Statement jackets and the latest sneakers are always going to be top of menâs lust lists, but donât let high-wattage clobber blind you to the essentials. The right type of pants for men can be the most quietly powerful item you wear, but get it wrong and youâll instantly dull the shine of the trending pieces you spent so long chasing.
Yes, itâs easy to simply plump for your tried-and-tested slim-fit black jeans for the umpteenth time, but thereâs a whole wardrobe full of top-notch trews thatâll look just as slick given half the chance. Here are some of the different types of pants for men that you might not have considered, but definitely should.
1. Corduroy Trousers
Corduroy, once strictly the preserve of fictional and real academia inhabitants, represents one of the versatile types of trousers for men. Itâs an underutilized material in menâs style that, when worn correctly, can make for an indispensable pair.
Thereâs a 1970s revival going on in menswear, too, so thereâs never been a better time to cover your legs in cord. Composed of woven, twisted cotton or wool, corduroy is durable and perfect for colder weather. This stripey fabric not only adds personality to casual outfits but also elevates formal attire, like a slim-cut corduroy suit for the party season. The Indiana Jones of legwear, if you will. They can get a bit warm, though, so itâs best to save them for when the cold really starts to bite.
Contrary to its sometimes stuffy connotations, corduroy is brilliant when dressed down and worn casually. Try teaming a pair of dark corduroy trousers with a sweatshirt and practical leather sneakers to signpost that youâre not actually a fellow at Oxbridge.
This stripey fabric also does an excellent job of adding a touch of personality to more formal attire. A slim-cut corduroy suit will make an excellent companion for a light-gauge roll neck and monk-strap shoes come party season. Swerve the shirt and tie, though â Doctor Who has rendered that combo unwearable everywhere outside of Comic Con.
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2. Wool Trousers
A firm favourite of fashion bloggers (the kind who donât dress like anime astronauts, that is) and art directors the world over, wool menâs trousers offer a throwback to the days when jeans werenât the de facto king of legwear.
Perfect both for styling with other tailored separates or smartening a casual getup, the wool trouser has been a mainstay amongst industry insiders for years â and their popularity isnât showing any signs of waning.
While youâll often see them dressed down with a pair of sneakers by arbiters of cool hanging outside loft offices leisurely puffing on roll-ups, this type of trousers work just as well styled in a more traditional way. For inspiration, cast your eye to Pitti Uomo where theyâre often grounded with a pair of brogues, Derbies or double monks.
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3. Twill Chinos
A good piece of workwear puts in a shift if you want to assert your old-school masculine credentials. In twill chinos, quality craftsmanship meets reliability and style in a perfect ménage à trews of cool thatâs still exceptionally wearable.
Cut from heavyweight cotton, woven to create a surface comprising diagonal parallel ridges, twill is a traditional material that, if invested in, will give excellent cost-per-wear calculations thanks to its hardy nature.
Plus, every scuff on a pair of twill chinos tells a story â even if the only âworkâ you end up doing in them is loafing about on Twitter. In twill the beleaguered chino also breaks out of the realm of âIbiza lads on tourâ into an altogether more grown-up sense of place and tradition.
The style is still, strictly speaking, a casual type of pants so wear them with an easy-going pair of shoes (such as anything with a contrast Vibram sole), a T-shirt or piece of knitwear and top with an overshirt or denim jacket for an effortlessly cool off-duty look.
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4. Relaxed-Legged Trousers
The skinny jeans backlash is officially on. Tired of indecently outlined genitalia and trying (and failing) to remove our skinnies with dignity after a night out, relaxed-legged jeans and trousers are looking more and more appealing by the day.
Harking back to 1950s-inspired garments, the Leviâs 501 cut is firmly back on the radar of menswearâs most stylish and the model has brought its mates along for the ride, too.
While they are perfect for providing a platform for a standout piece of footwear, looser-cut chinos and trousers need to break perfectly. Too long and theyâll look like the floor-dragging bootcuts, too high and youâll look like youâre wearing three-quarter lengths. The main objective is to avoid a pooling situation, so weâd suggest aiming for the hem to fall somewhere between the top of your shoe and its first set of eyelets.
When it comes to styling, contrast the extra fabric below by keeping your top half fitted to avoid any accusations that youâve been playing dress up in your dadâs wardrobe.
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5. Linen Trousers
Not so long ago, linen trousers were sweaty, misshapen bloomers that had no place in a modern manâs style and wardrobe. Thankfully designers have done a lot of work to rehabilitate them in recent years. Gone are the shapeless cuts, replaced by tapered, modern leg-lines that flatter every body shape. And linen blends make them a lot more practical, less prone to impossible creases â while still being as breezy as ever.
Try them as part of a linen suit for a dapper old-timer vibe, but the more modern way to wear them is cropped, with sneakers and a plain T-shirt.
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6. Drawstring Trousers
Without wishing to be overdramatic, smart drawstring menâs trousers are the best thing to happen to menswear in a decade. Until recently, drawstrings and elasticated waistbands were confined to sportswear and generally considered to be a sign that you didnât care. Thatâs stupid, of course. What a revelation itâs been to sit down for a large plate of pasta and not feel like your trousers might slice you in half by the mealâs end.
These days, drawstring trousers come tailored and in a lot more materials than jersey. Wool and linen offer the best options at the smarter end of the spectrum. Once youâve felt how comfortable your dressed-up wardrobe can be, youâll never go back.
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7. Slimline Joggers
There have been some excellent hybrids over the years: the shacket, the snood, er, Kimye, but none boast as much staying power as athleisure, which is a rare example of fashion and function joining forces for the greater good.
The sports-luxe movement is still a draw Stateside, and while UK labels took slightly longer to catch up, young Brits have taken the look to their hearts. Combining the âit feels like Iâm wearing nothing at allâ comfort of joggers with the slim-fit of a more contemporary pair of work pants, theyâre equally at home in the pub or the gym.
While there could be an argument made for the right jogger matched with the right overshirt, weâd suggest keeping the streetwear vibe going with a logo T-shirt from the likes of Palace, Stussy or Undefeated, a low-profile lifestyle runner on the foot and a slightly smarter bomber jacket.
If youâre not on a streetwear flex, step into some box-fresh white lace-up trainers and stick on an (impeccably ironed) Oxford shirt to inject some sharpness into the look.
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8. Cropped Trousers
Ankle swingers, as some want to call them, are here to stay â and with good reason. Allowing your ankles to breathe in summer while still giving airtime to your footwear in cooler months, cropped trousers are a great way to spice up what can be a tired formal outfit. Disclaimer: by cropped trousers, we mean shorter than your average, displaying a sliver of ankle or a good view of your menâs dress socks, not to be mistaken with pantaloons.
In addition to giving your footwear a platform to shine, a precise crop accentuates the line of your trews â because thereâs nothing worse than puddling material at the bottom of your ankle. Getting the length right is crucial, though. Unless they fit perfectly off-the-peg, go to a tailor and take their advice, but if youâre feeling braver, anything up to three or four inches above the ankle is a safe bet.
Cropped trousers lend themselves well to both formal and off-duty settings, though youâre undoubtedly in safer territory with the former. Cropped chinos in a sand colour will work well with a simple white shirt, premium suede bomber and white sports-luxe trainers on the weekend. Meanwhile, for more formal occasions, black cropped trousers worn with a grey blazer, charcoal roll neck and oxblood dress shoes is ideal for a relaxed business-casual office.
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9. Cargo Pants
Cargo trousers have enjoyed something of a potted history, going from army essential to early noughties oversized monstrosity. Now, enough time has passed that things have calmed down a bit and theyâre back in a big (and much more stylish) way.
The key to getting cargo menâs trousers right is ensuring that they hit the middle ground between slim and spacious, so think tailored. Sure, you can technically fill their big olâ pockets to the brim, but in this case clean lines trump practicality, so leave them empty.
Standard-issue khaki pants well with just about anything in navy so consider an overshirt (another workwear workhorse) for a weekend look that grafts. Meanwhile, if light layers arenât an option, a pair of contemporary black cargo trousers can be recruited alongside a white Oxford shirt, grey sweatshirt, navy overcoat for a look that passes inspection.
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10. High-Waisted Trousers
Using your nipples as a marker to align the waistband of your trousers to used to be a dead giveaway that you were either A: 90+ years of age, or B: Simon Cowell. Today, however, itâs much more likely to signify that youâre the type of gent who frequents Pitti Uomo and owns more than one set of cufflinks. High-waisted trousers are quite literally on the rise. And while a well-styled pair can be a one way ticket to sartorial nirvana, get them wrong and youâll look like a kid playing dress up in his dadâs suit.
The key to hitting the sweet spot lies in nailing the length and the cut. If youâre going for a wide-leg style a cropped fit ensures youâre not drowning in fabric. Conversely, if mankles arenât your thing, a tapered cut will allow the leg openings of the trousers to sit nicely with your chosen footwear.
High-waisted trousers may be tailoring technically speaking, but theyâre still super relaxed and the rest of your style should follow âsuitâ. Up top, opt for either a fitted polo or a loose T-shirt, tucked into the waistband. You can layer this with a matching unstructured jacket and even a wool overcoat when the mercury plummets. Footwear-wise, try mixing things up a bit with a canvas high-top or a suede desert boot.
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11. Pleated Trousers
As trousers make their way way back up to menâs natural waistlines once again, a long-forgotten tailoring detail is being thrust back into the fashion spotlight. The pleat was not long ago a mens style detail reserved for your grandad. A quirk chosen for its comfort rather than its aesthetics and frowned upon by those in the know. However, here in this age of smart joggers and oversized tailoring, comfort is no longer a dirty word. Pleated pants are back in menâs style and now is the time to introduce them to your wardrobe.
When youâve spent the last 10 years forcing your legs into jeans akin to sausage casing, the idea of playing with less fitted silhouettes can seem a bit daunting. The trick here is to strike that balance between fitted and airy. Your trousers should be breezy and comfortable, but you shouldnât have clown-style pools of fabric obscuring your shoes. Opt for a tapered cut for best results and selecting a cropped style is never a bad idea either.
In terms of styling, stick to relaxed tailoring in the jacket department, layered over a white tee. A tucked-in Cuban collar shirt can work nicely too. For the footwear stick to Derby boots, brogues or, if youâre feeling adventurous, white canvas trainers.
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12. Tracksuit Bottoms
When sporty slacks first began making their way off the running track and onto the runway, the long-time suited and booted menswear crowd shared a quiet sigh of relief. Finally there was a way to look put together in something that offered a level of comfort comparable to pyjamas. It was the break everyone had been looking for and couldnât have been more welcome.
Thereâs a wealth of variety when it comes to tracksuit bottoms. You can opt for a side-stripe trouser style and pair them with tailoring. Or alternatively, you can go full nylon and go for that 90s, head-to-toe vibe. Whichever you pick, go for a slim cut and if the cuffs arenât elasticated then opt for a slightly cropped leg.
Tracksuit bottoms are a type of pants for men that have always been best off paired with sportswear. To wear a pair with brogues wouldâve been a mens style crime of unspeakable proportions. Today, however, things are different. A cropped side-stripe menâs trouser can be paired with a smarter shoe just as effectively as it can with a luxe trainer. Throw on a plain tee and a bomber and youâre good to go.
If you want to keep things more street then go for the full nylon tracksuit and wear it with chunky trainers and a dad cap.
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