Best pants for in the office

Well, it really depends on what you're looking for in traditional pants.

1) There are main two fabrics to choose from: Wool or Cotton. Wool pants are more expensive and traditional. You will have to take these pants to the dry cleaners to be cleaned. Cotton pants, aka. Chinos, is cheaper and can handle a regular wash and iron. In general, both fabrics are breathable and comfortable if you buy the right brands. They are also durable, but cotton beats wool in most cases. You can dress up and down with cotton easily, if that's what you want (but it's possible with wool pants too). I have a mix of both fabrics in my closet.

A general rule is for you and everyone here to avoid synthetics like the plague. I'm talking about polyester and spandex. These synthetics are not hallmarks of a quality garment as they will make you sweat and they don't last very long. Most companies are going full-out on 99% cotton and 1% spandex because most men don't know how to dress and could give two shits about the garments they buy, so long as they think they're comfortable. It's a marketing gimmick that's been working for the past 5-10 years; so unless you're going to the gym or climbing a mountain, you don't need spandex in your pants, or your everyday clothes, to feel comfortable. So long as you are wearing pants that aren't tight and have room for your legs, you should be good.

2) We need to determine your fit and style. There are 5 main types of fits from slim to widest: skinny, slim, straight, regular/classic, and relaxed. Your choice of cut will depend on your body type and style. You have to consider the thickness of your legs, your torso length, your height, and your upper body build for your pants to be harmonious with your look. If you have skinny legs and/or a not-so-large upper body in proportion to your body, then you could look for skinny or slim fits. Average legs and/or average upper body, straight fit. Larger legs and/or larger upper body, regular/classic and relaxed fits. When I say and/or, one characteristic is enough for you to try out one of those fits. For example, for someone who has skinny legs but a larger upper body may want to experiment with skinny, slim, regular/classic, AND relaxed fits. Why? Slimmer pants may look "right" for his already slim legs, which might apply to someone with a short height. Wider pants may look "right," because they may compliment his larger upper body and small torso (think about it, dude is jacked up there, but his wider pants easily hide the fact that he skips leg day). You have to figure out what fit works best for your body.

A note on style, here are my takes.

• Skinny: Unless you look like a scarecrow, these pants will make you feel like a sausage. It's not 2013, skinny pants are out.
• Slim: A fit that traditionally existed for years, but has been en vogue since the 2010s. However, I think they may go out soon. Ladies already ditched them by the late 2010s in favor of wider pants. Slim pants and anything slimmer notably have a narrow leg opening, which exaggerates the size of your feet. This can work for some people, but if you have large feet, avoid.
• Straight: Timeless fit.
• Regular/Classic. Timeless fit. Ladies' fashion has been going in this direction. Perhaps it will be the same for men soon.
• Relaxed: For men who have a large beer belly. (Rise of pants in 2 paragraphs below)

Another factor to consider if the type of leg, which includes: straight, taper, and bootcut. These features are more subject to fashion tastes. The straight leg is most common, which means that the width of your pants from your knees (more or less) doesn't change when it goes down to your leg opening. Taper leg (sometimes the athletic fit) means that your pants become narrower by the leg opening. This has been the 2010s trend, but it may be in its final run. If you have larger legs, you may like the look of pants getting narrower by your feet. It's like a hybrid between a regular/classic fit above the knees, and a slim/skinny fit below. I'd be cautious though as they can make you look like a carrot. The bootcut increases in width to accommodate large boots. This fit works for you if you work in the Dallas office, or if you're a part-time cowboy.

Don't want to complicate it further, but one important feature is the rise of the pants. A short rise sits below the hip. A regular rise sits at the hip. A high rise sits at the natural waist (a tad below your belly button).

My general recommendation for the average guy: Straight or regular/classic pants. These pants are the most traditional, most versatile, most timeless, and fit the majority of men out there. Some features include a straight leg, and either a regular/high rise.

Overall, you want your pants to be comfortable and well proportioned to your body. When trying out, focus first on how your thighs feel when you sit down while carrying your phone, wallet, keys, etc. This is the most important thing about trying on pants because you can't increase the width of your pants. Either find a larger fit or increase your width size. By doing so, you can always tailor any extra fabric from the belt line. This is true for me, as I have a pack and large legs (an hourglass figure).

My brand recommendation:

• Bills Khakis: Hands down the best chino pants I tried. Costs $185 each. I wear the M2 Classic fit with the Original Twill. I visited a local store before purchasing.
• Brooks Brothers: They used to make great chinos, but now have downgraded to 99% cotton. However, you can find BB chinos in excellent and even NWT condition on Ebay and Poshmark that are still 100% cotton. Before buying online, I suggest you go to a BB store and try out their pants there. Their fits: Soho (slim), Milano (straight), Clark (regular/classic), Hudson (wider than Clark, discontinued by 2010s), Thompson (Clark but lower rise, pleats, and cuffs, discontinued by 2000s), Elliot (wider than Clark but with pleats and cuffs, discontinued around 2020). Be careful, make sure your purchase their mainline pants and not the outlet ones. The outlet ones will either be labeled as 346 or the Brooks Brothers name will be spelled in Times New Roman capitalized. These tend to be lower quality. The mainline ones have Brooks Brothers spelled in cursive.

Last note, remember that fit names and numbers are subjective from brand to brand. A regular fit for Brooks Brothers will not be the same for J Crew. In addition, fits can vary in between trends. For example, Banana Republic's straight-fit pants were much wider in the 2000s but then became slimmer by the 2010s. Best of luck with finding the right pants. Will be glad to help you figure out your fit if needed.