Do you know what I love almost as much as a holiday? Packing a piece that I end up wearing on repeat. For my latest city break to Rome, I had barely any luggage room, so I packed a new pair of linen trousers and hoped they would go with everything – and they did.
The pair in question is New Look’s White Linen Blend Drawstring Trousers, £26.99. They come in five colourways, but I chose the white to match any shade of top I had in my bag. I wore them out exploring, to two more formal dinners and for the plane ride home, and I didn’t get bored of them once. In fact, two Italian women even stopped me by the Spanish Steps to compliment them – now that’s a true testament to the trousers.
So what’s to love? They’re light, breezy and honestly feel a little like wearing pyjamas – but somehow still look put together. The drawstring waist is a dream (especially after a big lunch), and the wide-leg fit makes me feel like my legs look longer. Perfect for throwing on over a bikini or wandering through a sunny city with an ice cream in hand.
READ MORE: Meghan Markle’s £50 Birkenstock clogs are the perfect practical gardening shoes
READ MORE: Ranvir Singh’s ‘knockout’ GMB dress is from one of Kate Middleton’s go-to brands
What I really love is how easy they are to style. Chuck on a vest and some sandals and you’re good to go for daytime – or swap in a cute top and chunky earrings and you’re set for dinner out. The white goes with literally everything, and the side pockets? Actually useful. Whether you’re heading on holiday or just trying to survive a heatwave at home, these trousers are the kind of wardrobe hero you’ll wear on repeat – as I found.
As with pretty much all linen trousers, with the exception of a few very pricey ones, you will have to watch your underwear choice. I didn’t have show-through in a skin-toned pair, but I wouldn’t go wearing black or a bold shade with them. But if you’re pulling them over a bikini or swimsuit, they look good over anything.
If you are looking for an ultra-thick pair of linen trousers that are perfectly suited to office wear, I can also highly recommend Reiss Ashby Linen Wide Leg Trousers in White, £150. They are a splurge, but they have a more formal silhouette and go brilliantly with a crisp tucked-in shirt and a pair of brown loafers.
I’ve also heard excellent reviews for M&S Collection’s Linen-Rich Drawstring Tapered Trousers, £27.50 if you’re more of a petite frame and don’t want to be swamped by a wide-leg design.
Whichever brand you go for (and I suggest New Look, based on my experience with them) I can’t recommend white linen trousers enough – they’re about to be the spring/summer staple you won’t want to live without.
At Reach and across our entities we and our partners use information collected through cookies and other identifiers from your device to improve experience on our site, analyse how it is used and to show personalised advertising. You can opt out of the sale or sharing of your data, at any time clicking the “Do Not Sell or Share my Data” button at the bottom of the webpage. Please note that your preferences are browser specific. Use of our website and any of our services represents your acceptance of the use of cookies and consent to the practices described in our Privacy Notice and Cookie Notice.
