Possible work pants that feel like jammies? - YouLookFab Forum

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Possible work pants that feel like jammies?

Peri

Veteran

Thistle yesterday said she wanted work pants that felt like jammies. Many agreed, including me. I'm wondering if these would be possible.

To be very clear, I do not want to bring back the yoga pants discussion! I guess it is a very fine line, but what I want to know is how this kind of pant reads...like regular pants or like yoga pants. I'm not particularly asking for thoughts on where one is allowed to wear regular pants vs yoga pants.

http://www.landsend.com/produc...../id_260086

http://www.landsend.com/produc...../id_106981

http://www.talbots.com/online/.....038;rootCa

http://www.jcrew.com/womens_ca...../08626.jsp

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22 replies

Latest reply was from Catnip

Diana

Veteran

No offense, but velour pants say old lady frump to me. Like, sweatsuits for people who do not actually exercise.

FlorenceFearne

I have a pair of super comfy, stretchy dress pants that feel amazingly close to jammies, so it's certainly possible. They just look like regular black boot cut slacks. I think the combo of velvet and elastic waist puts these examples out of the running for work though.

Suz

(website)

Veteran

My thoughts, for what they are worth.

#1 and #3 read as loungewear to me. Nicer "at home" wear -- which I (perhaps unfairly) associate with an older wearer (i.e. my mother's age). I might be tempted to wear something like this at home during holiday season, but I think they'd be difficult to wear as regular clothes.

Also, they don't read as work-appropriate to my eye.

ETA: I see that I'm not alone in this perception. Velour sweatsuits = exercise clothes for people who don't actually exercise -- that is brilliant!

(Note: just to make my biases clear, recall that I joined YLF after significant weight loss in order to rebuild a wardrobe that at the time consisted of nothing but yoga pants. I seriously felt the need to step up my work-at-home fashion game -- but I recognize others may not feel the same.)

#2 I am an expert on. My mother DOES wear these as her at home wear. I buy them for her. They are not attractive in person at all.... but they fulfill her needs and my attempts to switch her to different pants have not met with success. I don't think they are polished enough to wear to work, or for work at home. They sag, bag, and shrink in the wash. For those who require warmth, they don't provide it -- so for someone like Thistle they'd be pretty useless. Basically, although it pains me to say this, these read as: "I have given up completely and abdicate all idea of fashion."

#4 Those look like they might have some potential. The different shape (taper) means they don't read like 1970s velour sweatpants (even though they are sweatpants) and that gives them a more "fashion" feel. I would definitely give those a shot. I am not sure they could pass muster for an office job ( of course it would depend on the office) but I admit I find them interesting for my own at-home capsule!

K. Period.

Veteran

Hmmmm. I'm not a fan of any of the ones you've posted, even the JCrew ones. Something about the JCrew version makes me think they'd crush easily and you'd get heavy wear marks on them. Maybe it is the gloss. The other versions are so unstructured that, to my eye, they really are just a different version of yoga pants. My mom wears almost the same thing to her chiropractor to get her back adjusted because they are so stretchy and comfy and she doesn't like sweats. Honestly, I think the tipping point for me is always the waist. I don't think you can get a stretch/elastic waist and be anything but very casual.

I think that (comfy and warm like dress pants crossed with PJs) is what dressier, heavier, more structured ponte pants, like the NYDJ version that Angie posted as a find a while back, are for. Something more structured than sweats, but still structured enough to look slightly dressier and stretchy enough to be easy to wear.

FWIW, please please please take this with a grain of salt as only reflecting my own opinion about this style of pant. I'm a dressier dresser, so casual to me is dressier than for most people. The most casual clothes I wear are nicely fit jeans and sometimes leggings under tunics or short dresses. I wear velvet jeans, but don't wear unstructured velvet/velour pants. Everything has a waistband. I think that a pair of pants that is properly fitted is comfortable even though it is structured.

Peri

Veteran

oh well, worth a try. I guess the ponte knits are going to be the closest thing.

Suz, I object to #4 on the basis of color. Red and green...they look more like party pants. And the price! Come on J Crew, are you kidding me?

My mother has the Talbots outfit. She looks very cute in it.

And FF...by any miracle, are your super comfy, stretchy dress pants from this season and still available?

marianna

Veteran

I think ponte pants are the solution here. Knit but still styled like a trouser.

Suz

(website)

Veteran

I think K. has a point here about the waistband. An elastic waist is pretty tricky. But it's not impossible. The silky track pants of the spring mostly had elastic waists and they worked.

Now that she mentions it, I do see another potential problem with the J. Crew ones, too, and that is the fact that with velour and velvet type fabrics the elastic waist could be a whole lot "bunchier" than it is with a silky fabric. And that bunchiness might be even more noticeable in a tapered pant. So they might be pretty unflattering in addition to other issues.

FlorenceFearne

Yep, you're in luck!

http://www1.macys.com/shop/pro.....lotId%3D27

Reviewers say, "Material Like Yoga Pants" and, "It is great to have business attire that feels like PJ's and still looks very profesional." Ha ha, so I guess that should be about right. My only caution is that they have a relatively short inseam at 32 1/2" so I can only wear them with flats. There is about a 1 1/2" hem, so you could lengthen a little if you wanted.

Peri

Veteran

Wow, FF, you are my new best friend! I think I will order those.

Anonymous

First, I agree completely with what Suz said, especially about #2. My mother wore them. They look like pajama pants after a couple of washings. I also blame this style of pants for gradually putting on weight in middle age without really noticing. Avoid those elastic and draw strings like the plague if you don't want middle aged spread;)

Anonymous

Did you try the Eddie Bauer ones?

http://www.eddiebauer.com/cata.....hInfo=T319

The rise was too high for me so I would think that would be good for you.

They also have Talls and a slim ponte pant.

Anonymous

I think the j.crew ones look promising. Is that a tab and zipper closure on them I see? They look like fashion forward track pants, and the rayon/silk fabric would feel wonderful. The ones from Macy's might be good too! Good luck!

Jules

Veteran

Yoga pants.
The J Crew ones would have to be styled intentionally, otherwise they just read as confused (I don't like the hem). But if they require a bunch of styling help ie/ bare ankles, heels etc, do they still qualify as comfort wear?
I agree with the ponte suggestions. The idea of them didn't hold much appeal until I tried them on. They are super comfy and look like real pants.

CocoLion

(website)

Veteran

I feel the first three are too loungey for work. The last pair are too fringe trend to look classic, and the waistband would need to fit perfectly to actually feel comfortable. I do not see them working well for your style.

I would try Eileen Fisher for comfort and a work appropriate look.
http://www.eileenfisher.com/Ei.....-P0009M/Sk
http://www.eileenfisher.com/Ei.....-P1668M/Sl
http://www.eileenfisher.com/Ei.....-P0696M/Sl

The second pair are more casual than the first and third. I've seen the first ones and they look great on.

minimalist

Veteran

Depends what your work is. Kindergarten assistant? Then they're all fine.

When I told BF about my search for non-jean basic pants that are comfortable and look good, he suggested: find a pair of pants with the right "crotch curve" and have a tailor go from that, using a lightweight wool woven with some stretch. And lined past the knee with silk.

He makes it sound so easy.

D'Ellen

Veteran

Lisette and Joseph Ribkoff brands!!! These are pull-on pants, no zipper, no waistband. Not an issue for me because I don't tuck or semi-tuck and I wear them with longer tops.

Anonymous

Peri, I'm totally with you on wanting something like this!

I actually had a pair of black pull-on ponte pants from New York & Co. a while back that looked presentable and really did feel almost like sweatpants. I'd probably still be wearing them if they hadn't gotten faded and pilled. I'm not sure if they would still carry something like this, but it may be worth a try.

I may have to try that Macy's pair for myself. I'd actually been half-tempted to order the non-velvet Lands' End pair in black, thinking they could maybe pass as real pants, before reading Suz's description. But now there's no way WHATSOEVER I'm going to do that. So thanks, Suz, for saving me from certain fashion doom!

shiny

Veteran

What about the Jcrew version that's in wool?

http://www.jcrew.com/womens_fe...../07088.jsp

It might work, in the right office environment. I could get away with something like this but I work in high tech marketing and it's acceptable to be a little edgy. Even then, I probably would not go so far as wearing the velvet version to work -- too edgy. Unless it was for a holiday party. I do think the velvet pants are adorable and fun.

Otherwise, my vote is also for ponte knit slacks and I do own INC brand - several pairs, but the skinnier versions which are like leggings but with five pocket styling. The ponte knit is quite substantial and it wears very well over time, despite frequent laundering and even running them through the dryer (that said they will shrink the first time you wash them).

Ann Taylor also makes a very nice line of ponte knit pants too, so I'd check them out as well. The INC ones fit me somewhat better, but AT is close second.

shiny

Veteran

P.s. For jammie like comfort at the office, my vote is a cozy sweater dress, one that skims and/or waistless, with comfy tights that don't bind at the waist. That's my "go-to" in the winter.

AviaMariah

Veteran

I also say ponte is your best bet. I have a pair of NDYD ponte pants from last year that are as comfortable as jammies. I think Angie had a pair on her NAS choices this year and also, I think Alaskagirl has recently started wearing some of their bootcuts. I duplicated mine because I wear them so much. Actually wearing them today with a cozy sweater and couldn't be more comfortable.

unfrumped

Veteran

I think the velours and nappy fabrics are very sketchy.

I agree that some type of ponte pant may be the closest thing.
The silky track pants can be very comfortable, but would not meet the goal for warmth, though of course can be layered under.
The elastic waistbands can be problematic and variable--can add a lot of bunchiness. A wide flat elastic can work.

FWIW, I am still holding on to, and wore recently, some several-years-old Coldwater Creek black knit pants--not sure is true ponte because it will eventually pill, but a thick knit, slightly tapered or straight--on a very cold day with tights underneath and EF cozy sweater top.

These had been hemmed to match a 2" or so heel and so I wore chunky heeled booties, which gave a longer leg line and, to me at least, the illusion of being less frumpy than with flats.

A few times I've pulled these out for the Big Purge, and then I have exactly the kind of thought Thistle expressed--there are going to be some days I just need jammie-trousers, and these will do unless I come across an upgrade.

Catnip

Veteran

Peri, I am an old lady and wouldn't be caught dead in the Lands End pants. I've tried them and cannot imagine wearing them in public, much less to work. I think the first pair of Eileen Fisher pants recommended by CocoLion has potential, and I may try them myself.