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Alternative trousers to wear instead of jeans

One of the requests I often get when shopping with clients (and a question I was recently asked over on Instagram) is for an alternative pair of trousers to jeans. Something hard wearing and casual without resorting to sweatpants - which no doubt you're all sick of wearing now.

So, I've put together some suggestions below of casual trousers you could easily wear instead of jeans to switch things up a bit. You should be able to easily slot them into your wardrobe without too much thought on what to wear them with, but let me know if you have any questions!

Nudie jeans Slim Adam chinos alternatives to jeans

The most obvious alternative to jeans is probably chinos. but there are so many different types so how do you choose? These ones look washed in which gives them a much more casual feel than the styles you get in crisp cotton with the crease down the front. So they won't feel a million miles away from your jeans, and they'll slot easily in to your weekend (or working from home) wardrobe. The slim cut is particularly good for slim, short guys and there are other colours to choose from here.

'Slim Adam' black slim fit chinos - Nudie Jeans - £120

Incotex slim cargo pants what trousers can I wear instead of jeans

OMG - cargo pants are back! Have you missed them? Having been all any one wore back in the 90s, they then entered the wilderness years and were derided by fashion types (such as me!) But now they're back with a vengeance, and with good reason too - they're comfy, they're practical and they're hard wearing - making them the perfect alternative to jeans. If you'd like to ease yourself in gently and don't want to feel like you're going back in time, then go for a slim fit pair like these, instead of going full on baggy.

Green slim fit cotton and linen blend cargo pants - Incotex at Mr Porter - £270

Paul Smith dark green corduroy trousers what to wear instead of jeans

It's hardly ever a complete transformation to their wardrobes that my clients are looking for, just some new ideas and variation on what they already have with some tweaks here and there to sharpen things up. So, when looking for alternatives to jeans you can keep the same shape but by swapping from denim to corduroy you'll get a very different feel to them. You could dress them up a  with a blazer and boots, or keep them super casual with a sweatshirt and Converse. Just don't wear them with a corduroy jacket or corduroy shirt! Double denim might be cool but double corduroy (unless it's a suit) is not.

Tapered fit dark green corduroy trousers - Paul Smith - £125

Nudie jeans Lazy Leo dry classic slub denim chinos alternative to jeans

Aha - and here's another clever bit of side stepping. This time taking the familiarity of denim but switching the shape to make them into chinos. These Nudie ones offer up a different version of smart jeans, which could come in especially handy for a smart casual outfit with an unstructured blazer and fine knit sweater, once you head back to the office.  Notice the straighter shape too, so if you're fed up with wearing skinny and slim then this provides a new shape.

'Lazy Leo' dry classic slub denim trousers - Nudie Jeans - £120

Folk Assembly pleated cotton trousers what to wear instead of jeans

And last but not least, another chino style but this time wider cut and with pleats. Having had flat front everything for so long, it'll make a change to wear a pleated style - and with a wider cut, these will be more comfortable on you if you have chunkier thighs or calves. And the way they've styled it here, makes the perfect Spring outfit.

'Assembly' green tapered pleated cotton canvas trousers - Folk at Mr Porter - £115

So what do you think? Will you be getting some trousers, not jeans to wear this Spring? If you'd love to but are not sure what would work best on you, then let me help.......book in below for either Online Personal Shopping or for an In Person Personal Shopping trip (I'm taking bookings for after the 12th April) by clicking the buttons below and we can explore the options.

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Corduroy jackets for men - personal shopping & styling tips
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