I Tried All the Cotton-Poplin, Barrel-Legged, Drawstring Carpenter Pants I Could
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Every once in a while, an “It” pant comes along. In 2017, Rachel Comey andJesse Kamminspired many a “tight-hipped, wide-legged, cropped, quasi-sailor” pant. Then there were all theRudy Jude–esquepatch-pocketed, double-kneed utility jeans. In 2024, everything reminded me ofHigh Sport. And in 2026, you’ve no doubt noticed it, too: 100 percentcotton-poplin, vaguelybarrel-y, elastic and drawstring waistband-ed, carpenter-like pants are everywhere, fromJ.CrewandBanana RepublictoGap. CouldLeset’s Kyoto Carpenter Panthave something to do with this? Maybe. Similarities aside, you’re getting entirely different fits and feels with each brand’s offering. To separate the wheat from the chaff, I tried 11 cotton-poplin, barrel-y, drawstring-waisted, semi-carpenter-like pants ranging from $75 to $280. Unless otherwise mentioned, I tried each in a size medium, and I’m about five-two, for reference.
Mytoppicks
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They’re the textbook definition of lightweight and comfortable, no matter where I am outside.
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These more closely approximate a Leset Kyoto than anything else I tried.
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I think this cotton poplin is equal parts easy and breezy.
All the cotton-poplin, barrel-y, drawstring-waisted, semi-carpenter-like pants I tried …
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What a valiant attempt byAbercrombie & Fitch. This is the cheapest pant on this list. I believed in it as much as a Telemundo commenter watchingEngland vs. Argentina in the World Cup. But even when I wore them with myTory Burch wedge flip-flops— my tallest summer “heels” — they still dragged on the ground. Not helping matters was the bagginess through the legs: At the right angle, it’s barrel; at the wrong angle, it’s balloon.
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I couldn’t stop thinking about Gap’s Poplin Easy Barrel Pants after working on our “What’s Everyone Buying at Gap Right Now?” guide.Small Pleasures’s Sandy Sanchez described them as “like biting into a crisp Bosc pear.” Marketing consultant Lizzie Noonan explained to me that the pants “thrive somewhere around the 70-degree mark — perfect for a warm summer day that turns breezy at night.” They’re right! Just note: As Noonan warned, ”They crinkle easily, so handle with care.” And the iPhone-size pockets don’t stay flat, even when empty.
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Should you want a pant that more closely approximates a Leset Kyoto, there’s Gap’s Poplin Easy Double-Knee Barrel. You get colors beyond the standard neutrals, likebrown,yellow, andred. You get similar utilitarian paneling starting at the mid-thigh (it’s a strategic placement on an actually flattering part of the leg). I wanted them to be ankle length, so I tried the medium petite. The barrel leg is exaggerated but not overwhelming — just as relaxed as an umbrella in a piña colada. It makes me want to have anotherGap-pant summer. The cotton poplin is a little bit thicker than that of the Easy Barrel Pants, and it takes a few wears to make them crinkled, plus another couple to get them wrinkled-wrinkled. It’s nothing that a few passes with asteamercan’t fix.
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Remember the“I’m sorry / I can’t / Don’t hate me” Post-it note? That’s what I’d say to Madewell’s Pull-on Barrel-Leg Utility Pants. I don’t think they did anythingthatgreat for me, between the high-rise (higher than Ribcages) and length (better for those who are five-four to five-seven but notabove five-eight). Never mind the cotton poplin — it was the thinnest-feeling of all the pants I tried. I’m missing the crispiness; it’s limp, for lack of a better word.
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Can’t you imagine these with, like, aquilted, multi-pocketed vest? (They’re very original Banana Republic Travel & Safari Clothing Company, if I do say so myself.) They offer all the freedom of movement I need — for a high kick, for swaying and calling it “dancing,” for jumping over a puddle, etc. — and they’re the textbook definition oflightweighttoo. That means they’re comfortable no matter whether I’m in anAdirondack chairin a backyard or an L.L.Beanbeach towelon a grassy knoll. (I’m packing them for a vacation to the Dominican Republic at the end of the month.) At a birthday-party dinner between mouthfuls of Caesar salad, pappardelle with artichoke and sausage, and almond-filled crostadas, I was deeply grateful for the waistband — it has a scrunchie’s magical ability to keep everything in. I tried a medium petite first (unlike others here, they’re available in 22.5-, 24.5-, or 27.5-inch inseams, or petite, regular, and tall, respectively). I prefer the medium to a small thatjustfits.
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BeforeJ.Crewintroduced the Luna Pant in Cotton Poplin, it only sold the Luna Pant inLightweight Corduroy. I couldn’t stop wearing it incorduroyin the first weeks of spring. I hoped the cotton-poplin version would be the equivalent for the middle of July. This cotton poplin is stiffer than other poplin I’ve tried from the brand — it’s actually tight to get into. I originally tried a medium, but the crotch waslong-long, and the small was, well, small. Sadly, nearly every size (in colors Passion Rouge, Smoky Thistle, Peppermint Ice, Worn Teak, and Smoked Walnut) is either sold out or available for preorder (with estimated ship times after September 15).
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I thoroughly enjoyed wearing these, as the cotton poplin was equal parts easy and breezy. You can wear them when the temperature reads 82 degrees — if there’s aHoneywell fannearby. It’s the “pop of color” that the glossy magazines — and the hosts ofWhat Not to Wear— recommended, in the form ofLight Turmeric,Azalea, andHot Toddy. (Be mindful that the pants aren’t entirely sheer, but they’re sheerer.)
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Here’s why reading comprehension matters: I didn’t realize thatBuck Mason’s Parachute Poplin Pull-on Pant not only has a drawstring and elasticized waistband but buttons, a hook-and-eye closure, and a zipper fly. (It fits our criteria otherwise.) It’s alot.Is this what getting Empress Sissi into a corset involved? And while my midsection is contained, it’s not in an uncomfortable way. Wearing the pants at my desk, I could get into all of my usualweird leg positions.
[Editor’s note: Buck Mason’s Parachute Poplin Pull-on Pant is sold out now, but you can sign up to receive a notification when your size is back in stock.]
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With Nothing Underneath (WNU) uses a fine popline in its Sifnos Trousers — in the literal and figurative senses. It’s “definitely crisper and firmer,”Oset Babür-Winter, founder of Prix Fixe,originally told me. (Our senior writerLauren Rowears her Sifnos Trousers under theAndros Dress.) It’s fitting for a company founded by a formerVoguestylist andTatlereditor; that’s good ol’ British material craftsmanship. It’s too bad I could barely keep the pants up. They’re available in sizes 2 to 14 (unlike the lettering sizing of others here). I normally take a size 10, but here, it was way too large.
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As sportif as the cargo pockets are on the Pop Drawstring Cargo Pant, there’s nothing that gives “Sk8er Boi” by Avril Lavigne. I am, however, embarrassed to admit how many times I nearly tripped in my pair. Intended to be cropped, they are not cropped on me. I should’ve guessed that’d happen as our senior editorHilary Reid— who has a good five inches over me — has a similar version called thePop Simple Pant. (Because the leg is on the straighter-wider side, this might be an easier fix at a tailor.) I agree with Reid’s thinking that “there’s something about the way that they’re cut that makes them look like actual pants instead of scrubs”; it’s definitely a thinner cotton poplin, but it imitates the feeling of going under the top sheet freshly showered. But it wrinkles even when folded neatly in the drawer, so free up a hanger instead. For $224, I wish it didn’t.
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Is this the poplin pant that launched a thousand other poplin pants? There’s just something about the Kyoto (aLesetbest seller, as is theYoko). I finally understand why. You might immediately recognize it, either by the size of the topstitched utility panels or the Leset-exclusive colors (Forest,Copper,Maroon). I don’t think there’s anything else I tried that’sexactlythe same. This might be because of how perfectly Leset got the proportions of this silhouette. (“Creating flattering pants that don’t have buttons or zippers isn’t always the easiest thing to do,” founder Lili Chemla once toldThe Cut.) I couldn’t believe how well these fit. They’re not tight in the hips, but you might be required to wiggle into the leg holes if you’re wide-hipped like me. (The sound of the cotton poplin is akin to that of nylon track pants running across a high-school gymnasium.) Now, would I willingly spend $280 on a pair? I don’t know. I can’t imagine rationalizing $280 pants, but the quality’s there.
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