Finally, a Pair of Not-Too-Basic, Not-Too-Corporate, Under-$200 Trousers
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I’ve never really been a trousers person. They never fit quite right, and pleated pairs in particular always felttooformal for the gallivanting I got up to at my upstate college, where formality was largely defined by a clean pair ofLevi’s. But in the early months after I graduated college and began the slow crawl into “adulthood,” I felt compelled to find a pair oftrousersI actually liked to break up my heavy jeans rotation.
What Ididn’twant was anything overly girly, overly corporate, or overly contemporary. That meant no dramatic pleats, no super-fitted thighs or super-flared legs, and no visibly synthetic sheen. Which is why I ended up skipping places like H&M, Zara, and Aritzia in this case . I wanted something less obvious and more menswear-adjacent — a refined yet relaxed trouser I could wear formally and informally. In practice, that meant a suitlike pair, wide-legged, tailored but still baggy, and slightly too long (my preference in any pant). Pleats were fine so long as they were sharp without being dominating, lest they look too boardroom-coded for more casual trips to the local supermarket in a baby tee and flip-flops. And my budget was modest; I wasn’t looking to spend more than $200.
I spent hours at thrift and secondhand stores (my first stop on any clothing hunt) but came up empty-handed. What I found online that fit the bill was out of budget (likeJenni Kayne’s $475 wool trousersandFrankie Shop’s $270 wool-blend pair, both perfectly long, perfectly pleated, perfectly drapey); what fell in my price range was everything I didn’t want (likeEverlane’s unflatteringly flared takeandGap’s one-dimensional and visibly polyester ones). I went so far as to custom-tailor a pair of my father’s tuxedo bottoms in the hopes of a truly vintage fit and feel, but the only thing I felt was silly.They were too tight in the thighs but not loose enough through the leg, and I never wore them once.
I did find suitable non-jean alternatives that I loved (like elegant elastic-waistsilk and satin pantsfrom Leset and Donni), but my wardrobe still felt incomplete without a pair of trousers that had the proper gravitas to announce, “Hello, I am woman.”
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Then I foundCos’s Relaxed Twill Wide-Leg Pantson a scrolling whim and knew I had to try them. There’s a slightly masculine ease to them (likely thanks to Swedish design director Karin Gustafsson’s minimalist influence). They’re made of a finetwill weave and a wool-polyster blend, so they don’t have the dreaded sheen and flatness of a more synthetic pair or the scratchiness of an entirely wool one. And for under $200, they look far nicer than their price tag suggests, largely owing to the textured twill that falls more naturally while keeping its shape.
But what sets them apart is the fit. I love that the 28-inch inseam means the hem hits me mid-foot, revealing just the right amount of my foot when worn with flats or sandals, without dragging on the floor. The adjustable waistband means I can wear them lower on my waist for an especially relaxed look or slightly tighter higher up if I want to tuck in a button-up. And the pleats lay just right; their crease runs down the length of my legs, adding just enough sharpness to give them shape without overpowering the loose drape — all without creating unnecessary bagginess around my waist or legs, an issue I ran into with other pairs. And this baggy, wide leggives the trousers both enoughoomphand casualness to wear almost anywhere.
So far, I’ve worn them with a vintage crewneck and loafersto a post-workSelima Optiqueevent overlooking the Hudson; with anOrseund Iriscardigan and ruched cream ballerina flats to a 40-person Ramadan iftar; beneath mybeloved Koos Van Den Akker coatto a Saturday-night oyster–and–French fry dinner at Eel Bar; and on a slippered Sunday-morning coffee run up my block. All while feeling very grown-up.
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