Skirts and Dresses Are Nice, But in 2026, These 6 Pant Trends Will Define Cool Style
Dresses and skirts will never truly depart from our closets, but they're definitely taking a back seat this year. Aesthetically, they're no longer the freshest and most forward thing you can wear. Sorry! Instead, I'm starting to see a number of trending pant styles that are so much more sophisticated and trend-forward, and it's time to discuss them.
Suddenly, all the chic women I know are setting aside jeans in favor of styles like ugly-cool camo prints and luxe suede and corduroy finishes. Celebs such as Hailey Bieber and Elsa Hosk and fashion people in Paris and Copenhagen are already all over these new 2026 pant trends, and I plan to follow their lead. The pants in this list hit all the categories that matter most this year: comfy, cool, and easy to wear.
Here, discover the biggest pant trends for 2026, from the celebrity-backed return of camo pants to the elegant balloon pants on the spring runways. Scroll on to shop my favorites.
Balloon Pants
Harem pants were a main theme throughout the Altuzarra S/S 26 collection, and the rounded silhouette with a tapered hemline was styled with ankle boots and leather jackets. While these genie pants have been trending since last summer, the designer's winterized backing gave us new ideas for how the pants can fit into our cold-weather wardrobes too.
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Camo Pants
I thought we had left the era of Y2K style in the past, but when Hailey Bieber posted in a pair of camo-print army pants earlier this month, she brought the dated pants back to the forefront of my mind. Now, I'm beginning to notice the roots of a trend taking hold, and several fashion creators are styling camo pants with a comfy-casual vibe, adding hoodies and oversize tees into the mix.
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Corduroy Pants
With 2026 set to be a huge year for modern preppy style, it makes sense that we'd start to see corduroy pants bubbling up too. With their thick, winter-friendly texture and vague school-uniform vibe, fashion people are already starting to wear them as an alternative to denim.
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Suede Pants
Suede bags, suede shoes, suede jackets, and now suede pants. The luxe texture has been infiltrating every corner of our wardrobes, and it's officially coming for our pants. Early favorites are emerging from cool-girl brands like Still Here and Nour Hammour, whose styles can be found on some of the best dressed women right now alongside staples like turtlenecks and loafers.
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Track Pants
All around me, I've been spotting track pants, from the 2026 runways to the off-duty outfits of celebs like Jennifer Lawrence and Ayo Edebiri. In almost every instance where they'd normally wear leggings (like coffee runs, weekend errands, and travel days), fashion people are increasingly choosing a pair of cool track pants, styling them with sneakers, clogs, and ballet flats. With designers like Tory Burch, Donni, and Tibi putting an elevated spin on the pants, there's never been more chic options to choose from.
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Woolen Leggings
A pair of thick cashmere tights was the hero item on The Row's winter 2025 runway. The tights didn't merely appear from underneath a trench coat or tunic. They also arrived draped over the shoulders as a quasi-scarf, and they instantly became a piece to keep an eye on as a future buy. Now that we're in peak tights season, sheer styles are slowly being put on the back burner for these thicker cashmere and wool blends.
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