Few clothing items are as hard to shop for as dress pants. In the past few years, I felt like I had tried all the brands recommended to me. But pair after pair, I was disappointed. There was always one problematic area, and I felt convinced that finding the perfect pair was not possible without expensive tailoring. Then the issue became clear to me: fit is very personal. Not every silhouette that works for others will suit me. Eventually I got scientific, and after trialing several different pairs, I noticed that high quality women’s dress pants have these 5 criteria in common. You can follow my guide below to increase your chances of finding high quality women’s dress pants that work for you.
*Disclaimer: It is possible for a pair of pants to have all of these qualities, and still not work for you. I believe the winning equation is pairing these insights with the right silhouette for your body. This part takes time and experimentation. You may even be pleasantly surprised with what you find. So don’t be afraid to try something new! Those wide-leg trousers that you didn’t think could work for you might just be the piece you need.
Sharing some affiliate links from Spanx – customer favorites: These styles are smoothing, comfy, and classy!
First Things First: Silhouette is Important!
True Story: I once purchased a pair of highly rated paperbag-waist trousers from Ann Taylor, and it was a complete flop! The cut just did not fit my hip-to-waist proportions, and looked so saggy that no amount of tailoring could fix it. I learned that this waistline does not work on me, but it looks lovely on others. The solution was to try a different cut.
Don’t be afraid to explore, and ignore the trends because your choice should come down to what works for your body. I love the way J. Crew outlines their options below.
Slim | Straight | Wide-Leg | Flare | Relaxed | Skinny
High Quality Dress Pants Have a Sturdy Waistband
When it comes to telling apart high and low quality dress pants quickly, I look at the waistband. Is it reinforced with extra stitching and fabric, or is it a simple elasticized band? Nowadays, brands commonly opt for the elasticized option to save on cost. But in my opinion, it looks cheap and the rubber can crack or stretch out over time. Not to mention, it just doesn’t feel as study to me as a traditional fabric-sewn waistband.
You can feel the difference with a sturdy waistband pretty easily. If it feels thick, it is likely reinforced with something called an interfacing. The interface is an additional lining in the waistband that helps add more structure, and leaves a pair of dress pants feel stable at the waist. The high-quality ones I am wearing (beige) are from Aritzia’s Babaton line: The Program Pant.
Additional Top Rated Dress Pants with Sturdy Waist Band
Look at the Zippers and Fasteners
Zippers and fasteners are not front-facing details, so they can be easily overlooked. However, after shopping for dress pants across all price points, here is one thing I noticed: fast-fashion brands like Zara and H&M will almost always use plastic zippers. Meanwhile, when I look at pairs that are upwards of $130, I more commonly see metal zippers. These are generally more expensive, and have better aesthetics. (Similar point made in earlier post: How to Tell If Your Clothes are High Quality)
Metal zippers are also less flexible than plastic zippers. And honestly, that doesn’t have to be a bad thing. When comparing two pairs of pants I own, I definitely find that the pair with the metal zipper feels more secure, sucks me in, and glides a lot more smoothly.
High Quality Dress Pants Have Stretch Comfort
I have never owned a pair of Spanx leggings, but I was sure impressed to see they came out with a workwear line. Why? Because who wouldn’t love to mimic the feel of their favorite yoga pants in workwear form? I think, at its essence though, what people crave for is stretch comfort. Luckily, it is not too hard to test a pair of pants by doing a quick fabric-stretch test in the stores.
(Sharing a few top-rated Spanx dress pants)
It is super simple: stretch the pants lengthwise, and widthwise. How do they feel? If the pants extend and then spring back in both directions easily, then it means there is bi-directional stretch (also known as 4-way stretch). If one direction feels stiffer than the other, then the pants likely only have spandex in one direction (2-way stretch).
You can confirm your predictions by reading the fiber content label. Fabrics with bi-directional stretch have a higher spandex %. I haven’t confirmed this rule to always be true, but normally, that hovers at around 4% or higher. This feature isn’t a must-have, but having 4-way stretch allows the pants to better conform to your body shape and is more resilient!
Fabric Quality makes the Difference!
I will continue the example of my $140 vs $40 dress pants. The more expensive pair is made with thicker fabric, and in turn, I notice it adds more structure and helps smooth over imperfections. (Thicker fabrics wrinkle less easily!) Meanwhile, my $40 pair starts to scrunch up when I sit for a few hours straight. Hello, office jobs!
When I turn the $140 pair inside-out, I noticed that the inside is woven with a darker set of yarns. While I would need to peel apart the fabric to tell for sure, I am fairly confident it is a high-quality double weave! In order words, two separate fabrics were interwoven to create 1 sturdy fabric. You won’t get this type of fabric in fast-fashion work pants!
Round-Up of Highly Reviewed Work Pants: J. Crew | Spanx | Banana Republic Factory
Pocket Construction Matters
High-quality women’s dress pants most noticeably have one quality in common: they are thoughtfully designed. That comes down to even decisions like where a pocket should be placed, and how it is shaped! I am no sewing expert, so I cannot speak to the technicalities of different pocket designs. However, I can attest that the placement matters!
In my $40 example, the pockets were sewn very close to the hips. This design is problematic, as hips are the biggest part of the pants and would cause the pockets to splay apart.
Instead, my $140 pair has pockets that are offset more towards the front of the pants, which is an easy to fix to avoid the issue of bulging pockets. (This solution works for these particular pair of pants, but again, you will need to assess every pair in light of the other factors I shared to determine if the design works for you).
Spotting a pair of high-quality dress pants is worth it!
It look me almost 6-months to shop around for the right pair of trousers. And honestly, I stumbled upon them on a day when I wasn’t particularly looking! So the lesson for me was: don’t give up, and don’t settle for a pair that only half works. High quality women’s dress pants do exist, even if they take time to find!
Start with understanding your body first, and the types of silhouettes that look flattering on you. Think about the cut, and rise. Then once you’ve narrowed that down, try to find a pair that fits at least 3 of the criteria I shared above. You can order online if you know the brand well. Although from personal experience, because shopping for dress pants is so tricky, I like to try them on in-person. It also saves the money and hassle on returns!
Give these tips a try, and let me know if you resonate with any of these from your personal experience.
