The 12 Very Best Black Work Pants for Women

Sizes:  0–20 with 25- (petite), 27-inch (regular) inseams (tall not listed) | Material: Polyester | Stretch: Very stretchy | Cut: Slimmer straight-leg | Design: Elastic-back waistband | Price: $

I wore black work pants almost every day of the week before the first “WFH until TBD” memo. This habit means I’ve tried many — including pairs from Loft, J.Crew, H&M, and Cos, to name a few — but no company does work pants better than Banana Republic. Its trousers make me feel like the Working Girl career woman I wish I was. (I’m not the only one who agrees: Parsons School of Design fashion marketing student Tammy Lee wears her Averys like a uniform.)

Of all the work pants I own, none have been put through the ringer like my Haydens. They did especially well on my pre-pandemic commute — somehow surviving the car ride, NJ Transit, subway, and walk to work and back. Nowadays, they just move from my desk upstairs to my table downstairs — but make me look much more put-together than the sleep shorts I usually wear. That’s because these have a bit of a trompe l’oeil effect: The flat front and faux fly make them look traditional, but the pants have an elastic waistband in the back that’s easily hidden with a blazer. (My co-workers never noticed I was wearing glorified sweatpants.) I’m five-foot-one, and in terms of fit, the pants were full-length when I bought them in the “regular” length, which has an inseam of 27 inches. (I could still wear flats with them.) I also have them in “petite” (the inseam is two inches shorter), which hits right about at my ankle. Having both lengths lets me change up my work uniform. Last time I checked, I owned five pairs of Haydens. (And these have become a best seller with our readers, in case you needed another reason to stock up.) You can almost always count on them being on sale, too.

Sizes: 14–28 with 27-(petite), 29- (regular), and 31-inch (tall) inseams | Material: Cotton | Stretch: Very stretchy | Cut: Straight-leg | Design details: Hook-and-bar closure with hidden button, flat front pockets | Price: $

Eloquii was the most mentioned brand in our guide to plus-size work pants, with several experts saying it’s their go-to for workwear. The Kady pant was name-checked twice. Lifestyle blogger Ashley Carter calls them high quality, adding that the fabric allows them to keep their shape, something that can be hard to find in plus sizes. The Kady is the company’s “signature work pant” (with its own dedicated page featuring rows of the style in a rainbow of hues) and one of its best sellers. Content creator Ashby Vose appreciates that the pants come in three cuts designed for different body types: Classic (which we’re featuring here) for hourglass shapes; Viola for those who are more pear-shaped; and Gena for anyone with a fuller midsection and narrower hips and thighs. (The Viola and Gena also go up to a size 28, one size more than the Classic.) And while the “regular” inseam comes in at 29 inches, you can also choose between long (31 inches) and short (27 inches).

Sizes: 0–16 with 27- (short), 29- (regular), and 31-inch (tall) inseams | Material: Crepe | Stretch: Not stretchy | Cut: Wide-leg | Design details: Front pleats with some drape | Price: $$

Aritzia was popular among our panelists. And the Effortless pant lives up to its name — the high-waisted, wide-leg, and full-length trousers are easy to wear, well, anywhere. They’re a favorite of interior designer Gillian Segal, who pairs them with the brand’s matching oversize blazers for a power-suit look. (The pants are made with a drapey Japanese crepe the brand calls “crepette,” which adds to their easygoingness.) Outside of office hours, Segal will wear them with either a bodysuit and heels or sneakers and a hoodie for “a Hailey Bieber–style moment.”

Personal stylist Allie McKenna agrees that “everyone loves the Effortless” (the pants have also made the rounds with the TikTok crowd), but she prefers a different Aritzia style: the Alanyas. They’re not “the Audrey Hepburn classic black trousers,” she says, but they’re super-comfortable with a little more room at the waist than the Effortless pant. Meanwhile, Lara Mahler, founder of wedding-planning company The Privilege is Mine, recommends Aritzia’s Chopins — she’s sometimes on her feet for 12 hours at a time and says they don’t get creased. (Another wide-leg that’s a favorite of mine is the Athleta Stellar Wide Crop. These are almost sold out at the moment, though stock does come and go often. They have similar pleating to the Effortless with more stretchiness that makes for the most elegant “athletic” pants. I like to wear them on back-to-back video-meeting days when I want to be comfortable but pulled together.

Sizes: 2–14 with a 28-inch inseam | Material: Wool | Stretch: Not stretchy | Cut: Wide-leg | Design details: Front pleats, back darts, concealed adjustable-button tab | Price: $$

Though these pants have traditional tailored features like front pleats and back darts, there’s more slouchiness to the wide leg. “The bagginess means they are exceptionally comfortable,” explains Strategist associate editor Jenna Milliner-Waddell, who’s currently in a self-imposed “anti-jeans era.” She describes how they balloon enough to skim over her hips — a look she usually can’t find as someone who’s curvier, because many pants aren’t cut generously enough. Their wearability also comes down to the adjustable waistband, with buttons — one on each side of the hips with three closure options — you can shuffle through to get the right fit. “You can decide whether you want to wear the pants low-rise or on the waist,” she says. “But it’s also a great feature for the proportionally blessed.” Milliner-Waddell has been sporting the pair in the New York office and notes that in between trips to the dry cleaner, a quick pass with an iron will take out any wrinkling. And since this story was last updated, Cos has introduced petite inseams in these pants, designed for people who are 5-foot-4 and under. (Just note that these sizes sell out fast, as I’ve learned from past experience.)

Sizes: 00–18 with a 25.5-inch inseam | Material: Wool | Stretch: Very stretchy | Cut: Slim-cut, suit-style leg | Design details: Hook-and-zip closure, front slant pockets | Price: $$$

Theory’s Treecas “are the business-casual equivalent to the perfect pair of boyfriend jeans,” says Catherine Smart, co-founder of Not Just Co. These have the slightest of crops, hitting right above her ankle on her five-foot-four frame, with a “flatteringly narrow” cut that doesn’t “date me as an aging millennial,” she jokes. Smart credits these tailored trousers with helping her navigate corporate workwear — before starting her own business, she worked as a personal chef. The pants are modeled after formal pantsuits while featuring a slimmer-cut leg. Made from wool, they “smooth out lumps and bumps,” but the generous amount of elastane in them has a “glorious give” — without the “sad saggy bum” appearance that sometimes happens with other pairs,” Smart explains. Plus, the deep pockets also hide sweaty palms when she’s been schmoozing.

Sizes:  XXS–XXXXL with a 27.5-inch inseam | Material: Cotton and modal | Stretch: Very stretchy | Cut: Tapered, relaxed leg | Design details: Pintuck detailing, elastic waistband | Price: $

Everlane’s Dream Pant came to marketer Sloan Symington in a moment of desperation, after returning from parental leave and searching for a pair with the look of slacks and feel of sweats. These have a surprising ultrastretchiness, which is camouflaged by the tailored, tapered leg. “You’d never know I was wearing such comfy pants,” Symington says. I second those thoughts — in testing these while working from home, I didn’t feel like I was wearing “work pants” at all. You can loosen the elastic through a hidden cord on the waistband — or tighten it (which I did whenever I wanted to feel more held in). These are made from a double-knit cotton and modal blend, which makes them weightier in the way that really well-made sweatpants are. The pants are probably not what you want to wear if you’re commuting in the middle of the summer — but they will keep you from freezing your butt off whenever the AC’s on full blast. And the best part about the fabric is that it doesn’t really wrinkle — though I’d suggest having a lint roller on hand since little fuzz sometimes can show.

Sizes: XS–XL with 26- and 29-inch inseams | Material: Recycled polyester | Stretch: Very stretchy | Cut: Track-pant-style leg | Design details: Zippered front pockets, hidden drawstring | Price: $

Though these were the most-mentioned pair of pants I heard about, the Zephyrs lean toward athleisure — reminiscent of old-school sweats — which might not work in some corporate circles. Still, I thought the Zephyrs deserved a spot on this list because, if you can get away with wearing them, you should. (It helps that the tapered leg makes them more tailored than typical track pants.)

Her Place founder Joyce Lee wears them for work and working out. Though they are billed for exercise — breathable with drapey legs and flexible with an elastic waistband — she calls them “the perfect everyday pant.” The fabric is even wrinkle-free, which makes them ideal if you’re traveling for work — “I wouldn’t need to change my outfit after landing for a meeting,” says Lee. Emma Wartzman, Strategist kitchen and dining writer, adds that they are the “epitome of comfy but put-together” and “easy as can be to clean.” Strategist managing editor Kelsie Schrader is another Zephyr convert, commuting with them to the office without ending up “drenched in sweat” when she arrives at her desk.

Sizes: 23–34, with plus ranging from 16W–26W with 24- (petite) and 26-inch (standard) inseams (plus, an unlisted “tall” inseam) | Material: Viscose | Stretch: Stretchy | Cut: Wide-leg | Design: Patch pockets, front zip | Price: $$$

Traditionally, ponte pants are slimmer through the leg. But this pair from one of Anthropologie’s in-house lines features a flare that kicks out through the knees. Helen Patrikis, founder of public-relations firm HP-PR, likes that they hug along the hips. She calls her Colettes “wardrobe warriors” for holding their shape, not wrinkling, and packing well. Their versatility is what makes them work so well, according to Patrikis, with a classic silhouette punched up with patch pockets. The Colettes come in a number of versions as well, including in corduroy and faux leather — or patterned with polka dots — if you’re looking for something more statement-making.

Sizes: 00–40 with a 27-inch inseam | Material: Rayon | Stretch: Very stretchy | Cut: Legging-style leg | Design details: Option of zipper on hem or no zipper | Price: $$$

The Moros from Universal Standard — one of our favorite places for not-boring basics — have appeared twice in our archives. The first time was courtesy of freelance editor (and Strategist contributor) Maya Kosoff, who was pants-allergic until she tried these on. Unlike other bottoms that would leave her “contemplating a life that involves never wearing pants,” the Moros have a waistband that lays flat around her hips and cuffs that taper perfectly around her ankles. “When I tried them on, I liked them so much I (yes) tweeted about them,” Kosoff says. The second was when life coach Reneice Charles told us that the Moros are a foundational piece in her wardrobe.

Sizes: 0–30 with 27.5- (petite), 29- (regular), and 32-inch (tall) inseams | Material: Cotton | Stretch: Stretchy | Cut: Skinny leg | Design: Button fly, five-pocket style | Price: $

If your workspace is more casual than conservative, consider these even cheaper Old Navy jeans. Rolling Stone senior writer Alex Morris admits her job is more dressed down than most, but she loves how comfortable the Rockstars are: “They’re tight but also supersoft and stretchy — almost like wearing leggings. And they seem to sort of suck you in in the right places,” she says. These have the most range of any of the pants on this list, coming in low- and high-rise styles along with regular, petite, and tall lengths.