So many pants, so little time. Now that the heat of summer has receded and the crisp chill of fall is settling in, you may be wondering: What pants should I be wearing this season?
In recent years, men’s pants have continued to grow bigger and baggier with each passing season. Some folks traded in their slim fits for true straight legs, while others dove headfirst into the wide-cut waters, leaning into ultra-relaxed bottoms of epic proportions. Somewhat surprisingly, flared jeans came flying back into style, with a sizable swath of designers pumping out groovy cuts worthy of a young Mick Jagger. Pleated dress trousers and slouchy cargo pants both returned to relevancy, too. And now, perhaps inevitably, whispers of a skinny jeans resurgence have begun to circulate.
In an era where stylish men are pulling on everything from boot-cut denim to wide-fit chinos, we called on a handful of serious menswear pros to provide some guidance and direction. Here are their predictions and advice for looking great in pants all autumn long.
Fabio Immediato, stylist
“Lately, I have been obsessing over cargo pants,” says Fabio Immediato, a Hollywood stylist who dresses leading men like Joseph Quinn, Simu Liu, and Penn Badgley. Two of his favorite labels for pants are Ralph Lauren’s rugged RRL imprint and the British retailer M&S, both of which currently offer stylish cargoes and other utilitarian-inspired options—including the indigo carpenter pants he recommends below. Immediato also hopes to see men wearing more tapered and fitted trousers this fall. “Hopefully pairing them with a boot,” he adds.
On Joseph Quinn’s recent monthlong press tour for Fantastic Four, Immediato dressed the English actor in a wide array of pants, including both baggy and more tailored styles. But his and Quinn’s shared favorite was a pair of flared jeans from Marni. Immediato, however, is a proud member of the growing legion of men who yearn for a return to slimmer denim. He’s personally been wearing Diesel jeans as of lately, and still worships the man who initiated high fashion’s love of skinny fits: “I am a forever fan of the Hedi Slimane Dior cut.”
Karlmond Tang, stylist and art director
Karlmond Tang is a pants aficionado whose vast collection features a wide range of designers, from Yohji Yamamoto and Comme des Garçons to Chalayan and Drakes. (We repeat: Don’t sleep on Comme’s trousers!) The ones he reaches for the most, however, are the iconic pleated pants by Homme Plissé Issey Miyake. “I bought my first pair probably eight years ago now, and I’ve never lost interest,” he says. “They straddle the line between smart and casual.” Tang has the Issey joints in a few different silhouettes, but recommends the straight-cut version as the most versatile. And if Homme Plissé isn’t quite in your budget, Tang’s go-to affordable bottoms are Uniqlo U’s wide chino pants.
Overall, Tang sees men gravitating towards a more classic, straight-leg fit—still relaxed, but not quite as extreme as some of the baggier silhouettes we’ve seen recentlly. “It’s still about wide at the moment, but I do see things going back to straight,” Tang says. A recent look he styled for the London label YMC featured a twill pant with a slightly tapered leg: “I looked at those tapered trousers and thought, Yeah, now’s the time for this.”
Nico Lazaro, menswear consultant and writer
Nico Lazaro, the menswear scene staple behind The Bengal Stripe newsletter, is all about khaki pants. His current khakis of choice are from Observer Collection, a label run by a former Marine turned photographer who studied tailoring at Savile Row. “It’s one of those pants that works as well with tailoring as it does with a beat-up tee,” Lazaro says. “I like the straight, slightly relaxed cut. It has that timeless silhouette.”
