Years ago in a thrift store, I found the perfect pants. The formal look of slacks but without the obnoxious vertical slit pockets. The stiffer fabric and sensible pockets of jeans but with a more genteel cut. I now know these were golf pants, and I wear them every day for work.

I have an upcoming wedding, semiformal, indoors. I’m not in the bridal party, nor am I escorting anybody in the bridal party. Can I wear golf pants to this event, or do I need to go buy slacks, or even a full suit? I’m not opposed to buying a suit, I just want to know what my options are.

Edit: The specific pants I wear to work are these but I might buy something a little nicer for the event.

  • ℕ𝕖𝕞𝕠OPEnglish
    1•10 months ago

    I also personally hate it and love slant pockets

    I can’t stand slant pockets because whenever I sit or crouch, everything falls out of my pockets.

    I’m not sure what you mean by “genteel cut.” And you say the fabric is stiff, but golf pants are usually made of stretchy poly blends nothing like stiff denim.

    I was describing the vintage pair I first found, not much like contemporary golf pants in that regard.

    Can you show us the pants?

    Edited to include a picture of the ones I wear to work.

    What color?

    I’ll probably buy new for the event, but dark.

    Are the legs creased? I would never refer to pants as “formal” if they didn’t have a crease.

    I feel the same way. My work ones are uncreased, but I’d want something with a crease for the wedding.

    semi-formal means “idk, kind of what formal means, but I’m not that picky about it.”

    Yeah, that’s about it. Nice enough to ride sn airplane or open a bank account.

    • danhakimi
      1•10 months ago

      I was describing the vintage pair I first found, not much like contemporary golf pants in that regard.

      Can you now describe what you think a genteel cut is, and what you think a contemporary cut is? A lot of people think that “contemporary” means “slim,” which is just not true. And I still have no idea what you mean by “genteel” here.

      Edited to include a picture of the ones I wear to work.

      Okay, these are polyester five pocket pants with no crease. They are extremely casual. I would not wear anything remotely like this to a wedding, myself… although I wouldn’t wear these in any event, but I suppose that’s a separate issue… Try to find some chinos with a crease. Maybe from J. Crew? Eh, all I’m seeing on sale is these, but they’re straight up white, so maybe something else.

      Yeah, that’s about it. Nice enough to ride sn airplane or open a bank account.

      In 2023, people do both of those things in sweatpants. Dress standards have melted away for most of life. And that’s mostly a good thing, but it gets tricky when you need to know what to wear.