Pants. Arguably the most important item that makes any outfit even better. Failing to come correct by wearing bad pants and your entire outfit falls apart at the seams.
I don’t want anyone to go through that, so today we’re locking in by looking at where pants are heading to this fall, the fits you should be leaving behind, why not all pants need to be expensive, the styles and the brands I currently like that you can buy right now.
A good pair of pants that fit you properly is the cheat-code to reaching new levels of dressing that feels more effortless. Plus, you can get-away with a mediocre top as long as you come correct with your bottoms, so make sure you’re all set before fall really hits.
PANTS ARE STRAIGHT AGAIN
If you’re still rocking insanely baggy pants and you’re over 30, let me hold your hand when I tell you this: It’s time to put the parachute away my brother.
If you’re under like 25 then do as you please, because I think it’s important for your taste development to go through whatever it needs to go through in order for you to have a better idea of what you like and not like by the time you reach unc status.
The problem is we have created what feels like a never ending problem of trying to figure out how to find your personal style. But this has created an expectation that you need to have all of the answers right away, but that’s not fun or true.
Good sense of getting dressed comes from years of experimenting, and that requires bricking some fits, and that’s ok, because we all go through a period of cringe at some point in our lives.
Especially when you start looking back at how you used to dress.
The natural cycle of style trends is cyclical. Things come-in and out of style, and pants slimming down again is just another instance of that. The streets are hot with straight leg fits, and honestly, I welcome it with open arms. Hopefully many of you are already started on that shift yourself, but if you’ve been on the fence about the wideness of your pants, then I suggest considering slimming down again.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:
NOT ALL PANTS NEED TO BE EXPENSIVE
Depending on your lifestyle and what you do day-to-day, you don’t really need $1,000 pants. Yes, a higher-end pair is nice to have, and there is a very noticeable difference between an expensive pair and a cheap pair of pants.
But if you’re someone who’s life involves a lot of side-quests that requires you to be on the move constantly, then you might benefit from something that you know works, looks good, and doesn’t require you to to break the bank for.
Bottoms from brands like Thisisneverthat, Sunflower, Stussy, and Supreme are all great places to start if you want honest reliability without having to spend too much. They usually price their pants on the lower end of the pant spectrum, while providing a solid level of quality that is designed for whatever — if I stain or sit on the ground with them then I don’t really care because they are designed to take that sort of beating, where as an expensive pair of pants is always met with more care in mind that may impose boundaries in how I act in them.
Budget pants let you feel more free. I’m not going to go lift a bunch of stuff from my car or go skate in a pair of $500 pants, but with a pair for $150 it’s like, who cares if they get beat up? With a cheaper option I don’t have to worry about having to go home and change because the vibe of what I’m doing later might shift.
THISISNEVERTHAT
Hearing about good pants that are under $150 in 2026 seems crazy, but they are out there. Thisisneverthat makes some of the best budget pants on the market while maintaining great level of quality by sourcing natural fabrics and investing in their hardware detailing in order to create bottoms that last.
