The Best Men's High Waisted Pants Will Take Your Fits to New Heights
Look to any runway, downtown scene, and, frankly, GQ cover over the last several years and you'll notice a common thread: men's high waisted pants. It's a trend that can feel a little intimidating at first. After all, it wasn't long ago that low-rise jeans were all the rage (is this a bad time to tell you that they're making a comeback?). But done right, menswear's pants silhouette du jour has the power to raise the sex appeal of virtually any look.
The Best High-Waisted Pants Shopping Guide
- The Workwear Stalwarts: Dickies 874 Work Pant, $30
- The Giant Chinos: J.Crew Giant Fit Chino, $98
- The Original Jeans: Levi's 501 Original Shrink-to-Fit Jeans,
$80$55 - The Office-Friendly Trousers: Berle Classic Fit Wool Gabardine Dress Pants, $170
- The Swaggering, Disco-Ready Joints: Gucci Retro Tweed Pant, $1850
- The Rodeo-Ready Bootcuts: Wrangler 13MWZ Cowboy Cut Original Fit Jean,
$48$30 - The Not-So-Standard Issue Cargos: Carhartt WIP Cotton Ripstop Cargo Pant, $145
High-waisted trousers are especially graceful—and hip—when paired with a baggy silhouette (think Miles Davis in tropical wool pleated dress pants and a relaxed polo sweater). They're also a perfect match with cropped jackets like truckers and bombers, which makes sense given that, since forever, high-waisted chinos have been standard issue for the military, a.k.a the perennial menswear hit-maker.
But the style isn't limited to wide silhouettes. Filtered through a slick '70s lens, high-rise pants are also very ready to party in a flared cut (just add a silky shirt to the mix). And if somehow neither of those vibes appeals, but you still want to get into hiking up your pants, you can always fall back on a classic pair of blue jeans. When the GOAT Levi Strauss himself dropped the game-changing 501, it was a waist-level design, and over 150 years later, the design choice has remained as relevant as ever—just tuck in your favorite plain white T-shirt and you're good to go. Point is, there's a pair of men's high-waisted pants for just about every kind of closet. To show you, we've pulled together some of the best out there right now.
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