Work Pants That Work

One question we get asked frequently is for help with work pants. Combined we have been working in business casual, business professional and casual settings for over 10 years so we have had plenty of experience shopping around. However, at this point I think I am ready to fully endorse Express as my go to work pant. I have tried  Old Navy, Asos, Gap, Banana Republic, etc. I don’t want you to misconstrue this as me saying I dislike these ones, they just aren’t my favorite. Let me dive into this a little more to hopefully eliminate confusion.

Old Navy was the first place I went when I got my “Big Girl Job” and I was smitten with their pixie pants. I loved that they were more modern and let’s say young. As a 22 year old entering the workforce I wasn’t wild about wearing slacks every day. These were great for a while until they quickly become misshapen, stretched out and very worn looking. At this point I decided I was done purchasing pixies from them. I do have some traditional slacks from them that have held up much better. At 5’11 I will say they are even a little bit long on me with flats.

I have numerous pairs of culottes from Asos but to be honest that is all I have tried from them. I love them all and can’t stop buying them in multiple colors! I did size up with the first pair I ever ordered thinking “Those won’t fit how they are supposed to on my athletic legs.” Then I had to have them taken in. Stay true to size with Asos and they should fit like a dream. I will also mention that the quality here has been top notch to me. There is no pilling, no wear, no stretching. I have to add in how much we both love our Asos skirts, I can’t get enough of the midi styles they offer!

I tried a few pairs of pixie pants from Gap as well (they are a sister company to Old Navy for those that don’t know). And they appear to hold up much better. My gingham pants from this post are Gap and show little to no signs of wear.  I also have a pair of leopard ones which only show a little bit of color fading on the seam. Overall they are better than Old Navy and I would still consider pixies from Gap.

Now when it comes to Banana Republic i’m going to be in honest in saying that I have only accepted work pants from here in the form of hand-me-downs. I never have issues doing this to be clear, it’s just how I ended up with them. I have some khakis as well as some skinny cords and love them both! They have been great for me even after my mom wore them for years!

Now onto the main event, Express. I have always had a few pairs of Express slacks on rotation. I just love the fit and most of the time, the quality as well. I started with just typical black flare slacks. One pair I have had and worn regularly on rotation for 6 years and it the quality hasn’t lessened. The other the hems have both come out multiple times which is slightly frustrating.

Jenilee ordered some columnist pants in Marigold and Olive last year and unfortunately they both ended up being awkwardly short on her so I did what we do best. I immediately bought them from her. Her sad loss was my huge win. These became my new favorite pants. If only it were more acceptable to wear marigold every single week. I ended up adding a pair of black columnists to the collection soon after.

For each pair of them I own I will say I sized up 1, because I pretty much had to! I also have these two pairs of paper bag work pants that I wear as often as possible as well. Again-I sized up one. My roommate who is in the regular length has also had issues with workwear sizing at Express ranging between three sizes. So maybe it’s just who they are? So all in all I would say if you’re 5’10-6’1 you’re probably going to have great success with the pants from Express. If you are 6’2 and above maybe try the full length as ankle pants!

We have had some messages asking if we disclose our sizes. The answer is always yes. We may not write it outright in a post; however, if you are wondering we are also more than happy to disclose what size we got (compared to our typical sizes). We’ll also include recommendations from other retailers. Please never be afraid to ask for help with anything we love hearing from you and trying to help!

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I really hope this helped some of y’all with navigating through the work pant problems we have all faced. I want to point out that since I am only 5’11 I understand that this may not help all of you who are truly what we would consider “tall.” We refer to me as being a small tall for a reason, which is that I don’t always struggle as much as others. For example, I myself, would never claim to be a true tall blogger if I wasn’t part of a duo with Jenilee. She brings so much value to this blog as well as all of you! I know I play my part and have taken such joy in hearing from some followers who say they are my exact build but we urge you to take into consideration whose advice you are taking as “tall bloggers.” We both feel blessed to be able to work as a team to double our knowledge, advice, and outlooks! With that being said, if you want to essentially see this exact type of post written by Jenilee – drop a line below! And then enjoy the heck out of your weekends!

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