The best linen pants for women are relaxed basics meant for easygoing days. With their lightweight fabric and breathable design, these pants keep you cool on hot days and polished if you need to dress things up a notch. Our best pick overall, the Reformation Olina Linen Pant, has a wide-leg silhouette you can pair with flats or heels, and is cut from the kind of linen that won’t pill or excessively wrinkle (some crinkles are, of course, part of the charm of linen—perfectly crisp is not the goal here).

Linen is more expensive than other fabrics on the market: It’s made from the flax plant, which is sustainable and naturally eco-friendly. While 100% linen is the highest quality you can find, designers also blend linen with other fabrics to add stretch or softness to everything from high-waisted to pull-on pants. Some styles are tailored for the office, like Theory’s Treeca Good Linen Pants, or lounging, like Caslon’s Linen Joggers. Ahead, we rounded up the best linen pants for women that we highly recommend (and we also found the best linen shirts for men).

What To Consider About Linen Pants

Linen is something of a wonder fabric. Made from the flax plant, it’s extremely strong and lightweight. Its versatility has made linen a staple for pants, especially in hot weather. When shopping, here’s what else you need to know:

The Material

Like cotton, linen is eco-friendly and natural. But linen is sturdier—the flax plant is tough and, once harvested, it needs to be stored for long periods to soften up the fibers. After that point, flax linen can last a remarkably long time; up to 30 years (cotton, by contrast, has a lifespan of five years). Linen also has moisture-wicking properties, which draw sweat off the skin, so it dries quickly. Flax fibers are also hallow, which allow air to pass through, creating a beautifully breathable fabric.

The Season

Although you can pull on linen year-round, it’s an obvious choice for summer pieces—notably, breezy pants, which are fluid and easy to wear on sweltering days. If you’re in the market for new options, a few shopping pointers to keep in mind: Linen is more expensive than cotton, given its durability and the craft that goes into creating it, but you don’t need to spend a fortune. Linen blends, for example, tend to be more affordable, and it’s also wise to invest in styles that will hold up well and become classics in your wardrobe.

The Sizing:

Fashion stylist McKenzie Crouch finds that linen fabrics tend to stretch slightly with each wear, which means that over time, your pants might become looser. “In order to prevent this, a good rule of thumb is to size down for a more snug fit,” she says.

How Can You Spot High-Quality Linen Pants?

“The most important thing to keep in mind when buying linen is the fabric’s transparency,” says Crouch. “Linen is naturally sheerer than a traditional cotton fabric, so you want to make sure that you are wearing a linen style that isn’t too see-through.” Pants that are made from 100% linen tend to be less transparent than linen blends, so also consider the garment’s composition. Crouch also adds: “Make sure you wear the appropriate undergarments, such as nude panties,” which helps you avoid revealing more than you intend to.

How Do You Care For Linen Pants?

Crouch recommends doing a pre-wash with mild detergent on a cold cycle before wearing new linen pants since this can help prevent future shrinking. Once you’ve worn your pants, fashion stylist Audree Lopez offers this advice: “A good guideline is to wash in cold water on a gentle cycle and air dry,” she says. But, of course, always look at the care instructions on your tag—this helps ensure you don’t unintentionally damage the fabric. Since linen is a delicate, it’s best not to wash in hot water or throw into the dryer on high heat. If you want a smooth, pressed look, Lopez says, “I suggest steaming or using a wrinkle release spray versus a hot iron.”

If you have a stain you need to remove, pre-treat it before washing the pants or consider taking them to the dry cleaners quickly, before the stain has a chance to set in, advises Lopez.

Our Fashion Editor’s Advice On Linen

Forbes Vetted senior fashion editor Kari Molvar wears linen year-round and considers it the staple of her wardrobe. Here, she shares her styling advice:

Strike the right balance: When it comes to linen pants, consider the cut of the leg: If I’m wearing a wide-leg style, I like to pair it with a more fitted top, such as a ribbed-shirt, sleeveless tank or even a bodysuit. This way, your frame is not overwhelmed by too much volume all over. For leaner pants, like linen joggers or tapered leg styles, there’s more flexibility: You can pair with a stretchy t-shirt or a silky loose blouse, creating an overall look that’s more sleek and tailored or relaxed and laidback. The point is that your lower half is defined by a leaner pants, so there’s less risk of drowning yourself in too much volume.

Experiment with linen on linen: Can you wear this look? It depends. A beautifully pleated linen trouser looks great with a cropped linen top. The key is to mix different silhouettes, pairing something long and boxy with something that’s shorter and fitted. Full-leg linen pants worn with an oversized linen button-down and linen blazer? Your body becomes lost in the mix. If you like a full-on linen effect, I’d suggest a linen pantsuit or jumpsuit, which can be really chic.

Know the off-season linen do’s and don’ts: I absolutely wear linen after Labor Day, white shades included. It’s an unexpected and confident look, especially if you love linen as much as I do. I find the nubby texture of flax adds depth and coziness to winter outfits. Personally, I layer white linen shirts under fisherman sweaters, paired with cropped jeans and flats. For linen pants, I’d stick to darker shades in fall and winter and pair with a chambray shirt or a cropped jean jacket, which adds a nice textural element of contrast. No matter the season, don’t forget to keep your linen pieces fresh by washing or dry cleaning as needed because dingy linen is never a good look.

Embrace the wrinkles: I like linen both worn freshly pressed or more lived-in and crinkled. There’s no right or wrong when it comes to how wrinkled (or unwrinkled) your linen should be, as long as the garment is clean and well cared for (meaning: no loose seams or worn patches). I tend to not be too precious with my linen shirts so I will throw these in the washing machine rather than hand wash or dry clean. If you hang dry, this lessens the amount of wrinkles but it also creates a stiffer texture. A good trick is to let the shirt hang dry first and then put in the dryer for a short, 15-minute cycle to allow the heat to loosen up the fibers without creating too many wrinkles. I’ve also artfully disguised creases by wearing my linen shirts knotted at the waist—with the twisted shape of the shirt, you can’t really see the creases.

Lifespan of linen: I wear my linen pieces constantly, so they get more wear and tear than average. I tend to go through about one or two linen shirts a year, but I’ve wear them five to six days out of the week, for nearly 12 months straight. If you invest in high-quality linen that’s sturdy and has a decent weight to it, you can expect to get at least a year out of any garment. Thinner, lower-quality fabrics sadly break down faster, so in this case, it might be worth it to splurge if you wear linen regularly.

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