This post may contain affiliate links. If you click on a link and make a purchase, we may earn a commission at no additional cost to you. Learn More. Summer can be a difficult month for men’s style. This is because dressing well directly competes with staying cool. But there are certain materials and styles of men’s pants that are more breathable and stylish. This is a list of the best summer pants for men.
1. Light Wash Jeans
In the summer months you don’t want to be wearing a 20oz pair of raw selvedge jeans. Instead you want to go for a lighter weight denim ideally in a lighter wash. These could either be light blue, light grey or light brown. Consider jeans with plenty of stretch since these tend to be made from lighter weight fabrics. For evenings, you can also opt for a dark wash, but keep it lightweight as well.
2. Lightweight Chinos
Chinos are arguably the most versatile pair of men’s pants. You can just as easily dress them up or down and pair them with a t-shirt or even a blazer. Unlike denim, chino fabric tends to be lighterweight and as such is more breathable.
If you need to wear business casual attire, avoid wool pants and instead opt for a cotton chino. It will look professional yet help you stay cool.
For colors, you want to stick with light neutrals such as a gray, khaki, and brown. Avoid bright neon colors like green, pink or yellow since these come across as too casual.
3. Linen Pants/Trousers
Linen is arguably the best material for summer shits, pants and even sport coats/blazers. Renowned for its breathability and durability linen clothing also comes at a cost. That cost is wrinkles, lots of wrinkles. So either you own the look or you opt for linen blend pants which offer good breathability along with a bit of wrinkle resistance.
These are typically cotton-linen blends in which the cotton offers structure while linen ensures a lightweight and breathable pant.
4. Fresco Pants
Fresco is a unique wool material that is surprisingly breathable due to it’s open weave. Moreover, it is comparable to linen when it comes to breathability yet has more structure which means lesser wrinkles. As such fresco pants work great with business casual attire.
The only downside is that fresco pants are hard to find. Most mall brands rarely carry them. Fresco pants are typically sold by specialist menswear stores and as such they can come with a hefty price. You can find fresco pants ranging from $120 all the way up to $700!
5. White Pants/Jeans
I made this a whole different category because wearing jeans is one thing, but wearing white jeans is a whole different story. Most men shy away from white jeans/pants since wearing them makes you stand out.
The key to wearing white jeans/pants with confidence is keeping everthing else neutral since this will help you look stylish and avoid looking awkward. Personaly I like to pair white jeans/pants with a classic chambray or lightweight denim shirt. This look provides enough contrast.
For shoes, you can wear loafers, boat shoes or derbies. Just avoid white sneakers and shoes in general with white pants/jeans since it doesn’t pair well.
Conclusion
I hope you enjoyed this list of the best summer pants for men. I tried to include both casual and business casual summer pants so that you have plenty of optons regardless of if you want to dress casual or business casual. Let me know what style of pants you like to wear when it gets hot in the comments below.