The Best Men's Dress Pants May Just Replace Your Jeans

Another Great Budget Option: Percival (Read more here)

Best Summer Dress Pants: Banana Republic Pleated Linen Pants

If you’ve yet to make your entry to the breezy, eco-friendly, and impeccably sophisticated world of linen pants, consider this your invitation. Thanks to the fabric’s legendary breathability, there’s no better way to go in the warmer months, and Banana Republic adds even more summer vibes with the addition of a blue and white-striped seersucker-esque fabric. Their high-waisted and wide-legged silhouette gives more than a little 1930s sailor suit, but details like the single pleat and tabbed button closure position them firmly in the world of stylish 21st-century civilians. And, like all linen pants, they’ll look even better with a few dashing rumples.

Another Great Summer Option: Drake's (Read more here)

Best Fashion-Guy Dress Pants: Mfpen Service Trousers

If the words “brown dress pants” don’t get your sartorial synapses firing, you just haven’t met the right pair of earth-tone slacks yet. Mfpen, the Copenhagen-based label whose collections combine sustainable fabrics with a minimalist Scandi-chic sensibility, uses deadstock Italian wool twill and an easy-going cut to create trousers that’ll make your current go-tos envious. With a straight leg, a medium rise, and a single pleat for just a hint of billowiness, the combination of a black-adjacent hue and a relaxed fit makes these unlike any other pair of pants—brown or otherwise—in your wardrobe.

Another Great Fashion-Guy Option: Thom Browne (Read more here)

Best Stealth Wealth Dress Pants: Auralee Twill Trousers

Like the best (or least cursed) examples of quiet luxury, these pants are equal parts subtlety and depth. At a glance, they're as versatile as any great pair of black dress slacks, with a relaxed straight-leg cut and medium-rise that’ll pair with everything from a button-down to a tank top. But look closer, and the carefully considered details and artisanal craftsmanship that Auralee is known for start to appear. A combination of sun-bleached linen and Egyptian cotton lends the fabric durability, breathability, and an envy-inducing drape, while the twill’s signature diagonal stripe imbues them with elevated levels of texture and detail. Quiet? Definitely. Luxurious? Even more so.

Another Great Stealthy, Wealthy Option: The Row (Read more here)

Best Menswear Head Dress Pants: Stòffa Washed Linen Trousers

If a pair of sand-colored drawstring lounge pants is your gateway to the breezy-yet-refined world of linen trousers, consider Stòffa’s riff the next stop on your journey. Everything about them is just that much more refined and carefully calibrated, with the attention to detail and traditional Italian craftsmanship that defines all of the brand's tailoring. The 100% linen fabric is woven in Pavia, Italy, a place that’s been doing that sort of thing for centuries, and its ethereal lightness and breathability make even more of an impact in a moody mid-grey hue. Other details like a single pleat, side-tab adjusters, and a choice of plain hems or cuffs add just enough grown-up seriousness to offset an unstructured blazer and loafers—or a knit tee and fisherman sandals.

Another Great Menswear Head Option: Anglo-Italian (Read more here)

More Dress Pants We Love

Summer is all about care-free frolicking (…right?) and your summer pants rotation should be, too. Percival's jaunty trousers fit the bill to a tee thanks to their lightweight linen fabric, relaxed fit, and double pleats, all of which will lend an air of sartorial joviality to your biggest summer fits.

Navy blue worsted wool is the foundation of every tailored clothing collection, but the pants you wear from fall through spring won’t cut it when the mercury spikes in August. That’s when tropical wool (worsted’s summertime alter-ego) steps in. With the gravitas of a classic navy suit plus enhanced breathability thanks to its net-like weave, Todd Snyder's generously cut, double-pleated trousers will keep you cool for every occasion from sweaty weekday commutes to sultry summer weddings.

Drake's’ Games collection draws equal inspiration from workwear and tailoring, making it the perfect complement to all of the other classic sporty pieces in your wardrobe. Rocking these creamy Italian-linen pants with the matching blazer is a definite vibe, but they’re just as potent worn solo with your best selection of rugbys, camp shirts, and knit polos.

The tailoring fanatics at Anglo-Italian tout these trousers’ unusual cotton-silk blend fabric as the ideal material for summer, and with cotton’s famous breathability and silk’s wrinkle resistance, it’s hard to disagree. With a washed-out tone, a single pleat, and an elegant drape, consider these an elevated version of your most lived-in summer chinos.

Thom Browne may be the guy who made shrunken suits a thing 20 years ago, but his eponymous brand continues to evolve (and relax) with the times. Browne’s essential elements are all accounted for here: mid-gray Japanese wool flannel, a knife-edge crease, and a cuffed hem that stops well above the ankle. But a roomier, slightly flared cut makes these unmistakably 2024.

If you’re looking to invest in (read: spend a ridiculous amount of money on) the type of actual wardrobe staples that will look great for the next decade, pretty much anything from The Row will do the trick—these pants included. A relaxed straight cut makes them as comfy as your favorite sweats, but the Italian twill fabric and sharp creases are all business.

If you like ‘em high, wide, and distinctly vintage-flavored, Casatlantic’s Tanger cut is made for you. These take a silhouette inspired by 1950 French military trousers—complete with forward pleats and a button-fly—and execute it in a tropical-weight linen herringbone twill fabric. With a deep navy color that’s evocative of crisp selvedge denim, they’ll add a gritty mid-century counterpoint to your best summer sportswear, workwear, and tailoring pieces.

A solid pair of khakis is an essential piece of the business-casual wardrobe, but with so many excellent options to choose from these days, it can be hard to nail down a pair with the right blend of sartorial chops and easy-wearing versatility. With their mid-rise cut, single pleats, and cropped, cuffed hems, Reiss' come as close as any we’ve found—and will see you through casual Fridays (and any other day of the week) in top form.

Big, bold prints don’t usually lend themselves to dress pants (see below for more), but—as with most of the rules around tailored clothing—there are exceptions. J.Crew's breezy glen plaid joints are full of details that demand to be admired, from their 1940s-style “Hollywood waistband” and sharp cuffs to their single reverse pleat and generous early ‘90s proportions. You could wear them as part of a suit, of course, but they’re almost too good to hide under a jacket.

Your Dress Pants FAQs, Answered

Easy: Suit pants can be dress pants, but dress pants can’t be suit pants. The main difference between the two closest-related varieties of tailored trousers is that suit pants come in a wide range of bold checks and big stripes (along with a matching jacket, naturally), while dress pants are typically solid-colored and sold a la carte. You can find striped and glen plaid dress pants, of course (including one or two above), but those are really the supporting characters of the dress pants ensemble, not the stars.

Anytime—and any where—you like! A generation ago, dress pants were usually worn with button-downs, blazers, and V-neck sweaters as a business-casual standby, but things have loosened up a lot in the last couple of decades. Much like a great pair of dark jeans, you can wear a pair of dress pants with a tank top, a turtleneck, a sport jacket, a polo shirt or pretty much anything else. Unlike jeans, however, dress pants bring a, uh, dressier vibe to your outfits that—dare we say it—makes them even more versatile.

Like suits, dress pants come in a huge variety of fabrics, fibers, and blends. In the summer months, lighter and more breathable fabrics like cotton, linen, and tropical wool are your best bets, while wintertime calls for heavier weaves like flannel, worsted wool, and tweed. Beyond seasonality, there are two important things to consider about fabric: longevity and drape. Since pants endure much more wear and tear than jackets, picking a pair in a more durable fabric like twill will help them last longer. A more substantial fabric will also help your pants hang (or drape) in a more flattering way—neither too billowy nor too stiff.