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.
While seasonless wool pants are warm enough, and velvet and corduroy pants are great for more casual days, I thought we’d go on a hunt for the best women’s dress pants for winter.
Personally I’ve always loved the softness and drape of wool flannel pants, and although the styles change from year to year, I always feel like that’s a polished look for the office.
Wool blend pants are also great, although they can be on the itchy side, particularly if unlined — you may want to check out our last discussion on what to wear beneath unlined pants, and I’ll drop a collage with links to my top suggestion for what to wear beneath unlined pants — thin long johns.
(Particularly for silk long johns, but true of lots of the other ones out right now — they do an amazing job of blocking the wind when you’re outside but not adding too much extra warmth or bulk when you’re inside, so they’re great for ALL pants, but particularly as a layer between you and itchy wool pants.)
Ladies, what are you wearing to work on the coldest days — are you on Team Fleece Tights? Team Wool Pants? Or have you found another solution for staying warm on your commute on the coldest days?
{related: what to wear to work when it’s cold outside}
Pictured at top: black wool blend / gray wool twill / blue flannel / velvet print / wool blend
This post contains affiliate links and Corporette® may earn commissions for purchases made through links in this post. For more details see here. Thank you so much for your support!
Admin note: this post was originally published in 2019, but we’ve completely updated our product selections for 2021 but kept the original comments on the post.
My Top Choice for Women’s Winter Dress Pants: Wool Flannel Pants
Flannel pants are, I think, the holy grail if you’re looking for warm winter pants. They don’t have the itch of wool or tweed, but they drape better and feel more versatile than velvet or other options. Of course, the downside is that you often end up paying a lot for them…
Some of our favorite wool flannel pants (as of 12/21) are in the slider below… note that Loft has a ton of affordable options, as does Nordstrom. (These $89 classic trousers are particularly nice.) Saks has a nice selection of high-end basics.
Another Great Option for Women’s Winter Dress Pants: Other Wool Blends
I’m separating out wool flannel because I think it’s the softest, the warmest, and the most versatile — but there are a zillion other wool blends and woolen fabrics, including wool gabardine and wool blended with elastyne for stretch (like the plaid pair below). These may be itchy — so see our trick about how to deal with unlined pants — but they may also be great for winter.
Note that seasonless wool (aka tropical wool and “lightweight wool,”) is also great for winter, but, as we’ve noted before when advising on whether you can wear a tropical wool suit in winter, they may be a bit chilly on the most Vortex-y days of the Polar Vortex. Tweeds may be a wool (like this pair at Talbots), but they may also be a polyester (like this pair at Boden) — but for my $.02 I’ve always preferred tweeds as a skirt than a pant because the inner thighs of pants may wear unevenly and/or get nubbly.
Wool blends are a lot easier to find than flannel — but you really have to try the pant on to see how warm it really is. Nordstrom has a ton of wool blend pants for work, including some classic pants from Theory, Boss, and Lafayette 148 New York. And don’t forget about Banana Republic Factory’s trove of washable wool work clothes, including a ton of pants.
Some particular picks for work include the pants below…
{related: how to dress professionally on the coldest days}
Velvet & Corduroy Pants
I’m putting velvet and corduroy together because they both can go either way, although corduroy is inherently more casual and velvet is inherently more dressy. But if you see either fabric in a five-pocket style (like denim), odds are the pants are only going to be acceptable for a more casual office in general (or, say, a weekend workday in a conservative office).
On the flip side, if you see them with welt pockets like the blue pair below, or cut like trousers like the bootcut burgundy pair, then they’re far more acceptable to wear to conservative offices. Note that the swish-swish sound both pants make while walking can be a problem in an office with very quiet hallways — and that lint can also be a problem with both (note that, in a pinch, a Fed Ex mailing pouch works wonders!)…
{related: how to do business casual in cold weather}
Great Velvet Pants for Work
Recently there has been a TON of velvet jeans — note that those are not acceptable at every office, so know yours. You can find a wide variety of colors and fits at Banana Republic, Loft, and Talbots, as well as from brands like Paige. Also of note, some nice trouser-styles of velvet pants at Nordstrom.
Great Corduroy Pants for Business Casual Offices
Some of our all-time favorite cords (for business casual) include the Kut from the Kloth ones at Nordstrom, available in regular, petite, and plus sizes. If you like a tighter fit, check out corduroy from denim brands like AG; if you prefer a looser but still tailored look check out NYDJ cords. Madewell also has a ton of great cords right now! Some other great of-the-moment cords include these (as of Jan. 2022):
BONUS Category for Warm Women’s Dress Pants: Long Johns and Silk Leggings
One last thing worth noting: long johns can be lifesavers, whether you’re using them to make an already warm pair of pants SUPER warm, to warm up a favorite pair of less seasonal pants (such as a washable pant for work probably in a cotton blend), or to use as a liner for an unlined suit pants.
These are particularly great when the problem is the wind (such as in a city like Chicago) more than the temperature — especially because while a silk long john will block the wind, it won’t overheat you once you get inside.
Readers, which are your favorite warm women’s dress pants for the office? Which fabrics are your favorite — which wear the longest — and where have you bought them recently?
{related: what to wear to work in winter}
Our Favorite Dress Pants for Work in General
These would all be great with the long underwear pictured above…
Like this feature? Check out other recent installments! Curious for older installments of this Hunt?
{related: interview coats: the best coats to wear over a suit in winter}
Social media photo credit (businesswoman in pants and winter coat) via Deposit Photos / Astroid.
Anon
Cropped/ankle pants always seem out of place to me in freezing cold north-east winters.
Anon
But they are great with socks and booties down south. We rarely get below 30 F and winter typically sees us between low 50s and mid 60s.
AttiredAttorney
Yeah, I’m a little confused about the number of ankle pants in this roundup.
Anon
YES. THANK YOU.
I am struggling SO HARD to find pants that are not cropped that fit my curvy self. The Loft Julie pants have been a staple through some recent weight fluctuations. Does anyone have a solution to this? Anything non-ankle is wide leg and that’s definitely not the look for me.
Anonymous
I always see a reference to “the Julie pants” here. But I understand Julie to be a “fit”, not a specific pant style. So what are the magic pants that all the curvy girls love so much here? Could use the recommendation.
JuliaS
Try LOFT pants – I like to go in the store and try on for size, and then order online. There are so few styles available in the stores.
joan wilder
I bought a pair of these Talbots flannel pants featured above (in the curvy fit) and they are amazing, and I have been happy with a lot of their pants overall. [I am a petite pear, 4P in Talbots, 6P in most other brands for pants]
Anonymous
Thanks, I have not tried Talbots pants in a while but will give these a try. I also like their belts, they last forever.
anonymous
Does Express still make the Editor pants? They used to be the perfect boot cut pants fo rme.
Housecounsel
Editor pants were the best pants ever.
Triangle Pose
I’m in NE and wear cropped pants through the winter. Unless there is snow on the ground, I don’t see an issue.
anon
NO ANKLE PANTS FOR THE LOVE OF PETE
JuliaS
Agree!!!
Tania
Seriously! There’s a pretty limited time frame for when I want to wear ankle pants, and its way too cold /mushy/snowy here for that right now.
lifer
They are perfect with my booties and dark trouser socks/knee highs. And I’m in Chicago. The trouser sock/knee high either matches the color of the booties or the pants. Since my favorites are all black booties (I have like 6 pairs/styles) and black pants, it is pretty simple….
Vicky Austin
Subzero here and the last few days have been a mix of:
NY&C 7th avenue in bootcut flare over pantyhose and leg warmers
Uniqlo “pile-lined” tights under dresses
So, uh, no ankle pants. I’ve been really pleased with the pile lined tights though.
Cat
Huh, I don’t mind ankle pants for winter — I wear boots for commuting so ankle pants are actually BETTER because they tuck into the boots nicely.
Anonymous
+1, and they don’t get salty and crusty like longer pants do.
Anon
Yeah, same here. If the weather is that bad, I’m going to wear actual cold weather footwear when I’m outside.
HW
Agreed! It’s 20 degrees here and I’m wearing ankle pants today. I think they look better with boots than my trousers do, plus I don’t have to worry about them getting covered in salt or snow.
Is it Friday yet?
+1 I’m not going to wear full length pants in crappy weather, the bottoms just get gross.
Anon
Words cannot express how happy I am to see wool pants in the $100-$150 range (see: Talbots). I have a pair from about 2009 that are starting to look a little long in the tooth, but I’ve never wanted to spend $200+ to replace them.
kk
Ankle pants that are loose enough at the ankle (more of a cropped flare) are actually super cute over sock-boots. It’s not a trend with any staying power, but at least its a way to get a little more mileage out of your cropped pants.
Shorty MacShortface
Heh, I’m actually quite pleased with the number of ankle pants shown in this. The “cropped” trend has been gold for a long-torso short-inseam (26.5″) petite woman like me who just wants to buy a dratted pair of pants without *having* to get alterations. Clothing manufacturers who think petite pants should have an inseam of 30″ are out of their ever-loving minds.
Senior Attorney
Sing it, Sister!!
Fishie
My Old Navy full-length Harper flares/straight leg are my favorite work pants ever. I hope they bring them back.
Anon
Oh no!!!! I love the Harper pants too and didn’t realize they were discontinued. I have them in navy, gray, and maroon and was planning to buy new ones this winter.
I suppose I’ll have to check out some of the options above, but none look like the right leg shape on the models – I want that in-between boot cut and straight leg that the Harper has, not tapered and not flare.
Rachel Betts
I’ve always wondered whether you can wear booties with the longer style pants. My feet and ankles are so cold in flats or pumps, so I’d prefer to wear booties – BUT is this a fashion no-no?
JuliaS
I wear booties under longer pants all of the time – I think they look fabulous. I also love the neutral color SmartWool knee socks – thin and warm, and they look good with loafer-style flats plus I wear them over tights under boots.
JuliaS
I’m perpetually looking for work trousers, washable, with a touch of stretch. Loft has one style, but only in black. I LOVED Gap’s Perfect Trousers (but only in charcoal grey – the other colors fit oddly) but they don’t make them anymore. Thank goodness for Poshmark. Having slightly slanted or horizontal pockets for me is a MUST – otherwise the pockets bulge. I’m also not a fan of the latest waist-high pants. To me, they look dated and dowdy.
I don’t understand the fascination with ankle pants – they only look good with heels (no thanks) or flats/no socks (ouch). For New England winters, they are out! Could you consider doing a “hunt” on unlined washable dress trousers with some stretch? And would you consider doing an updated button-down shirt (washable, no-iron) roundup? Your last one was 2017. I love BR’s tailored shirts – but again, so hard to find. I’m willing to try other brands if I know that they’re true-to-size, tailored, and tuckable. Thanks!
JuliaS
My favorite frigid weather outfit by far is a sweater dress with a tank top underneath to tuck into the top of black footless tights, and then SmartWool knee socks and knee-high boots. I had an extra button added to my long wool winter coat (with a hood) so that it stays closed in the wind better. Then I take a long scarf that is like a thick pashmina only it’s not wool (bought about 15 years ago at Marshalls) and I wrap it around my neck to keep my hood up and bury my face. I usually wear a lined knitted wool hat from North Face too. Add my fur-edged lined leather gloves, and I’m good even below 0 before considering windchill.
I’ve found that lined flannel pants are just way too hot for me in the office. If my feet are warm, I’m pretty comfortable inside. Also too many layers in the bitter cold leaves me super-wrinkled. Much prefer cozy sweater dresses. Sadly a lot of sweater dresses are now tunic length (boo – I’m looking at you Gap-takeover of Athleta).