15 Breezy Linen Pants That Are a Better Choice Than Shorts

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SUMMER IS usually when we say cheerio to stuffy pants in our closet, but the magic of slacks isn’t entirely eclipsed by shorts just because the days are warmer, all thanks to a particular reigning summer style essential: linen pants for men.

Made of undoubtedly the VIP of summer fabrics, linen pants are lightweight and breathable due to the material's low thread count, as well as soft on the skin and serious about looking laid-back. These summer pants provide a breath of fresh air—quite literally—to your legs and wardrobe, keeping you cool in the scorching sun while allowing you to exude an unparalleled panache of nonchalant sophistication.

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Really, who needs sweat shorts when you can be the lord of linen? The breezy charm of linen pants will make you feel like strolling through a tropical bliss this summer, whether you're at a beach wedding, casual soirée, rooftop party, or just heading out for whatever. Below, we’ve tested dozens of linen pants for men to bring you the crème de la crème. From casual drawstring options to tailored chino-lookalikes, these 15 best linen pants for men will let your legs breathe, and your summer style soar.

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The 10 Very-Best Linen Pants for Men as Tested by Editors

Drawstring Linen Pants

Most linen pants on Amazon are unfortunately a horror of tearing after a few wears, looking like pajamas, inseam too long, or fabric too wrinkly. So I was glad to discover Sailwind's elevated performance take that is also durable and everyday-friendly.

These drawstring linen pants come with a straight fit to be easily worn under a button-down shirt like suit trousers. They're made mostly of linen, alongside rayon and viscose which I've tested to be also breathable and soft—and the fabric also comes with a bit of stretch for comfort on the go. The style is also very versatile: I've worn them with sandals to the beach, or just to grab a cup of joe at your local café.

100% European Linen Pants

Say goodbye to embarrassing sweat patches and hello to a dapper everyday fit that also has your wallet covered. After trying these affordable 100% linen pants, I now wear them as my go-to linen pants for casual summer occasions like running errands or going to a restaurant. The relaxed straight fit lets the air in to keep the legs cool, while the no-fuss elastic drawstring waist offers a nice minimalist styling touch.

However, in my experience, I didn’t get too much stretch out of them, so I mostly sport them to travel light.

Regular Fit 100% Linen Drawstring Pants

Let your legs breathe, gentlemen, and conquer your world with a whimsical twirl of your linen-clad swagger in these easy-fitting slacks. We absolutely love the straight legs of these pants, which offers a nice balance between the elevated look of slim and the comfortable fit of relaxed. The drawstring waistband naturally puts them on the casual side, but after wearing them with polo shirts to the office and meetings a few times, I'll say the formal flair of these linen slacks is not too shabby.

Slim Built-In Flex Rotation Linen-Blend Chino Pants

Chinos are not the most summer-friendly, but Old Navy's are made with more than 50% of linen, so you can rest assured of their crispness and breathability. After all, who needs sweaty discomfort when you can have the best of both worlds: elevated style and everyday comfort? With the softness of cotton, the breeziness of linen, and the impeccable sleekness of chinos, these pants also cost less than $50 to boot. Our testing also verifies the fabric's stretch which is just enough for traveling, moving, and squatting down.

Slim-Fit 100% Linen Pants

These are a pair of linen pants that will hug your legs with gentle finesse while still allowing the summer breeze to caress your skin, thanks to the 100% linen fabric. In my experience of trying them on in-store, the slim fit plus a high ankle cut render the profile extra dressy without taking away the breathability, meaning you will easily be able to wear them to the office, bar, diner, park, or anywhere that's breezy.

Cotton Linen Easy Pant

With a linen-cotton blend that renders the fabric as lightweight and breathable as it is soft on the skin, and an elastic drawstring waist that’s easy to lounge and walk in, these bottoms have become one of my go-to summer pants since last summer. Whether it’s dinner, running errands, or when the day simply doesn’t call for shorts, the comfort of these trousers has never disappointed me. And the laid-back fit is flawless—it’ll stay on from dusk to dawn without digging into your waistline.

Beach Pant in Linen

I’ve dealt with meh linen pants before, which is why when I first put these J.Crew trousers on, I was blown away by the instant coolness my legs felt—not only that, I could still feel the air touching my skin as if I were wearing shorts. Now that’s a good pair of linen slacks.

And I love that its airy weave is washed to sport a softer, vintage feel that looks handsome and is versatile to style. They do come with a looser-than-normal fit—which helps the air circulating inside the fabric—so I often have to tighten the drawcord when wearing them, but that’s no biggie.

Carter Linen Pants

Donning these yoga-pants-like linen slacks is the style equivalent of a cool cucumber lounging by the pool, unfazed by the red-hot heat. Not only is Ably's linen fabric extra light and breathable, it is also engineered to be odor-free, stain-resistant, and even quick-drying to really keep your legs cool and dry.

If you're concerned that these trousers look too much like pajamas, our testing of them by wearing them to the office or with button-down shirts shows that they still will look elevated under that laid-back, comfortable fit.

The Linen Easy Pant

Everlane's linen pants are selling out fast because they elevate your summer wardrobe to a new height of breezy brilliance at under $100. What we love most about them is the elasticated waistband which is made with a drawstring. So many drawstring linen pants we've tested have either waistband that is too tight or too loose, but Everlane's is practically perfect—it fits just right and requires little to no adjusting.

On the other hand, these linen pants are not wrinkly or look too easygoing for more formal occasions, so their versatility for dressing up or down is also surefire.

Cham Pants

Instead of looking flowy and all carefree, these 100% linen pants cinch it up with a slim fit to let you look elevated while feeling fresh and crisp, making them best for smart casual occasions like at a bar or a dinner party. They also come in plenty of striped or checked patterns that should easily spruce up your fits.

However, having worn them since the summer of 2022, I notice that these line pants are made without any stretch and will feel a bit tight on beefy thighs, so I wouldn’t recommend traveling too heavy or too far in them.

5 More Linen Pants We Love

Signature Slim Taper Linen Trousers

What I love most about Ben Sherman’s linen pants is their tapered fit, which easily makes them look elevated no matter what you put on top of it—even if it's only a t-shirt or hoodie.

While the linen blend of these trousers leans heavy on the cotton side, the fabric definitely feels breathable in our testing. Better yet, the pant's ankle cut shows just enough skin while always letting my legs breathe. I wear these with no-show socks—the only way to do it, really.

Slim Linen-Cotton Traveler Pant

If you live an active, on-the-run lifestyle but still want to be wooed by air charm every chance you’ve got, these Banana Republic travel pants are made with 60% linen to feel like a breath of fresh air on your skin, and just enough stretch for your everyday mobility when traveling or commuting. We also love the slim, tailored fit that makes it almost look like a pair of chinos—albeit much more comfortable for summer.

Linen Pants

Linen pants can easily look too lounge-y, beach-y, and wrinkly, but Charles Tyrwhitt's craft has managed to turn the vacation trouser style into an office wardrobe must-have by giving it a slim, tailored cut.

In addition, from our testing, these linen slacks remain just as lightweight and breathable thanks to a 100% linen build, and they do retain shape and ward off wrinkles, unlike other linen pants. Better yet, they don’t look like linen pants at all, so your colleagues or boss won’t side-eye you.

The Sheffield Trouser in Linen

The Sheffield lets you stay at your sharpest throughout the summer without being compromised on breeziness. Whether you're strolling through a bustling city or attending a laid-back soirée, the lightweight, breathable fabric will keep you crisp—in fact, our testing shows that the fabric is cool to the touch! My favorite part of these linen pants is the tailored, slim-straight fit which is a bit ‘70s-looking at the leg. If you have thick quads, however, I won’t recommend them since the seat and thigh areas of these pants to me feel a tad limited.

Italian Linen Beach Pant

The versatility of these drawstring linen pants knows no bounds. Pair them with a crisp white dress shirt for a sophisticated but still relaxed look or rock them with a colorful Hawaiian shirt or breezy camp collar shirt for that casual-cool appeal. Our editors have worn them on vacation, to the beach, or just to party, so we vouchsafe that their tapestry of nonchalant style, relaxed fit, easy-to-wear comfort, and versatility is definitely worth the little splurge.

What to Look for in Linen Pants for Men

Rise: Linen pants with a low-rise often feature a drawstring and straight/relaxed legs with wide leg openings, making them perfect for beach fits and casual wear for vacation or everyday style. High-rise waist linen pants look more elevated and formal; the legs are usually tapered and slim, with a high ankle cut as well to look sophisticated but still laidback.

Waistband: More often than not, linen pants have an elastic waistband with either a drawstring or a button closure. Drawstring linen pants are often more casual and paired with a low-rise waist; on the other hand, buttoned-closure linen pants are your office-friendly slacks for dressing up since they often look more elevated than the drawstring ones

Occasion: Thanks to the lightweight, breathable nature of linen, linen pants are foolproof for hot weather outfits in summer, or warmer days in the spring and fall. In addition, if you're attending a rooftop party, casual event, beach wedding, summer wedding, or going on vacation in the summer, linen pants are an excellent wardrobe sidekick. Lastly, while you can technically wear linen pants to the office, a pair with a high-rise waist and a button waistband (instead of a drawstring) is preferable.

How Should I Wear Linen Pants?

Linen pants are all about casual and looking laidback, so naturally, styling with them should be just as such. Some of our editors' favorite ways to wear linen pants include sporting them with camp collar shirts or Hawaiian shirts and sandals, slides, or even flip-flops. I personally love to wear linen pants under an unbuttoned short-sleeve shirt and a tank top underneath. Of course, the ritual of casual t-shirts worn tucked into linen pants is a no-brainer.

Should you like to dress up in linen pants—and you in fact can—then topping them off with polo shirts is the best way to go about that. Dress shirts and button-downs will look equally elevated in linen pants if you have the right pair—just make sure to tuck them in. And for a full casual but still formal look, consider wearing linen pants with loafers or boat shoes.

Which Brands Make the Best Linen Pants?

Lots of men's clothing brands have churned out great linen pants this summer, but after testing more than dozens of options in total, our style editors have found that classic, trustworthy menswear brands often make the best linen pants, whether it's household names like J.Crew, Banana Republic, Old Navy, or Mango. On the other hand, sustainable clothing brands for men such as Taylor Stitch, Wellen, Everlane, and Alex Crane produce some of the most comfortable linen pants for men out there because of the high-quality materials they use. Lastly, premium labels like Todd Snyder and Charles Tyrwhitt never disappoint at designing menswear essentials thanks to their tried-and-true craftsmanship.

How We Selected

To find the best linen pants for summer, our editors and writers have personally tried on a variety of lightweight, breathable linen slacks and put them to the test on different occasions, such as wearing J.Crew's Beach linen pants to vacation and weekend outings, Banana Republic's travel linen to commute and to the office, or Wellen's pull-on linen to lounge about at home or run errands.

Read more: How Men's Health Tests Products

From there, our testing editors evaluated these linen pants by their price, performance (breathability, stretch, weight, and any anti-sweat and anti-odor qualities), style, and versatility to narrow down our selection to these 15 best linen pants for men. Specifically, we're looking for styles that are not trendy or trend-chasing (so no baggy fits or holes here and there); instead, our picks of the best linen pants all fit great even on buff guys, provide a ton of value at reasonable price points, and come in designs that will look great years from now.

Why Trust Us

At Men’s Health, our testing editors and writers always make sure to actually test and use the products ourselves before considering whether to include them. Therefore, rest assured that our product recommendations derive from first-hand experience, and you can read more about our testing process here.

For instance, we have a fashion closet in our NYC office dedicated to calling in, trying out, and selecting the best as well as the newest products in menswear. We put them on stylish, fit guys to hear what their opinions are and see how the items look on them before making our final decision. And as style editors, we constantly go into the fashion closet to feel a product’s fabric or materials—even put it on ourselves for a spin—to test it.

Lastly, you can trust our opinions on shopping recommendations, whether it’s the products, styling tips, or trends. Not only do we have Fashion Director Ted Stafford and Deputy Editor, Commerce Christian Gollyan who actually know that polyester isn't a breathable material, but we also have a panel of style experts—including stylists, fashion influencers, and designers—that we regularly seek shopping guides from. Therefore, our product recommendations and buying tips are all driven by professional, expert opinions.

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