The big-pants trend never quite worked for me. As billowy pants became more in style in the last few years, I was hoping to join the club by adding a relaxed-fit pair to my rotation of slim, straight-fit pants. The wider silhouettes of the pants I’d see in ads looked tastefully flowy and voluminous on models, but were often disappointing on me. I looked like a little kid trying on my dad’s clothes.
While some folks can pull them off, most big pants have a height-shrinking effect on me (I’m five-foot-ten and normally wear a size 31 waist with a 30-inch inseam). I tried on J.Crew’s Giant Fit chinos — perhaps the pair that put big pants (back) in the menswear mainstream — a couple years ago when the brand released them. They have a loose, boxy fit — the kind of pants cut for Flat Stanley. Menswear writer Jake Woolf summed it up perfectly in his review: “The fit is WIDE. Like, wider than you think by seeing the beautiful male model in the lookbook in ’em. When J.Crew says giant, they are NOT bullshitting.” They were too wide for me. And if you swing too far the opposite direction on the baggy scale, you approach skinny territory. I’ve found that most straight-fit cuts really just look like slim-straight pants.
My editor mentioned to me that I might be looking for a pair of Carhartts. But I wasn’t looking for any workwear-inspired pants — nothing with double knees or hammer loops.
So I’ve spent the past couple years trying to find pants right in the middle of that scale — pairs that offer a fuller leg and some structure, yet aren’t too roomy. Below, the pants I’ve found that come closest to that happy middle ground — and the pairs that hit the mark.
The Runners-Up
I’ve long been a fan of Rhythm’s classic fatigue pants, so I was intrigued by this pair of relaxed-fit jeans, which have a looser, flowy fit in the thigh and throughout the leg. I have to hike them up slightly or cuff them, or else they drape past my heel, but sometimes I like that baggier fit, which is reminiscent of ’90s skater jeans, although not nearly as baggy. (See skate legend Chad Muska in a 1995 Maple Skateboards ad.)
At first glance, I wouldn’t consider these Alex Mill pants “relaxed fit.” They have a tapered leg and a seamed cuff. But they’re very roomy around the thigh — almost as relaxed and flowy as the Rhythm jeans above — which is why they’re on this list. I bought these pants almost three years ago, and they haven’t shown any signs of wear. I also have the chino version of these pants in an olive-green color.
This pair of relaxed-fit jeans from Adsum are my most-worn pair over the past two years. On me, they have a straighter fit compared to how they look on the model (the opposite of the J.Crew Giant Chino dissonance), but I think they’re still roomy, especially around the thigh. I think a pair of pants becomes too skinny when you can see the outline of your calf, and when the crease around the back of the knee becomes more pronounced. These Adsum jeans stay on the relaxed side by still providing that structure around the knee and through the lower leg.
These are the same cut as the darker wash above, but lighter. The pair I bought at a sample sale was a bit long, so I cropped the bottom hem with scissors.
The Winners
This corduroy pair from Rhythm has a generous fit in the thigh and a slight taper toward the ankle — and I think that’s the winning combo I was looking for. They hit right below the ankle, so when I wear sneakers, the hems crease slightly without spilling over, like a pair of truly relaxed pants.
This pair from Toast is the widest-fitting pair I own. I’d say they’re as wide as the J.Crew Giant Fit chinos, but the pleats give them a narrower silhouette. Toast doesn’t list a specific inseam measurement on its site, but I measured it at 28 inches. Because of their rise, I have to pull them up a little higher on my waist if I don’t want to cuff them (for reference, the model in Toast’s photo is six-foot-two and still cuffs his medium pair). But my favorite feature is the weight: They’re made from a thick cotton canvas, so they provide a nice shape without being too billowy.
These Madewell jeans are just a touch more relaxed than my other straight-fit pants, and I think they’re right on the money with the fit I was looking for. They have a weight to them that lends structure: They often crease a little around the knee ,and that breaks up the silhouette a bit. (Compare that to the cut of a baggier pair of jeans, like the Rhythm Essential Jeans above.) Plus, this dark-gray wash is really versatile — I can wear them with sneakers, brown and black leather shoes, or a pair of loafers.
Although this is technically the same fit as the Madewell pair above, this specific wash has a texture that drapes a bit more loosely over my legs (If they weren’t labeled, I would have thought they were a completely different cut). They don’t have as much structure as the Munson Wash — my legs swim a little in these — but they aren’t as wide as the Toast pants. I like how I can wear these jeans for dressier outfits.
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