The Platonic Closet, Revisited: Pants

Welcome to another instalment of my Platonic Closet series, in which I share my experiences with various brands and my favourite pieces. This week: PANTS! Or, for you non-North Americans, trousers. We’ll leave the unmentionables off the blog, kthanxbai.

Work Pants/Trousers

As some of you will recall, I used to be very much ride-or-die about Banana Republic Sloan pants. If slim, ponte ankle pants is your thang, I would still recommend these to you. I now prefer a slightly looser silhouette, and a nice crepe fabric for extra drape. Aritzia’s crepe fabric, to be precise – or, I should say, their Japanese fabric, whatever that is. I have a bunch of their black pants, the style names of which I don’t know because they all look the same to me (and were thrifted, natch):

The only one that looks noticeably different is the Allant pant, which might be my favourite:

The fabric is the same, and it’s dressy enough to balance out the rolled hems and drawstring waist in a business casual environment; know your office, though. There is something extra cool about this style, which borders on the “jogger” but doesn’t lean all the way into the athleisure trend. I love it.

Aritzia pants are pretty good quality in my experience, though my price point is thrift not retail so YMMV. If you can grab them for $30 or less, I’d say “do it!” They run TTS – I wear either a 4 or 6, which is the same as my BR sizing for example. I prefer the larger size as it affords more slouch/room.

Denim

Denim preferences are a very personal thing, so while I will tell you all about my favourite pair of jeans, I won’t pretend they’re a universal must have. I actually have a lot of different styles kicking about, though lately I have been gravitating towards the same 2-3 pairs. The best one? This Madewell boyfriend jean:

I love the light/medium wash and the rolled hems. The distressing is subtle enough that I can wear these to the office on Fridays. (If I know I’m meeting with senior leadership, I’ll probably sub in a darker wash pair of skinny jeans, though.)

I am also hugely fond of this Pilcro pair:

Generally, my favourite denim brands are Adriano Goldschmied (super soft), J Brand, and Paige. (Side note: My current white jeans are Frame, and they are nice and opaque.) I thrift all my jeans, no exceptions. Jeans are one category where my local thrift stores overflow with options, usually priced under $10 a pair. I have not worn non-designer jeans in years, so I honestly don’t know if the retail price differential is worth it or not. However, even at consignment (or eBay, Poshmark, etc.), prices on designer denim make them a worthwhile proposition.

Casual Non-Denim

Pilcro, Pilcro, Pilcro. I love my Pilcro khakis and cords. It’s hard to pick a favourite pair. There is this one:

And this one:

It’s kinda hard to tell, but that pair has awesome jodphur-like details, and it’s a lovely greige colour.

And who can forget grandma’s floral couch:

I am size 28 in Pilcros, and I like that their sizing is fairly consistent. Their pants often have nice little details and finishes that I enjoy, like funky patterned pocket linings, etc. I thrift mine, but I also keep an eye on my eBay searches in case something shows up at a decent price.

Questions? Want to share your favourite pants/denim brands? See you in the comment section.