New Yorkers Are All Over This Comfy Denim Alt, so I Sourced the 20 Best Pairs

While some trends stand out from the rest, there's been a pant style that has crept its way into our closets once again: cargo pants. Yes, the military-inspired canvas pants with giant pockets from the early 2000s are back in full swing. In fact, they've been gaining traction for a few seasons now, and their popularity shows no sign of slowing down this season.

The Y2K-inspired trend has quickly become the comfortable alt to denim for many. (The streets of NYC will back me up on this.) And from wide-leg denim cargoes to low-slung silky iterations, they're all over the current market. It's easy to see why—they exude a fresh, comfortable, and indisputably cool vibe.

Out of the hundreds available to shop now, I shared the best 20 options below. You'll find a variety of both styles and prices, so whether you pair them with pointed-toe kitten heels and a blazer to dress them up or a pair of Adidas Samba Sneakers and a relaxed sweater for casual occasions, these pants will be as versatile as your jeans.

On the NYC Fashion Set

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(Image credit: @champagnemani)

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(Image credit: @elizagracehuber)

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(Image credit: @rubylyn_)

Shop the Best Pairs

Associate Fashion Editor
Yusra Siddiqui is an editor who resides in New Jersey but bounces between the suburbs and NYC. (She's a Jersey girl at heart.) After interning at Who What Wear in 2019, she found her way to the team after graduating from LIM College in 2022 with a fashion media degree. She's also spent time writing and working for publications such as Fashionista, Coveteur, and Nylon, but she always knew that Who What Wear was where she was meant to be. When she's on the job, she's perusing runway shows, analyzing the latest thing fellow Gen Zers are up to on the internet, and sharing what she can about the modest-fashion market. You can also catch her dabbling in entertainment, talking about the costume choices of the latest Netflix series or diving deeper into how the plotline affects the viewers in a myriad of ways. Lastly, she likes to create content for Who What Wear's TikTok. Her personal time is spent doing similar but also different things—deep diving into almost every new TV show (Bridgerton, Gilmore Girls, and Stranger Things are favorites), planning her next local getaway (whenever that may be), and reading the latest Emily Henry or Sally Rooney novel in one sitting.