What We Want to Wear Now: 07.20.2022

From left to right, summery linen pants from Perserico, ATM and Vince.

By Janet Kelly

DID I hear someone say what she wanted most right now was linen pants? Yep, in fact, I heard that from more than one grown-up girl. Including me, that makes at least three of us. Anyone else? Hope so, because we’ve rounded up the best-looking linen trousers out there.

Australian label Posse cuts its “Ducky” pants with a trendy high paper-bag waist and relaxed leg from medium-weight linen. Go for a casual look with a T-shirt and sneakers. Also available in beige and black, the pants sell for $220.

Coral goes in and out of fashion, but it’s sooo quintessentially summer. Monrow’s track trouser (stickler alert: it’s a linen blend) has side pockets, an elastic waistband and an adjustable drawstring. The matching top is sold out, but these pants will look cool and crisp, paired with a white T-shirt. They sell for $175.

We like the look of the double-button high waist and the slightly cropped, tapered leg on these trousers in a light textured check. They’re all linen and machine washable—from Poetry for $159.

What’s makes us smile about ATM’s cropped pants (all linen) is the color, which the label calls seagrass. Whatever you want to call it, though, it says sunny. And if you don’t like the ubiquitous drawstring waist, there is none here. Better love it, though, because the sale price of $158 is final.

Wide-leg pants are not for everyone, I can attest, having bought a few. I do have a pair from Athleta, which, like the one above, is an easy, pull-on style with a drawstring waist. And who couldn’t use some lightweight black pants? They’re $79.

Put these Joe’s Jeans pleated linen trousers ($228, Neiman Marcus) on your wish list for the times when you want to zhuzh it up. With Joe’s tank top or puff-sleeve blouse, go for a chic monochromatic look.

The style of Joie’s linen pant ($178)—high waist, ankle length and a self-tie belt—has become popular in the past six months or so. Try it out for a relaxed, yet flattering, fit.

These drawstring, mid-waist, cropped pants are part of Mango’s Committed Collection. In addition to this light gray, they’re available in pink, khaki green, clementine and yellow. They sell for $45.99 each.

I have a soft spot for Perserico, which from its 1962 beginnings in the province of Vicenza, has specialized in high-quality pants for women. I’m not as enamored with it prices, which is why this pair of linen trousers  got my attention. It’s reduced from $385 to $154—in limited sizes.

J. Crew’s linen-blend pants are sold out in this pretty pink, but they’re still available in white and beige for $89.50 and in a few sizes in black, navy and a grassy green for $80.99 on final sale. If you’re fixated on pink, we found a beige-y pink linen in a couple of sizes at L.L. Bean on sale for $54.99.

Attention, Eileen Fisher devotees. These Lantern Pants ($175, Nordstrom), gently curved and slightly tapered at the ankle, are made from Fisher’s signature medium-weight linen.

Emerson Fry excels at comfortable clothing for summer. Although this charcoal-and-ivory striped linen Paris—$218—pant is not inexpensive, it would be perfection with a breezy, cropped top and flip-flops for beach days or with one of Fry’s feminine blouses for a soiree on the patio. Check out those heart-shaped pockets.

I learned a lesson at a high-end retailer’s summer sale. Of all the designer clothing that was marked down about 40-50%, my shopping buddy, Mary, focused on the small percentage of items that could transition to fall.  The Reset’s lightweight linen pants in uniform green ($168) are not on sale, but they remind me of what a good idea it is to shop strategically.

Alex Mill’s 100% linen Boy Pant ($135) can be paired with matching jacket and/or vest for, say, work, or any time you want to look “put together.” The waist is more mid than high, and the leg looks best cuffed at the hem.

You can’t go wrong with stripes in summer—or with the on-sale price ($54) of these straight-leg, all-linen pants from Garnet Hill.

Most linen pants don’t have rear-defining back patch pockets. The redeeming detail on spendy Vince tie-front pull-on pants ($295, Shopbop) is that they do, creating the illusion of a smaller, curvier behind.

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