The Hunt: The Best Wide Leg Pants to Wear to Work

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Sure, we all know what wardrobe essentials for work professional women are supposed to have in their closets, but if you’re buying one for the first time or replacing one you’ve worn into the ground, it can be a pain to find exactly the right incarnation in stores. In “The Hunt,” we search the stores for a basic item that every woman should have.

Elizabeth posted last week about wide leg trousers from Express, and there are SO MANY out right now that I thought we'd do a mini Hunt for the best wide-leg pants to wear to work right now. Readers, how do you feel about the trend? What are the best wide-leg pants to wear to work? What are your best tips on hemming them, and which shoes and tops do you pair them with?

For my $.02, I still feel like the proper hemming for full-length, wide-leg pants should be with a slight break on the vamp of your shoes, without pooling or dragging in the back. (I really have to redo the graphics on this post about hem lengths, but I generally still agree with my older advice.)

Psst: check out our latest thoughts on the best trouser lengths for women!

I like them styled with sneakers or other flat shoes — getting a heel right with them can be a bit tricky, although I'd love to hear your tips! (Another possible issue to be on the lookout for: can you wear shoes without the pant leg getting caught and tucked in the strap, laces, or vamp of the shoe — kind of like in this picture (source)? Boots can be ideal for this reason.)

The main thing about full-length pants, though, is that you really do have to know which shoes you plan to wear them with when you get them hemmed — and then stick to that general height of shoe every time you wear the pants. (Here are our thoughts on the best shoes to wear with wide leg pants…)

I'm seeing wide-leg pants styled with a lot of crop tops — for the office I'd switch it to a work-acceptable bodysuit or other close-fitted top.

(Update: we just rounded up ideas for what tops to wear with wide leg pants.)

Just another note on fabrics: I feel like either a drapey fabric, or a heavy fabric like tweed or flannel is better for these kinds of pants because cotton or linen will wrinkle — in fact, if you're planning on wearing the wide-leg pants to work I'd avoid those fabrics.

Readers, what are your thoughts? Have you bought any great wide-leg pants for work or play lately? How have you hemmed them, and what are you wearing them with?

{related: do check out our regularly updated list of wardrobe essentials for work!}

Pictured at top: beige / pink / beige

The Best Wide Leg Pants to Wear to Work

Anthropologie / Maeve

Readers have been singing the praises of these pants from Anthropologie…

Several readers have sung the praises of these wide-leg flare pants from Maeve. (One even went so far as to describe them as the second coming of The Skirt, which is high praise if you’re an OG Corporette reader.)

I love the slightly stretchy fabric, which fits and flatters a wide range of body types. They also come in a great range of sizes, from standard to plus, petite to tall.

Note that some options have patch pockets on the front of the pant, which definitely gives them a more casual vibe… so know your office!

The pants are $130 at Anthropologie and come in standard sizes 00-16, petite sizes 00-16, tall sizes 2-16, and plus sizes 16W-26W.

Spanx

As Elizabeth noted,

Spanx has come out with a shockingly fantastic pant collection in the last few years, but they’ve typically only been available in solids or subdued stripes. This plaid colorway is something of a departure, and I couldn’t be more excited.

I’ve found that they run pretty true to size, although a bit snug in the waist (by design).

The pants come in seasonal colorways as well as basics, and are available in regular, petite, and plus sizes.

Anine Bing

Hat tip to Elizabeth for this find… as she noted:

If you’re on the hunt for the perfect pair of black trousers, Anine Bing has you covered. These pants are made from a viscose-wool blend with a twill texture and natural drape. They also have functional belt loops, which feels like it shouldn’t be a surprise, but it really is.

The pants are $350 at Anine Bing and come in sizes 30-42 (equivalent to 0–12). If you’ve already found your perfect black pants, these also come in nine other colors and fabrics.

Amazon / Tronjori

I bought these $35 Amazon pants after seeing them on some TikTok influencer, and liking that they had them in shorter lengths. The pros: they do fit me, and the hems aren't dragging at all — and the fabric, while cheap, is drapey and fluid. The cons: they are very wide. Also in this very affordable price range: Target (regular and plus sizes), Banana Republic Factory ($45+).

Abercrombie & Fitch

This is something else I've seen on TikTok, especially with mid-size bloggers: Abercrombie pants for the win, apparently! Every time I've gone to the website they have extremely limited sizes left, but are still available, so I suspect they're just being restocked in uneven ways. (You may have better luck at your local store.)

The pants are $90 at Abercrombie in sizes XXS-XXL in long, regular, and short sizes. Also in this price range: 1.State, NYDJ, Gap, and Express.

Everlane

These Everlane pants look fabulous for $118. They come in 30″ and 32″ lengths, sizes 0-16, and 4 colors. For a similar casual/drapey feel around this price point, look to Madewell (petite, regular, tall sizes 0-16), and Norma Kamali (highly rated, lots of reviewers note they're great travel pants). These Anthro pants are $140 and come in regular, petite, tall, and plus sizes.

Reformation

Another plus-size friendly brand with great wide-leg pants to wear to work: Reformation, available in TONS of colors in sizes 0-12 and in less colors in sizes 14-24. You can also find a few colors at Nordstrom and other retailers. They're $178.

Favorite Daughter

These $218 Favorite Daughter pants look great, and are also available in a bunch of colors (and fabrics) at Nordstrom and FavoriteDaughter.com (ooh, and they have short lengths). They're available in sizes 0-18. Also in this price range: MMLF (plain front, $295), Reiss (more flared pants than wide, $245+).

Readers, what are the best wide-leg pants to wear to work in 2022? What are your best tips on hemming them, and which shoes and tops do you pair them with?

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Social media images via Deposit Photos / JANIFEST (woman leans against blue velvet chair, she wears wide-leg pants to wear to work in white).