Best summer work pants for women

Ladies, do you like to wear pants year round – and if so, what fabrics and styles do you prefer for summer? Do you buy classic pants in new colors year after year?

Lightweight summer formal pants and summer work pants for women can be hard to find – you want to look professional but cool, and you certainly don’t want to look like a wrinkled mess. (We also get reader questions from active women who do a lot of sports and activities in the summer that result in bruised legs, making them prefer pants to skirts in the summer. Let’s discuss…

Some general tips for stylish summer work formal pants for women
Some general tips for stylish summer work formal pants:

Watch the pockets – even a plain five-pocket style can be too casual for most offices (but know your office!) ), so be especially careful with workwear pockets
Look for details like pleated pleats on the front – pleated pleats have a way of keeping the look sharp and stiff even as the pants relax throughout the day!
Check out our tips for avoiding see-through pants if you tend to wear white pants in the summer
If you hate ironing, always hang your pants upside down using a pants hanger – the weight of the waistband will drag them down! (This is also a great tip for workwear washable pants!

Types of Summer Formal Pants for Women
Stretch Cotton Summer Formal Pants
For the more conservative business casual office, stretch cotton may be the first line of defense. These are widely available in ankle pants; you can also find some stretch cotton pants options.

For the more conservative business casual office, I would look for full-length cotton pants without a liner. However, these are getting harder and harder to find

Cotton Beaded Georgette Summer Formal Pants
Textured cotton beaded fabric pants can be lighter than regular cotton pants, but can hold their shape better – and they wrinkle a little less than linen pants.

Bubble Yarn Summer Formal Pants
Bubble gauze options can be great (especially in some parts of the country, like Washington, D.C., where they have bubble gauze on Thursdays!) — they often offer matching blazers for women.

Summer work pants in seasonless fabrics or tropical wools
These won’t be your lightest option, but if you can find them, they’ll hold up better, can be worn for more seasons, and may have matching blazers and other pieces.

Can I wear athleisure pants to work in the summer?
Past readers have noted that they love golf pants, and there are plenty of athleisure pants that are perfect for many offices.