Wide-leg, lightweight pants are the perfect addition to any warm-weather wardrobe, bringing both comfort and style. They’re a fantastic alternative to shorts or capris, offering versatility that can work for casual outings, elevated day looks, and even warm evenings. But styling linen pants can feel tricky, as wide-leg styles require a balance of proportions to create a flattering silhouette.
Here are three easy, stylish ways to wear wide-leg linen pants. Each outfit offers options to elongate your legs and flatter any body type, using classic pieces like the button-down shirt, sleek camisoles, and pointed-toe shoes. With these looks, you’ll find reader-favorite pieces you may already own alongside a few new summer-ready finds.
How to Wear Wide Leg Pants
These best sellers sell out quickly, but they’re currently available in limited sizes and colors.
They work on any body type.

Wide Leg Linen Pants, $27.99
Our featured pants are from Old Navy.
They are a Reader Favorite from the past few seasons and have been featured in several Sunday Sales posts.
They are available in regular, tall and petite, from XS – 4X, in six colors.
Regular price is $39.99, but they’re frequently on sale.
Like many wide-leg pants, these are high-waisted, but not too high.
That’s important to note because it comes into play with your top options.
And they are going to skim at or around your ankles.
You don’t want the hem cutting through the calf or you enter capri territory (I have strong opinions on capris).
Depending on your body type, the width of the pant may be overwhelming.
If that happens, remember, you can easily have these altered and have some fullness taken out of the leg by a tailor or seamstress.
Let’s style wide leg pants three ways.
How to Wear Wide Leg Linen Pants
These Old Navy pants are available in a range of colors. I’m using the black option because it’s the most elegant and easily dressed up or down.
Notice how, in all of the outfit examples, I’m sticking to a simple black-and-white theme but mixing in layers of texture and natural, organic elements to elevate each look.
As always, you can shop this post for practical recommendations OR use it as inspiration.

With a Short Tee

T-Shirt, $14 | Birkenstocks, $170 | Earrings, $165 | Knotted Handbag, $108
This is a great alternative to a matching linen button shirt for a casual look.
Start with a short white tee for a laid-back casual outfit that also looks sophisticated.
Sometimes retailers will call these “cropped,” but before you dismiss it, look at it on the model. You want the hem to hit around your hip bone and barely cover the pant’s waistband.
If your top is a little long, you can do a half-tuck, but the idea here is that because of the high-waisted cut of the pants, you can wear a shorter top and create a fun silhouette that will still elongate your legs. So, if the top feels long, consider hemming it to the perfect length for you.
I know that sounds like a pain in the neck, but it is 100% worth it.
I added this gorgeous pair of statement earrings from Julie Vos to add some polish.
Then, wear a pair of chunky, flat sandals because you can pull them off with a wide pant leg. You don’t need a pair of pointed-toe shoes to avoid looking squat.
It appears that Hell has frozen over because I continue to say things like, “I like these Birkenstocks.“
The oversized gold buckle makes these funky in a good way. They were hard to find last year, so I’m happy they are back in stock and still very much in style.
I have them in ivory and used them as my “dress-up” beach sandals last summer.
For a bag, we’re playing with texture and using this best-selling woven bag from Anthropologie. It fits what you need for drinks and dinner; I carry it regularly.
With an Open Stitch Sweater

Open Stitch Sweater, $44.99 | Strappy Sandals, $49.99 | Straw Clutch, $45.95| Earrings, $11.99
Next, I’m featuring this reader-favorite open-stitch sweater from Old Navy in a black-and-white stripe. Although the shirt and pants are both affordable finds at Old Navy, they look so elegant together.
Note: Wear a black cami underneath.
The sweater is available in XS – 4X in regular, tall, and petite for $44.99.
I’m using these block-heel sandals from Marc Fisher at DSW for shoes.
Again, we’re layering in subtle texture that compliments all the other elements of the outfit, which creates visual interest.
To round out the look, a black straw clutch and a popular pair of under $15 earrings are affordable finds from Amazon.
With a Nipped Waist Top

Smocked Waist Top, $12 | Sandal, $119.99 | Bag, $70 | Earrings, $24.50
Finally, let’s work with a top that will bring in your waist and create some shape.
A wide-leg bottom with a fitted top looks lovely. So, if you have something that sits on the body (rather than clinging to) that you are comfortable in, wear that with these.
If you like the idea of a top with some shape but need some room, consider this smocked waist top from Old Navy, on sale for $12.
It will define your waist without being skin-tight.
I found this gorgeous under $100 summer bag from Tuckernuck and used it to inspire the rest of the outfit. I love how different it is and how it breaks up the monochromatic outfit with natural accents.
Next, I found these Dolce Vita flat sandals at DSW, which are perfect and will help elongate your legs.
I rounded out the look with these inexpensive rattan novelty earrings from J.Crew Factory.
Linen Wide Leg Summer Pant Style Tips
- Pay attention to your shoes. You want these to balance the width of the pant leg, so you can go with something chunky in either a flat or a heel.
- For the perfect summer look, your linen wide-leg pants should ideally hit at or just below the ankle, reflecting the breezy summer length. Choose either a form-fitting top OR a shorter top that just covers the waistband of the pants.
- When working with linen or a linen-blend, focus on mixing in various textures rather than colors and prints to create an elevated, sophisticated look.

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