7 Pant Styles To Invest In This Summer

Summer brings with it a slower pace and more relaxed attitude to life - it must be all that Vitamin D topping up our dopamine levels. It’s the time restaurants arrange tables outside their doors, every square of sun-dappled grass in city parks is occupied by a picnic blanket and the smell of just-lit barbecues and the chatter of outdoor socializing wafts through the air. Sartorially speaking, it’s also the time simple, effortless cuts and relaxed silhouettes win favor over heavy tailoring, dense weaves and chunky knits.

While shorts and skirts are as synonymous with summer as melting ice creams and striped parasols, pants also have their part to play in the season’s outfitting. Summer pants have a preference for cotton and linen, wide-leg silhouettes and cropped cuts. They have the same versatility as fall and winter-appropriate ones in their ability to lend themselves to familiar and formal settings but ensure you won’t be fanning yourself throughout the day in an attempt to combat the climbing temperatures.

The pants filling your closet this season need to flatter and have forever appeal; fly-by trends have no place when choosing investment pieces, which is why we’ve narrowed down the list to seven styles that you’ll find yourself sporting for many summers to come.

COLOR POP

If summer doesn’t provide the perfect excuse to champion color what does? Brighter days emphasize saturated shades and bold colors pop in the sunshine - even when the day doesn’t bring with it a cloudless sky, color acts as a metaphorical ray of sunshine.

Maybe it’s because we grew tired of muted colors, but both SS22 and SS23 runways were awash with bold and bright colors, so much so that even the most color-shy started to consider introducing a flash of statement shades to their looks. 

The best place to start celebrating color is with a pair of color-pop pants. Not only do they complement monochrome and pastel tones but also tailored shirting and simple basics that are already in your own collection, so there’s no need for a closet overhaul. 

Our mood-boosting High-Waisted Pleated Wide-Leg Pant + Belt in electric blue effortlessly complements separates in the same shade and can be tempered with earthy khakis and soft creams. With both standard and thinner belt loops, it can be styled with the accompanying skinny belt or with a wider one of your choice to disrupt a head-to-toe look.

CASUAL

Casual doesn’t always equate to slouchy. These versatile pieces marry relaxed fabrics and silhouettes with elements from structured tailoring.

The elusive sweet spot is the right combination of silhouette and fabric. Wide-leg pants in a clean cut might complement more casual pairings - think slogan tees and vest tops - but they also manage to maintain a considered air. Crafted from a combination of lyocell and linen, our Linen-Blend Wide-Leg Wrap Pant + Belt finds the balance between polished and pared back. Suspended from a high waist that acts as the perfect partner to summer’s cropped tops, its wide legs fall to hems detailed with dramatic splits that emphasize the style’s breezy silhouette.

SS23 also saw the return of a 90s and 00s icon: the humble cargo pant. Subtly tweaked to speak to modern-day penchants, these iterations hero more tailored silhouettes but don’t lose sight of their origins. Ours are fitted with the style’s signature patch pockets on the legs and are crafted from a cotton-blend fabric that has been washed down for a comfortable fit and soft finish, the perfect accompaniment to long blue-sky days that end with outdoor dinners.

TAILORED

Summer’s tailoring stays true to its associations with dark neutrals - as the “if it ain’t broke” adage goes -  and can be styled with both dark colors and light pastels that echo the season’s sunlit days and lingering evenings.

Forgo restrictive or stuffy silhouettes in favor of expertly crafted tapered-leg pants. The benefit of these pairs is that they combine a fitted waist and cuffs with a wider leg. This flattering finish champions the breathability of cropped pants suited to balmier temperatures. 

Nodding to more traditional tailored tropes, our Textured Weave Crop Tapered Pant features soft pleated details through the legs to create a more defined finish, while its adjustable waist perfects the fit and eliminates gaping (as well as the need for a belt). To bridge the gap between a day at the office and dinner or drinks alfresco after work, style it with a square-neck cami and tailored blazer. 

STRIPED

Breton tops might already be a firm stay in summer and vacation wardrobes, but striped pants are certainly rising in the ranks to challenge the striped staple.

When selecting a pair of lightweight pants in the print for sun-seeking further away from home, the secret lies in the thickness of the stripe; too thin and the result resembles pinstripes that introduce a sense of formality to your look, too thick and the motif draws all the attention. Finding a home on recycled-blend tailoring, the stripes defining our Striped Man Pant marries a dark backdrop with bright bands of color to find the perfect balance and complement casual daytime looks as well as more pieced-together evening ones. 

When life resumes and you return to the office, keep them in your rotation. Thanks to the splits on the hems, they can carry off heeled office-appropriate shoes with just as much assertiveness as your favorite flat sandals, while keeping you cool and comfortable during those early morning commutes.

DRAMATIC

As opposed to slim pants that can feel particularly restrictive when it’s hot, wide-leg styles guarantee comfort, whether you’re out in your own hometown or spending the day discovering a new city.

We’re championing wide-leg pants that feature legs so wide they touch. These pairs have the added benefit of unrestricted movement and more breathability than other pant cuts, like our Super Wide-Leg Pleated Pant which adapts to different leg lengths thanks to the deep hems that can be lengthened or shortened easily. 

Better yet, they keep you cool without revealing any skin which is perfect for vacation sightseeing (when the thought of constantly reapplying suncream is anything but appealing) and balmy evenings when you need a little more coverage that doesn’t lock in heat.

NEUTRAL

Summer might equate to a brighter sartorial color palette and an exuberant array of prints, but this necessitates separates than can hold these hues. Enter: pants in a soft neutral - perfect for anyone who feels the brightness of a solid white feels just a little too statement.

Wide leg and relaxed silhouettes in taupe and sandy shades create styles that can hold their own with a graphic floral or color-pop shade. Add this to a breathable linen-blend fabric and the result is a pair topping our list of must-have summer pants: the Linen-Blend Wide-Leg Wrap Pant + Belt that you’ll find yourself reaching for throughout the season. With the same home-to-vacation versatility, our High-Waisted Pleated Wide-Leg Pant swaps a linen-blend fabric for lightweight tailoring that has crease-free properties to keep your look freshly pressed (perfect for hot days in the office). 

While we fawn over the styles’ ability to complement color, they also lend themselves to tonal outfitting that further lifts your look into warmer months paired with everything from strappy sandals to low-top sneakers. Look to white shirts for a polished aesthetic, T-shirts for a casual sign-off, loose knits for the moment there’s a chill in the air, and a strap top when temperatures sustain their highs. 

CO-ORD

I.e. anything that has a matching jacket, blazer or top and perfects a seamless head-to-toe look with little-to-no effort on your part - after all, when there’s even the slightest chance of sunshine, why spend even a second more than absolutely necessary in front of your open closet?

Summer pants defined by breathable fabrics and bright shades play the part in warm-weather suiting that shores up your formal wardrobe so it’s occasion-ready. Opt for a cropped pant that leaves a little more space at your ankles and creates the illusion of a longer leg when paired with a heel.

In contrast, a dramatic wide leg and coordinating blazer in either a citrus shade or classic black complement any setting - be it a summer cocktail soiree, garden party or barbecue. Add stacks of gold jewels for the former and leave the extra embellishments and blazer at home for a more laid-back approach.