Sure, it’s shorts season, but finding the best summer pants for men can be just as important to locking in your warm weather wardrobe — for all kinds of reasons. You can’t come to work in cargo, for one. And your social calendar will inevitably be filled with cocktail hours, obligatory barbecues at your boss’s suburban mansion, beach weddings, and all kinds of other moments when a naked calf would be out of place. And hey, maybe you’re one of those people who refuses to wear shorts. (We know you, we see you, we understand.)
Whatever the scenario, you don’t need to power through 90 percent humidity in a pair of Levi’s 501s or your winter-weight chinos. We’re in the golden age of summer pants, the product of a decade-long pants-renaissance in menswear. There are roomy linen trousers for everyone who will be wearing denim through October, a new world of drawstring options, pants literally designed for beach days, and enough designer summerweight trousers to produce fit photos you won’t even need to ask a friend to pick them up. Keep a few pairs of our favorite summer pants in your wardrobe, and you’ll be prepared for (virtually) anything that comes your way.
For more on warm-weather style, check out the GQ Summer Shop.
The Best Summer Pants According to GQ
Best Linen Summer Pants
Linen trousers – like their linen suit and linen shirt cousins – are dressy and comfortable at the same time; A piece by Arnold Palmer or Alain Deleon. These are the first places you should head to when the temperatures are high, but there’s no chilling dress code. We like them with a little extra room in the legs, both for looks and extra ventilation.
