn with a dress shirt and dress shoes — two more styles that, although loosely defined as well, are easy to spot when you see them. Together, this outfit works in traditional work environments, at church services, country clubs, conferences, parent-teacher catchups, school concerts, job interviews and so on and so forth.

How Should They Fit?

Although trends will rise and fall around them, your dress pants should never change. They should be properly tailored, not too short but not too long and made from a material that’ll never be considered out of style. That means no adornments like branded patterns, drastic pleats or distressing, but they should not be too slim-fitting or too wide. And the break shouldn’t be too noticeable.”

‘Break’ refers to how much your pant cuffs bend or fold when they come into contact with your shoes,” a Spoke London stylist tells us. “If your dress trousers are bunching at the ankles, they’re too long but if they’re getting caught around the calf, they’re too short. With jeans, there can be less of a ‘break’ but with dress pants, the proper inseam leg means there should have only be a slight break.”

You can tell a pair of pants don’t fit by the fly, too, the stylist explains: “Apart from being a tad embarrassing, if your fly is constantly falling down, especially when you sit down, then your pants are too tight.”

What Color Should They Be?

Because you probably won’t be matching them with a suit jacket — but maybe a blazer or a sport coat, which are different things, folks — they can be whatever color you’d like, as long as they complement the tops and shoes you already own.

The Best Dress Pants for Men

The most traditional way to wear dress pants is with a dress shirt, a tie and dress shoes. But, you could also pull them off with a simple T-shirt, perhaps a polo or even a soft sweater. Since dress pants aren’t tied to a matching jacket, what you wear up top is really up to you — and the dress code of the event (or office you’re in).

More Pants for Men

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• Chinos
• Lightweight Chinos
• Jeans
• Affordable Jeans
• Work Pants

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