Every time I talk about sweatpants things tend to get a little awkward. So, what's the deal with sweatpants? I ask innocently enough, affecting what the kids might call an "extremely Jerry Seinfeld voice" and trying to contain my excitement. They're pants, but you don't sweat in them. What's up with that?
Listen, it's not that I don't get the appeal. I do. (There's been some compelling arguments made for their greatness on this very site.) What I don't get is the ardent fervor they inspire among the style's most devoted fans. Even before the pandemic reshaped the reality of the way we all dress, swaddling our soft, broken bodies in head-to-toe fleece was fast on its way to becoming the new normal, and sweatpants reigned supreme.
But this isn't about sweatpants. This is about the pants you should be wearing if you, too, find yourself lost in elaborate Seinfeldian riffs of your own making while everyone around you lounges unbothered in their fleece-lined bottoms. If copping a pair of proper wool pants seems like a bit of a stretch for someone who's been living in sweats for the last half year or so, rest assured the two have more in common than you might think. Comfort is not the issue. In fact—assuming they fit properly—the right pair of wool trousers should be no less comfortable than your favorite soft pants. And if you're really nervous about foregoing that elastic waistband entirely, it's easier than ever to find a trouser style that incorporates that particular detail.
So sure, there are plenty of stylish sweatpants options out there. (More so, I'd venture to guess, than ever before.) But why not give your preferred pair the day off? Casually rocking some wool pants right now might make you feel like you're an extra on the set of a lavish Victorian period piece, but it sure as hells beats the rote monotony of wearing the same damn thing every damn day. *Tears up dramatically* Life is too short to be lived entirely in sweatpants, and time waits for no man's fits.