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Striking the balance between dress and play requires a surgical eye, that, if done wrong, can turn out less like a majestic pegasus and more like a horrific lab experiment (we’re still recovering from the dress-shoe-sneaker-sole era). Stóffa managed to perform a triple bypass with their eyes closed because these pleated trousers somehow strike that business-casual vibe perfectly and does both sides of the hyphen better than most. The preternaturally chill trousers look great with loafers, sure—but they’ll also up the dressy factor considerably when you wear ‘em with strappy leather sandals. So if you’re ready to lock in at the office but go hard on your well-deserved vacation, you only need one pant.
Best Jeans-Like Linen Pants: Alex Crane Cham Pants
Alex Crane
Cham Pants
Pros
- Everyday jean details
- Broad colorway options
- High-quality linen materials
Cons
- Fit could be more forgiving
Materials: 100% European linen | Fit: Mid-rise, straight-leg
If you identify as a jeans guy but can’t stand to wear your denim dungarees above 78 degrees, don’t worry. Alex Crane’s all about linen. Seriously, nearly every part of the brand’s catalog has linen in it so of course they’ve basically mastered the medium. The brand’s Cham pants feature jeans-style details like the hand pockets and metal top button but are made from a super soft, breezy 100% European linen. They’ve got a classic straight-leg silhouette that’ll sync up seamlessly with a pair of Vans or some classy loafers and they come in a gang of colorways and patterns, each of which use all-natural dyes.
Best Linen-Blend Pants: Banana Republic Linen-Cotton Traveler Pant
Banana Republic
Linen-Cotton Traveler Pant
Pros
- Slight stretch for comfort
- Wide variety of colors
- Cotton blend makes them more versatile
Cons
- Slimmer fit makes them a little less breathable
Materials: 60% linen, 39% cotton, 1% Elastane | Fit: Mid rise, slim-straight leg
Linen pants have the habit of making you look like you’re on vacation, even if you’ve got zero PTO left. But Banana Republic avoided that pitfall with ease by focusing on the materials and the design details. The Italian-milled fabric blends linen and cotton to balance breathability and cut down on wrinkles without finishing it with a weird anti-wrinkle finish. Coupled with a medium rise, straight fit, and vintage-inspired military details, they absolutely will go off at cocktail hour on Friday and come back just as hard at brunch on Sunday.
Best Linen Pants for Vacation: CDLP Semi-Tailored Trousers
CDLP
Semi Tailored Trousers
Pros
- Super silky fabric
- Hybrid styling
Cons
- Hybrid styling
- Less money leftover for souvenirs
Materials: 58% Tencel Lyocell, 42% linen | Fit: Relaxed
Finally, pants that feel like pajamas but look a million ways away. CDLP’s pants would make anyone feel like royalty in their own home, which makes them the perfect pants for taking a “Me Day”. But when they look this good, why wouldn’t you show them off? The fabric blends linen with with a healthy helping of lyocell, a silk-alternative fiber that feels impossibly smooth with a gorgeous sheen. The result is a pant that you don’t really wear so much as luxuriate in. Even then, the crisp center crease gives it a dressed-up feel that totally disguises the fact that you stumbled out of bed.
More Linen Pants We Love
Abercrombie
Loose Linen-Blend Pull-On Pant
What makes a “Pull-on” pant? The ability to get it onto your body as quickly as a pair of pajama pants, in this case thanks to a stretchy waist and loose fit. For the guy who wants every morning to feel like Sunday morning.
Buck Mason
Loomed Linen OG-107 Fatigue Pant
Like many of Buck Mason’s best pieces, this one is military inspired—but there’s no hazing here. It’s been pre-washed for a lived-in feel, and the linen is loose, airy, and breathable as anything.
Kartik Research
Straight-Leg Embroidered Linen Trousers
Linen pants usually rest on the laurels of the fabric’s texture, but if you want a pair with a little more going on, Kartik Research serves up this gorgeous pair. Featuring intricate and labor-intensive hand-embroidery, they’re the kind of linen pants that steal the spotlight whether you’re on vacation or lounging in the park.
Alex Mill
Daniel Pleated Trouser In Linen Herringbone
As per usual, Alex Mill is hot on the heels of its more-established competitors. In this case, offering a luxurious linen pant with pleats, wide belt loops, and a relaxed, dare we say louche silhouette.
Evan Kinori
Two Pleat Pant
Evan Kinori’s approach to clothing is slow, methodical, and subtle—a monk-like meditation on menswear. Each piece is crafted in small batches to a ridiculously high quality, and if there’s one piece in that defines the EK universe, it might be this Two-Pleat pant, woven from Belgian linen.
Livid Jeans
Keri Linen Java Pants
If you’re on TikTok, you might’ve seen this big, beautiful trousers floating around the menswear sphere. Hailing from the Netherlands, Livid crafts these tasty five-pocket jeans out of a weighty, but flowy Lithuanian linen and cuts them with a high-high rise and a wide-wide leg.
How We Test and Review Products
Style is subjective, we know—that’s the fun of it. But we’re serious about helping our audience get dressed. Whether it’s the best white sneakers, the flyest affordable suits, or the need-to-know menswear drops of the week, GQ Recommends’ perspective is built on years of hands-on experience, an insider awareness of what’s in and what’s next, and a mission to find the best version of everything out there, at every price point.
Our staffers aren’t able to try on every single piece of clothing you read about on GQ.com (fashion moves fast these days), but we have an intimate knowledge of each brand’s strengths and know the hallmarks of quality clothing—from materials and sourcing, to craftsmanship, to sustainability efforts that aren’t just greenwashing. GQ Recommends heavily emphasizes our own editorial experience with those brands, how they make their clothes, and how those clothes have been reviewed by customers. Bottom line: GQ wouldn’t tell you to wear it if we wouldn’t.
How We Make These Picks
We make every effort to cast as wide of a net as possible, with an eye on identifying the best options across three key categories: quality, fit, and price.
