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Two things can be true at once: You can look polished and professional in an office setting and dress like you’re kicking back in your favorite sweatpants. One item among the best women’s workwear that’s in-demand now more than ever is a comfortable work pant. Below are our favorite stretchy work pants for women, made especially for anyone like us who works best seated in bizarre cross-legged positions.
The top 5 stretchy work pants we’ve tested:
These look like a great pair of slacks, but once I put them on, they’re noticeably stretchy. Since they’re so comfortable, you can even wear them as part of an elevated athleisure look.
Thanks to—seriously, magical—smoothing ponte fabric and a comfortable, pull-on design, this classic black work pant offers a sleek look, a great butt and features a straight-leg cut, making for a style so flattering, you’ll wear them again and again.
These affordable dress pants feel like yoga pants and have a stretchy waistband for sitting comfortably all day. They’re deceptively polished-looking and clean up nicely with a white button down.
With deep pockets and a stretchy seat you can squat in, these mid-rise relaxed-fit pants are equipped to keep up with you on the job.
They will feel a bit snug as you pull them up, but don’t let that deter you — once they’re on, the pants are made to perfectly hug your curves without digging in, like your favorite pair of leggings.
Best overall: Athleta Endless High Rise Pant
Talia Ergas/Business Insider
When it comes to the best stretchy work pants for women, Athleta’s best-selling Endless High Rise Pant stands above the rest. I’ve worn these to work and to work out, and they remain superiorly comfortable and look incredibly put-together for either occasion thanks to their moisture-wicking, breathable, wrinkle-resistant, quick-drying fabric made from recycled polyester.
The pull-on bottoms with a faux fly and two front zip pockets are available in seven colors, and they come in 25.5-inch, 27.5-inch, and 30.5-inch inseams. The brand also recently launched a cargo version of the pants, which adds a touch of casual flair in the form of two additional cargo pockets and snap cuffs at the ankles that let you transform the hemline between a straight leg or jogger-style silhouette.
Best black work pants: Spanx PerfectFit Ponte Slim Straight Pant
Spanx
Spanx has recently rebranded their Perfect Black Work Pant collection as the “PerfectFit” line. If they’re anything like the originals, we’re eager to see how the upgrade can possibly make us love them even more. Executive editor Sally Kaplan swears hers as reliable, stretchy slacks.
“The Perfect Black Pant borrows from the trademarks Spanx is renowned for, such as a smoothing, elongating effect. But unlike its shapewear, you won’t feel constricted. The Ponte material has four-way stretch and a pull-on band that’s easy to get on. In other words, it’s a really well-made iteration of the black work pant,” she writes.
Read more in our full Spanx Perfect Black Work Pants review.
Best affordable: Afitne Women’s Yoga Dress Pants
Amazon
Despite the under-$30 price tag on these bootcut dress pants, they don’t look cheap at all, proving that you don’t have to spend a fortune in order to get some of the best stretchy work pants for women. The best part of these pull-on bottoms, which are available in seven different hues, is a wide waistband that lies flat against your skin and provides a bit of contouring without digging in. They also have two functional back pockets that provide room for storing your phone.
Best heavy-duty: Patagonia Utility Pants
Gabrielle Chase, Patagonia/Business Insider
If you have a gig that requires you to have a free range of motion, I wholly recommend Patagonia’s Utility Pants. My favorite part is their deep pockets, but considering how easy they are to move in, people who dabble in both front-of-house operations and hands-on work will get solid use out of these. They’re totally squat-proof and flexible throughout the legs and easy to dress up or down. As for their durability, the mid-weight fabric feels sturdy while still soft to the touch.
I’m 5’9″ and wear a size 4, and though they’re a bit cropped on me, the fit is otherwise true to size. Plus, the stretchy waistband is extremely comfortable for standing and sitting all day. — Gabrielle Chase, associate style editorRead about more of our favorite styles from the brand in our full Patagonia outdoor clothing review.
Best flare: Lululemon Smooth Fit Pull-On High-Rise Pant
Talia Ergas/Business Insider; Lululemon
These moisture-wicking bottoms with two zip pockets from Lululemon have lots of stretch, and they’re just as comfortable as the brand’s ultra popular leggings. Still, with a high waist and subtly flared hem, they’re polished enough to don in a business setting. Wear them with a silky button-down shirt tucked in, or throw over an oversized blazer in a contrasting hue.
Best petite: Quince Ultra-Stretch Ponte Straight Leg Pant
Talia Ergas/Business Insider; Quince
We’ve tested over a dozen of the affordable, high-quality basics from Quince, and can attest that these sleek Ponte pants are a must-have for anyone looking to update their petite workwear wardrobe. They have just the right amount of elasticity to fit comfortably even when sitting for long periods, and they’re available in inseams that suit a short frame. Another bonus: this pair is wrinkle-resistant, so don’t worry about wearing them right out of your suitcase. The straight-leg style comes in seven colors, including classic black and an eye-catching burgundy.
Read about more pieces we’ve tried and loved in our full Quince review.
Best tall: Gap High Rise BiStretch Flare Pants
Talia Ergas/Business Insider; Gap
Though these flare pants feel just like your favorite yoga pants, this Gap pair looks a lot more elevated and work-appropriate thanks to a sophisticated pintuck pleat down the front of each leg. The ultra high-rise waist sits above your hips, for a super comfortable feel that looks great with a top tucked in or draped with an oversized blazer. The pants, which have a zipper and a snap closure, are available in black or navy with inseams that fall past the ankles and drape handsomely over shoes.
Best paper bag: Halara Paper Bag Suit Pants
Talia Ergas/Business Insider; Halara
I’m a fan of Halara’s super lightweight wide-leg bottoms because they pretty much feel like pajamas when I wear them. The fabric has a ton of stretch, and the breezy silhouette makes them a perfect pick for warmer temperatures. Despite their casual and comfortable feel, the cinched high waist and tie belt gives these stretchy work pants an added style and sophistication.
Read more about our experience with the brand in our full Halara review.
Best slim straight: Athleta Stellar Trouser
Talia Ergas/Business Insider; Athleta
Though these nylon-lycra bottoms offer a bit Athleta’s signature smoothing compression, they’re still plenty elastic and plenty comfortable, with a fit and feel similar to our favorite leggings for work. They’re fitted (but not constricting) throughout, and they sit comfortably below the natural waist. They’re both abrasion- and wrinkle-resistant — plus they’re rated UPF 50+ — which makes them an excellent choice for packing.
Best wide-leg: Abercrombie & Fitch Sloane Tailored Pant
Talia Ergas/Business Insider; Abercrombie & Fitch
What I love most about these wide-leg bottoms is how many colors and fits they come in. Abercrombie & Fitch offers a whopping 23 shades to choose from, ranging from classics like black and tan to statement jewel tones like a bright red or emerald green. Beyond that, these pants tout a partially stretchy waistband to maximize comfort, and also come in a curvy fit that offers an additional 2 inches through the hip and thigh. I’ve found this pair versatile enough to dress up with comfortable heels and a white button-down shirt, or dressed down with crisp sneakers and a T-shirt.
Best plus size: Universal Standard Trinity Stretch Wool Trousers
Universal Standard
Universal Standard is one of our favorite brands to find plus size clothing for women because it considers how differently bodies are shaped in order to design fits that flatter them. It uses its own letter sizing system that equates a medium to a size 18 (the average size of a woman in the US), and its unique Fit Liberty program lets you exchange many items for a different size up to a year from your purchase date, no matter how used the clothing is.
These straight-leg bottoms are among the best stretchy work pants for women because they’re crafted from a comfortable, stretchy wool fabric. Furthermore, they offer a front fly, top-entry pockets, and an elastic back waist for even more ease of movement.
Best high-rise: Everlane The Easy Pant
Everlane
When it comes to the best stretchy work pants, an elastic pull-on waist might be the number-one comfort feature to look for. Everlane’s offers just this in their Easy Pant, complete with a flowy straight leg silhouette made with lightweight cotton twill. The breathable silhouette and fabric make these four-pocket bottoms with a 28.5-inch inseam ideal for the warmer months. They come in four neutral goes-with-anything hues.
Best tapered: Aday Turn It Up Pants
Aday
Like many of the best stretchy work pants, these cigarette pants from Aday offer a snug and pleasant fit thanks to an elastic waistband, which is partially exposed. They’re crafted from a high-stretch fabric that’s breathable, quick-drying, and thermoregulating. The Italian-made vegan bottoms hit at ankle length, with a tapered silhouette similar to joggers, and they pair equally well with a pair of sneakers as they do with heels.
Former Business Insider commerce reporter Kelsey Mulvey tested the Turn It Up Pants when they first dropped and claims they’re worth the splurge. “I’ve been wearing the Turn it Up Pants for the past two months and they’re arguably one of the most versatile pieces I have in my closet. They’re not too loose or too fitted and are incredibly comfortable. Best of all, I can wear them with anything from a crisp white button-down, to an oversized sweater, to a casual T-shirt,” says Mulvey.
Best luxury: M.M.LaFleur The Foster Pant
M.M.LaFleur
M.M.LaFleur’s cigarette pants offer yoga pant-level stretch, a comfy high rise, and their durable fabric makes them one of our favorite machine-washable work pants to boot. Most notably, the Foster pants come with an innovative feature we can’t believe more brands aren’t imitating: an adjustable hemline.
“These pants don’t wrinkle easily because they stretch to fit your curves perfectly. Plus, the concealed button hem makes it absurdly easy to shorten the pants to the perfect length for my 5-foot-2 frame. I wish every pair of pants had that ingenious hem!” — Malarie Gokey, Director of Learning and Development
Read more in our full M.M.LaFleur Foster women’s work pants review.
Talia Ergas is a writer and editor covering fashion, beauty, lifestyle, and entertainment. Her work has also appeared in Travel + Leisure, HuffPost, Us Weekly, BestReviews, Bravo, Elite Daily, and more. She graduated from New York University with degrees in Journalism, Sociology, and Creative Writing. You can follow her on Instagram.
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Disclosure: Written and researched by the Insider Reviews team. We highlight products and services you might find interesting. If you buy them, we may get a small share of the revenue from the sale from our partners. We may receive products free of charge from manufacturers to test. This does not drive our decision as to whether or not a product is featured or recommended. We operate independently from our advertising team. We welcome your feedback. Email us at reviews@businessinsider.com.
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