Everyone Wants Lemaire. I Live in the $60 Uniqlo Barrel Pant.

Oct 16

Ok. I have a pants problem. Again.

Everyone wants the Lemaire twisted pant. Me too. But the barrel pant I actually wear on repeat? Sixty bucks, Uniqlo.

Brian Ellingwood wearing white Uniqlo U barrel pants with an orange short-sleeve shirt

That's the Uniqlo U pair in white. The C version this year fits pretty much the same.

The best cheap barrel pants for men: Uniqlo : C

Wide leg, curve at the knee, tapers down at the ankle. That's the whole shape, and Uniqlo : C gets it right for the price of a nice lunch.

I grabbed the barrel jean in green and the color is so good. My go-to is the green pair with a crisp white Cale tee (the hi-low one). Done. That's the outfit.

The twill ones are 100% cotton with a drawstring, and little darts at the hem do the curving for you. And yes, there's a corduroy one this year. Fall, sorted.

Uniqlo : C Barrel Jeans in olive green denim, $49.90

Uniqlo : C Barrel Pants in beige cotton twill, $59.90

Uniqlo : C Corduroy Barrel Jeans in brown, $59.90

Start at $60. If you live in them, you'll know if Lemaire is worth it.

Lemaire twisted barrel-leg jeans: the pinnacle

Then there's Lemaire. Christophe Lemaire was the creative director at Hermès, and it shows. The main line fabrics are just better, the colors never feel dated, and the belt is literally built into the pant.

The twisted seams are the trick. They pull the leg into that curve so it drapes instead of ballooning. Mr Porter has them from $690. Not cheap. Worth it if you're someone who lives in pants (hi).

Lemaire Twisted Barrel-Leg Organic Jeans at Mr Porter, $770

Lemaire Twisted Barrel-Leg Belted Jeans in black at Mr Porter, $690

sacai x Carhartt WIP pants: true fashion

And then sacai. Chitose Abe is ex-Comme des Garçons, and the Carhartt collab is just effortlessly cool. She took their duck workwear apart for spring 2026 and made it huge and curvy.

Japanese labels are the holy grail for fabric and construction. Full stop. This is exhibit A. It's mostly on resale now, about $500 and up on eBay.

sacai x Carhartt WIP Duck Pants in black, $725 on eBay

sacai x Carhartt WIP Duck Carpenter Pants, new with tags, $675 on eBay

How to wear barrel pants as a man

Short up top. A cropped, boxy shirt so the pants do the talking (see: orange shirt).
Flat sneakers. The curve wants to land on something low.
Or go tailored. That's me at the Saint Laurent outlet in San Marcos in a tux jacket marked down from $4K to $1K. I passed!! Still thinking about the shape though.