My recent vacation plans spurred a search for cotton linen pants. I have to confess that I’m not a fan of linen. It wrinkles easily and I detest ironing. Living in a moderate climate, I have no use for it. But I worry about what to wear in warmer climates, and linen is known for keeping you cool. OK, fine. I guess I’ll try linen.
So, I dashed into Uniqlo since they are one of my go-to spots for basics. (Yes, I know I said in a recent post that I was trying to ease up on my wandering-into-Uniqlo habit. In fairness, though, I walked in this time to look for a specific item. Also, as a petite, I appreciate that they include hemming free of charge on pants $20 and up.)
Cotton Linen Relaxed Pants
The store stocked two types of cotton linen blend pants. First up: the Cotton Linen Relaxed Pants, which feature a drawstring inside and elastic on the back. I must be getting old because elastic sound great and comfy to me.
Here’s how they look on me. (I’m 5′ 4″ for reference.) From the front they seem OK if not terribly exciting or particularly flattering. They seem to be mid-rise, which is not my preference.
From the back though, these were a disaster.
They were all sorts of baggy. Too relaxed-looking on me! Pass!
Belted Linen Cotton Wide Pants
Next, I tried the Belted Linen Cotton Wide Pants. I had more hope for these because they reminded me of the high-waisted belted skirt I bought from Uniqlo last year. I loved the skirt so much that I bought it in two colors.
Here’s how it looks on the model and on me.
It does seem to be high-waisted, which I think looks better for me.
The back side seemed more flattering than the other pair. Of course, the length is too long on petite me, so I folded the bottom up to see how it might look cropped.
Hmm, not bad, though I’m not sure this is me. I have generally avoided wide pants under the impression that they would look silly on me, a short person. However, I’m beginning to rethink that. Perhaps I’m too harsh in outright banning the whole category.
Each pair of pants retails for $29.90 and there’s even a promotion taking place at the Uniqlo site now where they’ll take $10 off two pairs of pants. In the end I passed on these, though, because the quality of the fabric didn’t feel great. This particular cotton linen blend felt rough and itchy to me. Personally, I’d rather spend more on higher-quality fabric that feels better and lasts longer.
A few words on the environmental impact of linen: Linen is made from flax. As you can imagine, growing flax utilizes fertilizers and pesticides (although less than growing cotton does). At least these are both natural fibers, which has one advantage over synthetic fibers: washing them doesn’t generate bits of plastic in our oceans.
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For other, higher-quality options:
- Muji’s linen seems to be of decent quality and is moderately priced. Here are some relaxed pants, though I haven’t tried them on and don’t know if they’re as dowdy in person as they seem online.
- Nordstrom’s own house brand Caslon, makes a pair of well-reviewed $65 wide leg linen pants similar to the Uniqlo design. It comes in five colors and in also in plus sizes.
- For something more stylish, here are a pair of slim linen joggers with a subtle camo print by Sanctuary.
- This pair of joggers by Joie somehow blends cargo pants elements with feminine ties.
- And can we really talk about linen without mentioning Eileen Fisher? I think not. Here’s a wide leg version (on sale) and a cropped, slightly tapered pair. Both come in regular and petite sizing.
