Sure, we all know what wardrobe essentials for work professional women are meant to have in their closets, but if you’re getting one for the first time or replacing one you’ve worn into the ground, it can be a pain to find exactly the ideal incarnation in stores. In “The Hunt,” we search the stores for a basic item that every woman must have.
We haven’t done a roundup of washable pants for work in a while — so I thought we’d take a look! (If having machine-washable wardrobe is crucial to you, check out our Washable Wednesday feature over on CorporetteMoms, or our roundup of the best brands of washable workwear.)
Readers, which are your favorite washable pants for work outfits — and do you have any ideas or tricks for taking care of them?
TLDR: here are our favorites…
Some of our favorite washable pants for work outfits: one / two / three / four / five
{related: the best dress pants for women}
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How to wash Your washable Pants
As we’ve discussed before, these are my best ideas for how to wash your washable pants:
Look for stretch if you’re shopping online. If you want to narrow your search to pants that are maker washable, look for ones with stretch in them — they nearly always are washable. (But a lot of online descriptions will tell you what the recommended care is.)
Get them tailored only after you’ve washed them first. After the first wash there may be a little bit of shrinkage — wait to get them hemmed until then. (But, note that there are a ton of brands that offer shorter inseams for “regular” pants, so you may not need them hemmed.)
Wash them in cold water at home — and don’t put them in the dryer. At least, not for very long. I normally like to put my pants in the dryer for about 15 minutes — it gets the wrinkles out, and just a bit of time with the dryer sheet makes them softer. I always wash my pants on cold, and I normally do use Woolite and the delicate cycle for my pants.
Hang them upside down to dry. The weight of the waistband will pull the pants taut, successfully smoothing them out. (I nearly never iron ‘em!) When you put them on the hanger, do your best to keep the crease the pants came with — if there was no crease, just put the inseams together neatly.
“Dry clean” on the label normally indicates you can wash them (but proceed at your own risk). The big thing to know here is that “dry clean only” means, well, dry clean ONLY. If it just says “dry clean,” though, you normally can either dry clean them or wash them. Your mileage may vary here, but: unless I really loved the pair of pants, I would give “dry clean” pants a whirl in the washer, as well — particularly if the pants are made up entirely of natural fibers (one of the benefits to unlined pants). You may want to do a spot test first.
Readers, which are your favorite washable pants for work outfits — and do you have any ideas or tricks for taking care of them?
{related: washable suits for women}
This post consists of affiliate links and Corporette® may earn commissions for purchases made through links in this post. For a lot more details see here. thank you so much for your support!
The best washable pants for work Outfits
Our general Hall of Famers are visualized below:
Some of our favorite washable pants for work outfits: one / two / three / four / five
Hall of Famers: Nic & Zoe, Old Navy, J.Crew, MM.LaFleur, Eileen Fisher, and Betabrand
Washable pants in plus Sizes: Nic & Zoe, Eloquii (12-28), Eileen Fisher, Liverpool, Old Navy, Of Mercer (up to 20W), Lands’ End, and Betabrand,
Washable pants in Petite/Short Sizes: Nic & Zoe, J.Crew, Ann Taylor, Eloquii (12-28), Old Navy, Lands’ End, Krazy Larry, and Betabrand,
Washable pants in Long/Tall Sizes: J.Crew, Eloquii (12-28), Old Navy, Lands’ End, and Betabrand
Washable pants in a variety of Neutrals: J.Crew, MM.Lafleur, Liverpool, and Betabrand
Washable pants in fun colors and Prints: Krazy Larry, Eloquii (12-28), Old Navy, Of Mercer (a few), Hobbs, Betabrand, and Boden
Washable suit pants with matching Blazers: Ann Taylor, Hobbs, and Lands’ end (washable wool!); some Banana Republic suits are also washable
Washable Pull-On Pants: Nic & Zoe, Krazy Larry, MM.Lafleur, Eileen Fisher, and Betabrand
{related: the best pull-on pants for the office}
A closer look at certain pairs of washable pants for work Outfits
Betabrand pants have been in our most-bought roundups for lots of months — they come in regular, petite, tall, and plus sizes (including plus size petites, which can be hard to find!) for $68. They come in three main styles —bootcut, straight, and skinny, as well as a few wide-leg and cropped options. and they come in lots of neutrals as well as fun saturated colors.
These Eloquii pants come in three different fits to suit your body type, are available in short, regular, and long inseams, and come in 20+ colors and prints in sizes 12W-28W. And… they’re washable! They’re $79 full price, but there are frequent sales for 20-40% off.
If you’re hunting for other plus-size washable pants, check out Nic & Zoe, Eileen Fisher, Liverpool, Old Navy, Of Mercer (up to 20W), Lands’ End, and Betabrand (up to 3X).
We’re always on the hunt for pull-on pants in a large range of sizes, colors, and prints, so we were psyched to find Krazy Larry pants. They really do come in a ton of colors and prints, with two inseams (28 and 30) and all for $108-$134 (in general). Here’s Elizabeth’s review comparing them to Nic & Zoe.
Hunting for a lot more washable pants in fun colors and prints? also check out Old Navy, Boden, Hobbs, Eloquii (12-28), Of Mercer (a few), and Betabrand.
J.Crew pants: they’re a classic for a reason! pants in their four-season stretch fabric are washable, and they come in regular, petite, plus, and tall sizes — huzzah!
If you’re hunting for other washable pants in tall sizes, check out Eloquii (12-28), Old Navy, Lands’ End, and Betabrand.
Readers love Nic & Zoe pants — they’re pull-on pants so they’re extra comfortable. They’re available in regular, petite, and plus sizes at Nordstrom and a bunch of other merchants for $76-$128.
The Foster Pant is another reader favorite — it comes in eight neutral colors, in sizes 0P-18. (They used to have plus sizes but have drastically limited the options lately.) The pants are $245.
Like this feature? check out other recent installments!