The $50 Trousers That Have Me Ghosting All My Other Pants

We’ve admittedly spent a lot of time espousing the virtues of linen over the past few months. No regrets there: linen is good, the heat is villainous. We stand by those words.

We’re also extremely fond of summer pants as a category. And while we’re enamored with linen pants across the entire price spectrum, lately I’ve become an absolute psycho about a pair of $50 Gap pants. (For those who haven’t checked in recently, Gap is very much part of the Great Mall Brand Resurgence.)

Actually, $47 Gap pants. The Linen-Cotton Pleated Trousers, to be specific. I got them about a month ago and have completely ghosted three well-loved pairs in the interim, wearing either these Gap pants (or a pair of OrSlow jeans) to basically everything, and neglecting entire shelves in the process.

And here’s the thing: The fact that they’re $47 (thanks to an extra 40% off automatically applied at checkout) is almost a footnote, because they are, quite simply, great pants, no qualifications required. Almost, though. Their price remains relevant because of how much you’re getting for those $47. For instance, the fabric is this super soft, super lightweight cotton-linen blend—56-44, for those into stats—that’s more comfortable than most pajamas, but somehow holds its structure as well as any of your cotton chinos, and drapes better than almost all of them.

The single-pleat below the waistband makes these as comfortable as hard pants come, providing some extra room as you move around without ever veering into jodhpur territory. The pleat also means they look great in tandem with the hemline of pretty much any kind of shirt, but also shine when you decide to tuck that shirt in. And when it comes to the leg, it’s loose and straight but not at all sloppy, equal parts relaxed and refined. Oh, and they also happen to be the rare pants that (seemingly, I have but two legs and seven days in a week) harmonize with just about any footwear they’re paired with.

The only downside, really, is that they’re moving quickly, so get them while you can.