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The 7 Best Pants to Wear in the Summer If You Don't Like Shorts
These easy breezy, on-trend styles are flattering at any age, according to stylists.
Dana Schulz is an experienced editor, writer, and content strategist who is just as likely to be crunching the latest housing market data as she is to be sharing all the best new kitchen gadgets at Target.
She has written about real estate, apartment living, home decor, and history for more than 14 years. With a degree in urban design and architecture studies, she is well-versed in finding the hidden gem stories within complex topics.
Dana began her career at Village Preservation, a New York City-based preservation nonprofit, where she planned all public events and led her first walking tour about the culinary and cultural history of the East Village. She also helped create the organization’s blog Off the Grid, which is when she was truly bitten by the writing bug.
For nearly eight years, Dana worked at the website 6sqft, where she specialized in content related to New York City real estate, architecture, policy, and history. As the site’s managing editor, she oversaw all editorial and social media operations and implemented strategies for search engine optimization, affiliate marketing, and branded content. Her favorite part of the job was organizing photoshoots of beautiful and quirky homes. Her writing has also been featured on Realtor.com, Parade, CityRealty, and Circa Old Houses.
In her free time, Dana enjoys being a cat mom, cooking, photographing new cities, practicing yoga, and riding her beloved Peloton bike. She is an active board member of the Historic Districts Council and leads historic walking tours.
Rebecca Strong is a freelance writer with over 8 years of experience covering health, wellness, lifestyle, dating/relationships, travel, and beauty. While she's written about everything from wine recommendations and style tips to viral TikTok recipe reviews and skincare product roundups, she's especially passionate about the topic of mental health.
Over the course of her career, Rebecca has contributed thousands of articles to a number of other online outlets. Aside from Best Life, her work can also be found on Health.com, Business Insider, Men's Health, Bustle, Well+Good, AskMen, Healthline, StyleCaster, PopSugar, Clean Plates, Eat This Not That, and Elite Daily.
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Shorts may be synonymous with summer, but that doesn't mean we all like wearing them. Some of us don't feel comfortable baring our legs, while others might suffer from thigh chafing. Or, maybe shorts just don't fit with your summer wardrobe. Whatever the case may be, there's no rule that you can't wear pants once the warmer weather hits.
Pants can come in handy during the summer for lots of other reasons, too—for instance, if you're healing from a nasty sunburn, want to fend off mosquito bites, or are attending an event with a dress code. For all these reasons, we consulted stylists to get their picks for the best pants to wear in the summer if you don't like shorts.
Across the board, stylists named linen one of their favorite summer fabrics—and with good reason. Since it's loosely woven, it allows body heat to quickly escape so you can stay cool and dry. Not to mention, it epitomizes effortless elegance.
The beauty of linen pants is that they're easy to dress up or down, depending on the occasion. Wear them with strappy flat leather sandals and a basic T-shirt for a laid-back lunch with friends, or build a chic set with a matching blouse and block heel mules for an evening event.
As Abigail Valentine, a personal stylist and founder of Joy & the Valentine, points out, linen pants can also be found in sleek tailored styles, like these Reformation pants.
Similarly, transformational wardrobe stylist Chellie Carlson recommends this pair of high-waisted linen trousers from Aritzia.
"It's a wonderful all-around light-weight linen summer pant that comes in all sizes from plus, petite, and tall, in a plethora of colors and patterns, as well as in different styles from wide-leg, slim-wide-leg, flare, straight, and relaxed," Maita shares.
2 | Linen "jeans"
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If you love your denim but find it too hot for the summer, Elizabeth Kosich, founder of Elizabeth Kosich Styling, is a big fan of linen "jeans." She explains these are "a natural denim blend of linen and cotton," with details like pockets and zippers.
"Linen jeans level-up summertime casual with unexpected polish," she says. "The fabric has drape, too, and is easy to care for, so simply machine wash, line dry, and repeat."
3 | Joggers
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The best summer pants in the athleisure space are joggers, says Kosich: "Perfect in a pinch, think of it as the classic black legging reimagined for summer in softer colors and a looser fit."
She recommends finding them in a lightweight, breathable knit with four-way stretch performance, ideally with a "mid-rise, cropped leg, and a drawstring waist."
To level this look up, "pair joggers with a scoop neck t-shirt half-tucked, suede mules, and a stack of beaded bracelets," suggests Kosich.
Think of this style as the pants equivalent of a maxi dress: Its flowy silhouette gives off major vacation vibes.
"While they’re technically pants, they look like a skirt," explains Jaquelyn Wahidi, a personal stylist based in San Diego. "With all the extra room, you get nice airflow. And palazzo pants are easily dressed up with heels and jewelry, so they can be worn to work or a nice dinner."
Since palazzo pants are super flowy, Wahidi recommends wearing them with a structured, well-fitting shirt for visual balance and to accentuate your waistline.
"Opt for lightweight fabrics like silk or chiffon for a luxurious feel," adds Joe Manktelow-Pimm, a fashion expert and editor at 7Gents. "Pair them with a fitted tank top or a tucked-in lightweight sweater and heels for a beachside dinner."
This is also a great place to experiment with prints. Kosich suggests "banana leaves, palm fronds, or hibiscus flowers" paired with a "simple, clean white linen shirt" knotted at the waist.
5 | Plissé pants
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You've probably seen plissé pants everywhere but never knew their name. They're loose-fitting, stretchy pants with narrow all-over pleats, usually in a shiny or glossy material. And Ashley Full, stylist and co-founder of Amour781, points out they're a great summer option, especially for more dressy occasions.
She recommends these plissé pants from Good American, which she says "have an elasticized waistband and drape off of the body complimenting your curves perfectly."
"You can pair these pants with a matching plissé top for a versatile look," she adds.
Kosich calls white jeans "summer’s ultimate wardrobe hero," and we can't disagree.
"Ankle flare, wide leg, bootleg or boyfriend, white jeans can be dressed up or down and worn day or night," she says. "Pair with a white tank for a monochromatic color column that lengthens and strengthens, then style with a lifestyle statement sneaker by day or sparkly sandal by night."
Melony Huber, a stylist and co-founder of La Peony, recommends opting for lighter-weight, stretchy denim with ripped detailing in the summertime. Like Kosich, she suggests going the monochromatic route and pairing the outfit with "contrasting accessories like a brown belt, shoes, and bag."
And if you're looking for a stylist-loved pair of white jeans, consider Maeve's Colette pants at Anthropologie. These cropped, high-waist, wide-leg jeans "cater to all women sized standard, tall, and petite," notes Maita.
"[They have] perfectly placed pockets that are so flattering on every body type and their styles are inclusive and have been designed for universal wear with people with disabilities," she adds.
(Outside of denim, Maita's a fan of the Colette pants in linen, too. These come in 21 colors, including prints!)
7 | Capris
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"If you’re a millennial, this could be a trend you don’t want to get back into, but we all really should be embracing modern capris!" shares Full.
"Pick a solid color capri like white, pair it with an oversized button-down shirt and kitten heels, and you have a gorgeous European brunch look," she suggests. "If you want to stay away from something tight fitting, you can find palazzo pants in a capri length."