https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/ask-angie-what-are-dress-pants Style Advice for Fashion Lovers en-US Sat, 11 Apr 2026 14:15:42 +0000 http://bbpress.org/?v=1.0.2 q https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/search.php https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/ask-angie-what-are-dress-pants/page/2#post-2105556 Wed, 11 Mar 2020 22:42:50 +0000 cindysmith 2105556@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I'm ok with taking the velvet skinnies out of work rotation. I haven't splashed bleach on them yet, so they can be regular casual pants for what little life I have outside of work and laundry LOL </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/ask-angie-what-are-dress-pants#post-2105554 Wed, 11 Mar 2020 22:37:24 +0000 Angie 2105554@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p><b>Cindy,</b> those are definitely not dress pants. They are casual jeans. Their super skinny silhouette makes them look even more casual - like leggings. But they do have a fly!&nbsp; </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/ask-angie-what-are-dress-pants#post-2105553 Wed, 11 Mar 2020 22:32:21 +0000 Jules 2105553@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>They are styled as jeans, and several people have said that type of styling makes it not a dress pant. On the other hand, they do have a fly! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/ask-angie-what-are-dress-pants#post-2105548 Wed, 11 Mar 2020 22:00:09 +0000 MsMary 2105548@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I would say those are definitely not dress pants by any reasonable definition. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/ask-angie-what-are-dress-pants#post-2105542 Wed, 11 Mar 2020 21:24:37 +0000 cindysmith 2105542@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Angie, I got them NWT at a consignment shop. Like these but full length, in black </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/ask-angie-what-are-dress-pants#post-2105480 Wed, 11 Mar 2020 17:05:53 +0000 Angie 2105480@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p><b>Cindy</b>, can you provide a link to the gap velvet skinnies?&nbsp; </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/ask-angie-what-are-dress-pants#post-2105418 Wed, 11 Mar 2020 14:17:51 +0000 Jules 2105418@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Yeah, I don't necessarily agree that traditional standards such as no open-toe shoes are sexist, or that dress codes always favour men (in many offices women can get away with a lot more variety of dress including more seasonally appropriate variation), but this situation definitely seems to favour what the men have decided is acceptable based on what's available to them. It sounds very 90s uniform, actually.<br />&nbsp;<br />I might skip the velvet skinnies in the interest of demonstrating some desire to conform to the rules, mostly as a negotiation tactic. So not "everything except jeans is a dress pant" but "these other options with side zips are reasonable dress pants by most people's standards, even if they are not khakis'. It's not that velvet skinnies are in themselves a problem, it's that they would stand out and draw unnecessary attention to the fact that they break "the rules", whereas plainer pants may not. Operate in the grey zone.</p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/ask-angie-what-are-dress-pants#post-2105401 Wed, 11 Mar 2020 13:34:25 +0000 Anonymous 2105401@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Haha Zaeobi :)<br /> I'd think the side zip and velvet pants would be fine (if the velvet are not too hot). Dress pants to me are anything you could imagine as half a suit. Khakis to me are more of a casual work pant.<br /> In any case- uniforms are The Worst! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/ask-angie-what-are-dress-pants#post-2105359 Wed, 11 Mar 2020 10:18:59 +0000 Zaeobi 2105359@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Simple solution - all the women show up to work in cargo pants with a zip or button fly. Proceed to leave said buttons and/ or zips open as a 'silent strike' of defiance until they either change the rules or you escalate it to those jeggings that have the fly front painted on but are actually completely smooth </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/ask-angie-what-are-dress-pants#post-2105342 Wed, 11 Mar 2020 05:11:49 +0000 cindysmith 2105342@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Slimcat, yes, shirts must be tucked in. Which is an entertaining task, considering that the shirts are basically garbage bags. Carly red polyester that is so stinking slippery that it isn't funny.</p> <p>And if the pants have belt loops, then a belt must be worn. Which would be exactly why me and my exacto knife had a field day making sure none of my new pants had belt loops the moment I got them home. </p> <p>Angie, the gap velvet skinny pants, yes or no? </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/ask-angie-what-are-dress-pants#post-2105304 Tue, 10 Mar 2020 22:57:07 +0000 mtnsofthemoon 2105304@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>As others have mentioned "dress" pants to me is all about the fabric and cut.&nbsp; Nicer fabrics and trouser style.&nbsp; Khaki and Chinos do not come to my mind when imagining dress pants. I associate the term with business attire and or corporate/suiting attire.&nbsp; However, I am more curious about the possible "showdown" at your work ;-).&nbsp; What type of setting/business/industry?&nbsp;&nbsp; </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/ask-angie-what-are-dress-pants#post-2105281 Tue, 10 Mar 2020 20:52:18 +0000 slim cat 2105281@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I wonder if they want belt loops and actual belts worn all the time and everything tucked in ( used to be that way some years ago ). Outdated. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/ask-angie-what-are-dress-pants#post-2105278 Tue, 10 Mar 2020 20:16:04 +0000 Bennett 2105278@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>It sounds like they are looking for Dockers-style pants as their benchmark for "dress pants", which makes sense for the industry probably. And because, men making the rules...... </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/ask-angie-what-are-dress-pants#post-2105266 Tue, 10 Mar 2020 19:09:48 +0000 Anonymous 2105266@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>It's such an outdated term, in my humble opinion. &nbsp;And I agree with those who say that "dress pants" are those in a woven fabric with traditional tailoring details (waistband, zipper etc). &nbsp;I think the definition has loosened over the years to accommodate less traditional styling , but it's all in the eyes of the policy-maker in the workplace. &nbsp; I do know that some workplaces have instituted the term to draw a line in the sand between work-appropriate pants and leggings, cargo joggers, denim and super-tight ponte pants. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/ask-angie-what-are-dress-pants#post-2105265 Tue, 10 Mar 2020 19:02:54 +0000 rachylou 2105265@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I don’t think button fly means what they think it means. To me, at least, it means all buttons, not one button and a zip. I think they just want khakis. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/ask-angie-what-are-dress-pants#post-2105260 Tue, 10 Mar 2020 18:50:30 +0000 Angie 2105260@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p><b>Cindy, </b>I agree with everyone's definition and assessment so far. Anything else I can help you with?&nbsp; </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/ask-angie-what-are-dress-pants#post-2105248 Tue, 10 Mar 2020 18:23:09 +0000 April 2105248@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Laura rg -- ah, if only my school district had had a safety-related reason for the no open-toes rule.&nbsp; There was none; it was just the kind of rule men in charge make when they don't know how to create a dress code&nbsp; for women that ensures professional dress.</p> <p>To be clear, I did not think the shoe rule should be eliminated because I knew that within a week, half the teachers would be at work in flipflops.&nbsp; I just think "open-toed" was not really the issue.&nbsp; See my example below for why not.</p> <p>Also, the teachers were not the ones advocating for trouser jeans -- they wanted to wear sweatpants.&nbsp; (Um, our *students* weren't permitted to wear sweatpants to school, and they were children.)</p> <p> </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/ask-angie-what-are-dress-pants#post-2105245 Tue, 10 Mar 2020 18:15:16 +0000 cindysmith 2105245@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I agree that it's likely gender based discrimination (all company meetings start with a prayer, and the male scions of the family name are company bigwigs, so there's that), and I'm not the only one here that's a bit frustrated by it.</p> <p>I'm not ready to make waves yet, but it has crossed my mind. Especially crosses my mind when I see male meatcutters wearing DRAWSTRING JOGGERS WITH ELASTIC ANKLES and my female manager got called out on her pants that didn't have a front zipper. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/ask-angie-what-are-dress-pants#post-2105229 Tue, 10 Mar 2020 17:08:10 +0000 JAileen 2105229@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Years ago, where I worked, &nbsp;I wore dresses or skirts every day, except for casual Friday. &nbsp;On casual Friday we could wear denim, but not blue denim, until the CEO wore blue jeans. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/ask-angie-what-are-dress-pants#post-2105221 Tue, 10 Mar 2020 16:07:32 +0000 Laura (rhubarbgirl) 2105221@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Yeah, I'd imagine that they have chinos/khakis in mind - in other words, no leggings or slim pants in knit, no denim, no jeans, no jeans styling. Thankfully those styles have reemerged recently in the trends and there are ways to wear them in a current (ish) fashion. I actually find them more comfortable to work in than jeans in hotter weather.</p> <p>In my mind 'dress pants' actually are dressier than chinos &amp; khakis - something in a wool or other suiting fabric, something that if they had a coordinating blazer you could wear as a suit. But as workplaces and the world have casualized, terminology gets used different ways in different places. </p> <p>April, I've had the no open-toed shoes rule at several workplaces, and it's a safety thing, or at least supposedly - so if you drop something on your foot or stub your toe on equipment the damage is going to be much less. Doesn't really matter if you're wearing nice dressy sandals or Old Navy flip flops, neither is OK.</p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/ask-angie-what-are-dress-pants#post-2105220 Tue, 10 Mar 2020 15:58:48 +0000 April 2105220@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>KikiG said it well.</p> <p>Any pant in denim or a knit fabrication is going to have trouble posing as a "dress pant", as is anything in a skinny style.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <p>Dress codes aren't always logical.&nbsp; At the public school where I used to work, the dress code was no denim, and it didn't matter if it was a trouser jean, a denim dress, or a jean jacket.&nbsp; They meant zero denim (though many of the teachers wore knit pants and believe me when I tell you those were WAY less dressy than a crisp pair of trouser jeans.)</p> <p>They also had strict rules about no open-toed shoes, and it didn't matter if they were drugstore flip-flops or strappy Blahniks, yet sweatshirts were A-ok.&nbsp; Go figure.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/ask-angie-what-are-dress-pants#post-2105215 Tue, 10 Mar 2020 15:24:57 +0000 L'Abeille 2105215@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I kind of suspect when they say "dress pants" they mean NOT jeans, NOT leggings, and NOT athleisure. And that the dockers style pants, khakis and cargoes, are the most casual version your co-workers can come up with that are both dressy enough for the official dress code and rugged enough for the demands of the job.</p> <p>As far as interpretations, I suspect skinny pants could fly if you could picture them on Audrey Hepburn, but not if they could be mistaken for leggings. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/ask-angie-what-are-dress-pants#post-2105211 Tue, 10 Mar 2020 15:03:48 +0000 always trying 2105211@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Dressy fabrics, no denim and no double side stitch like jeans. If they have back pockets they are not patch pockets like jeans. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/ask-angie-what-are-dress-pants#post-2105210 Tue, 10 Mar 2020 15:00:28 +0000 Christina F. 2105210@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Sounds like this dress code was written by men with men in mind, to be honest. If you are in a neat and presentable pant that's not a jean and is in a "dressy" fabric, it shouldn't matter where the fly is! And khakis are not dress pants!! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/ask-angie-what-are-dress-pants#post-2105208 Tue, 10 Mar 2020 14:51:55 +0000 Suz 2105208@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Exactly, <b>Vildy.</b>&nbsp;</p> <p>I have to agree with <b>notsaf,</b> though. If preserving relations at your job is important, what matters (sadly) is not what a stylist thinks or what we think, but what they think at your workplace. Unless there are other women who are frustrated, as you are -- in which case you might, as a group, be able to make a stronger case.&nbsp;</p> <p>I think <b>KikiG</b> and <b>Bijou </b>are right about the definition.&nbsp;</p> <p> </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/ask-angie-what-are-dress-pants#post-2105203 Tue, 10 Mar 2020 14:37:00 +0000 Vildy 2105203@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Interestingly, I think this is discriminatory against women because in the past it was common for women's pants to have side zippers.&nbsp; In fact, when I started wearing fly zipper pants as a teenager my earthy father used to joke with me about why women would want these. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/ask-angie-what-are-dress-pants#post-2105202 Tue, 10 Mar 2020 14:36:25 +0000 notsaf 2105202@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>If they wear chinos and khakis, that's probably what they think a dress pant is, no matter what anyone says around here! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/ask-angie-what-are-dress-pants#post-2105198 Tue, 10 Mar 2020 14:19:50 +0000 Bijou 2105198@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I think of dress pants as being the trousers that you would wear in a suit - so normal suiting fabric such as gaberdine. It will be interesting to hear Angie's response. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/ask-angie-what-are-dress-pants#post-2105189 Tue, 10 Mar 2020 13:42:56 +0000 Elizabeth P 2105189@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>My interpretation of a "dress pant" is not cotton chinos, and not denim.&nbsp; And not leggings.&nbsp; Pretty much anything else would fit the definition... and the location of the zipper means nothing.&nbsp; Some dress pants could be pull on ones. A side zipper is definitely used a lot in women's dress pants. I probably wouldn't wear skinny ponte pants as "dress pants" although I do wear them to MY work.&nbsp; I think of them as being a wider&nbsp; (than skinny) leg, but that is totally my interpretation. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/ask-angie-what-are-dress-pants#post-2105187 Tue, 10 Mar 2020 13:34:54 +0000 KikiG 2105187@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>&nbsp;In the purest definition, a dress pant is a non-denim pant with a non-jean styling, typically in a suiting fabric.&nbsp; A dress pant could have a hidden or side zipper, it could have pockets or no pockets.&nbsp; But it would not have rear patch pockets like a jean.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>