All products are independently selected by our editors. If you buy something, we may earn an affiliate commission.
Every day we give you inspiration and advice on What to Wear Today. This month we're focusing on fall outfits that will make you look your absolute fly-est. Up today: plaid pants that'll turn every hoodie and t-shirt in your closet up to a 10.
Weekends are a time to put on your favorite clothes, whether it's a pair of jeans that are so ripped they're NSFW, or your oldest and heaviest hoodie. It's also your best opportunity to try something new in a DGAF environment. Plaid pants are the fall "trend"—and we put that in quotations because they never really left the menswear canon—that'll give you that off-the-clock fashion thrill. They also happen to look really, really good with your favorite t-shirts, sweatshirts, and denim jackets so you can indulge in both off-duty style rituals at the same time.
Wear a pair of check trousers with a graphic T-shirt, a denim jacket, and lace-up boots, for instance, and you'll look like a modern-day Johnny Rotten for your drinks or movie date on Saturday night. Or go a little more Ivy League prep with a vintage sweater and tennis sneakers like our man Lin-Manuel Miranda here for Sunday brunch or dinner at your neighborhood pizza joint. Either way, you'll look so fly, and be so darn comfortable, you'll dread returning to the basic button-down shirts and chinos that dominate your Monday through Friday life. Which, technically, is fine because, unlike your beat up weekend staples, plaid pants work at the office too.
Here are a few pairs we like at a range of prices. While several brands are doing plaid pants in loose, fluid silhouettes (see: AMI, Gucci, and others), you may consider going slim and tapered at the ankle with zero break at the hem. Unless you're a menswear diehard or a literal grandpa, tighter and shorter is just a lot easier to pull off.