I Am Not a Chef But I Wear These Chef Pants Every Day Anyway

Sarah Jampel
For all the female chefs sick of saggy, uncomfortable chef trousers. And for all of the rest of us sick of constricting, unflattering civilian trousers.

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You know what’s one of the hardest parts of adulthood? Pants!

I dread getting out of bed and squeezing myself into pants. What’s even worse than putting on pants is shopping for pants, and because I have so little patience for the task, nearly every pair in my closet is either ill-fitting or uncomfortable. The cycle is impossible to break.

But the real low point of my relationship with pants came when I was working in a restaurant where I was required to wear black trousers (as in, not jeans). Black trousers that could hold up to heavy-lifting and frequent stair-climbing and the heat of a dysfunctional oven and the occasional torrent from the dishwasher? Fat chance! I ended up wearing a pair of H&M pants (with faux leather trim, purchased for my gospel choir performances of yesteryear) to pieces.

In came PolkaPants to save the day. The London-based, women-owned company makes chef trousers specifically tailored to women chefs and designed to be stylish, comfortable, and durable. High-waisted and cropped at the ankle, with a cute little gold zipper on the back, they’re more than just acceptable-looking: They’re flattering. Suddenly I could go straight from the kitchen to “drinks with friends” (read: dinner with my mom) without having to change clothes. (And the less frequently I have to change clothes, the better.)

I don’t work in kitchens anymore, but I still wear PolkaPants. And now that my pants don’t have to be all black all the time, I can take advantage of all of the fun colors and patterns, like the signature polka dots and the spring-appropriate camomile flowers. PolkaPants makes wearing pants not quite so bad. But I’m still waiting for the day they come out with skirts.

Buy It: Chef trousers, from $76 at PolkaPants

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Originally Appeared on Bon Appétit