REVIEWS: Super Comfy Work Pants Under $45, Comfy Casual Outerwear, and More

Today I’m coming in hot with some reviews! I’m excited to tell you about several comfortable and AFFORDABLE pants for work! I also have some sweaters and booties to review, along with my current favorite wear-on-repeat fleece to share with you! Most of the items are under $45! Here we go!

SIZING: I’m 5’6” and usually S/M or 6 in clothes and 8.5 to 9 in shoes.

 

Amazon Reviews: red long sleeve top + navy work pants + cognac booties + gold initial pendant necklace

Amazon Tapata Straight Leg Fleece Lined Pants – Lined with fleece! – size M
First up is this pair of straight leg FLEECE LINED pants for work! These are STRETCHY and soft, and VERY COMFY. I’m wearing the 30” pair which is full length for me, and you should be able to wear them with several pairs of classic ankle booties. They feel almost like the Liverpool Kelsey Ponte Super Stretch Pants that I LOVE in terms of softness, thickness, and stretchiness. But, these are about HALF the cost at $39-$46! You can tell the difference in quality in the subtleties, but you would only notice if you’re being picky. This pair is comfy and pretty darn good, especially for the price!

These have a pull-on, super stretchy, elastic waistband. Like I said, VERY comfy, and very forgiving. The waistband conforms to your waist, and I found that the overall stretchiness of the material conformed well to my curvy hips and nipped in at the waist nicely, without a gap in the back. That said, I think they would also conform pretty well to a straighter silhouette and/or a silhouette with a waist that is wider than the hips. Basically I’m saying they definitely work for curvy figures, and I think they could work for straighter silhouettes too—or at least it’s worth trying if you have Amazon Prime because you can try them without risk, thanks to free shipping and free return shipping.

They have side pockets as well as pockets at the back. And yes, they’re lined with fleece! While the pants are nice and thick, which I find helpful for feeling a little more secure, the fleece itself isn’t super, super thick or bulky. But they are warmer and cozier than typical work pants.

These come in several colors and four inseam lengths from 28″ to 34″ including petite, regular, tall, and long. You can find them HERE. I’m wearing size M. Please NOTE: They do NOT all come with the fleece lining, at least from my understanding. The colorway needs to say “fleece” on it, like “Black, Fleece.”

Shop the Outfit:
Top: Nordstrom (similar, similar, similar, similar)
Pants: Amazon (exact—wearing size M)
Boots: Amazon (exact—wearing size 9)
Necklace: Nordstrom (exact)

 

Amazon Reviews: leopard print short sleeve top + navy work pants + cognac booties + gold initial pendant necklace

Baleaf Straight Leg Pants – size M
This is another soft and very stretchy pair with a pull-on elastic waistband. I’m wearing a straight leg cut here. They aren’t lined with fleece like the first pair, and they are also quite thin, so I don’t feel as secure in them. Perhaps if you have a thinner or less curvy frame than I do it wouldn’t be a big deal. They are very comfy, but they do look a bit cheaper than the others, at least in navy blue. It might be less noticeable in black. Still, they have 1,660+ reviews and 4.3 stars and come in 10 colors and 4 inseam lengths, from 29″ to 35″! Check them out HERE.

Shop the Outfit:
Top: Nordstrom (exact—wearing size M, exact in other prints)
Pants: Amazon (exact—wearing size M)
Boots: Amazon (exact—wearing size 9)
Necklace: Nordstrom (exact)

Amazon Reviews: blue floral long sleeve top + navy work pants + cognac booties + gold initial pendant necklace

Rekucci Bootcut Pants – size 6
These are also really stretchy with a comfy, pull-on elastic waist. However, the waistband didn’t stretch quite as much as the other pairs of pants—like, it had limits. Also, the material isn’t smooth and soft like the pairs above. This pair is a little crisper. But it’s still comfy because of the stretch!

The pair I’m wearing is bootcut rather than straight leg. So, while you can hardly tell the difference aesthetically, the opening at the bottom does feel noticeably wider to fit over a bigger array of shoes.

The downside is that this there are no pockets. These come in 48 colors (HOLY MOLY!) and have 11,900+ reviews and 4.3 stars! They’re only $36! Check them out HERE. I wear size 6.

Shop the Outfit:
Top: LOFT (similar, similar, similar)
Pants: Amazon (exact—wearing size 6)
Boots: Amazon (exact—wearing size 9)
Necklace: Nordstrom (exact)

 

Amazon Reviews: green puff sleeve long sleeve top + grey work pants + cognac booties + gold initial pendant necklaceAmazon Reviews: green puff sleeve long sleeve top + grey work pants + cognac booties + gold initial pendant necklace close up and side view

Rekucci Grey Bootcut Pants – size 6
This pair is by the same brand as the previous pair, but the material and fit are different. These were much softer, instead of the “crisp” feeling the previous pair had. They are really comfortable with good stretch, but they are on the thinner side. I felt like these showed material and lumps and bumps underneath more than the other pairs. I also felt like they showed wrinkles a bit easier than the other pairs. The wrinkling wasn’t terrible, but you can kind of see it at the bottom in my pictures above. I had just steamed the pants! I’m sure wrinkles would show less in darker colors. These are still a good pair to try, especially if you have Amazon Prime and can utilize free shipping and returns. These come in 9 colors and are only $45! See them HERE.

 

Amazon Reviews: olive green puff sleeve long sleeve top + gray work pants + cognac square toe ankle boots + gold initial short pendant necklace very close up and side untucked top

Amazon Puff Shoulder Top – size M
I thought this was gonna be a cute option for an elevated casual top. The material is super soft, stretchy, and comfy. But, it’s thin and way more fitted and clingy than I expected. You can see details of my bra and of the waistband of my pants poking out through the material. It clings to my midsection in an unflattering way as well. 😬 Plus, l don’t like the clingy, curved section in the back. I couldn’t size up or else the shoulders would be hanging off me, as they’re already slightly big on me in size M. HOWEVER, this works well tucked into something high waisted to hide all the ways it’s unflattering around the midsection and down. Like, it’s actually pretty cute in the previous pics where I reviewed the grey pants. If I needed more of those kinds of tops, I’d consider keeping it because the material is VERY comfy. You could wear it with jeans or in a relaxed business casual outfit. This comes in 8 colors and is only $17-$21! You can check it out HERE. I’m wearing size M.

Amazon Booties – size 9
I was able to choose a few items for free from Amazon again recently, and one of the items I tried were these beautiful cognac booties. I featured this pair recently in my blog post How to Style Business Casual Pants in the Winter and Cover Your Ankles. I was looking for booties with a narrow enough shaft to fit under straight leg pants for that blog post, and these fit the bill. The cognac color is so pretty and pops beautifully against dark wash jeans and black pants! The upper feels pretty smooth, soft and flexible. I also really like the square toe for elongating your legs. The heel is fairly high, but thankfully it’s a stacked heel so there’s a bit more support than there would be with a skinnier heel. These come in 3 colors, HERE. I wear size 9.

Shop the Outfit:
Top: Amazon (exact—wearing size M)
Pants: Amazon (exact—wearing size 6)
Boots: Amazon (exact—wearing size 9)
Necklace: Nordstrom (exact)

 

Amazon Reviews: cream mock neck sweater + medium blue jeans + beige snow boots + white earrings Amazon Reviews: cream mock neck sweater + medium blue jeans + beige snow boots + white earrings close up and side view

Amazon Sweater – size S
This sweater is really popular with 16,200+ reviews and 4.2 stars. Honestly, I don’t love it, especially for the price! The material feels a little heavy, first of all. The older I get, the more I care about clothes feeling really easy to wear, and that includes things like material and how heavy something is. I have less and less tolerance for anything that feels like it’s weighing me down. Perhaps kids hanging on me everyday has worn thin my tolerance for clothes hanging on me, haha! 😆 Anyway, the neckline also needs WAY more stretch. If my head were any bigger, I don’t think I could get it through! Also, it just feels a little blocky, like the drape just isn’t great—and you know how I love a good drape! On top of that, the price is tough for me to swallow. I have paid more than this for sweaters, particularly from Nordstrom, but they felt good, they were lighter but cozier and softer, they draped better, and they didn’t look or feel as stiff as this one does. I have also tried sweaters that cost LESS than this, again from Nordstrom, that were in the $29-$35 range and feel WAY better than this one. One example of that is THIS sweater which is very soft and only $35. There are much better sweaters than this at this price range, especially if you can catch some of the sweaters on sale at Nordstrom or even at Nordstrom Rack.

Shop the Outfit:
Sweater: Amazon (exact—wearing size S)
Jeans: Nordstrom (exact—wearing size 4; similar)
Boots: Amazon (exact—wearing size 9)
Earrings: c/o Nickel & Suede (similar—I wear size M)

 

Amazon Reviews: beige snow boots close up

Amazon Snow Boots – size 9
I have ZERO need for these, but I saw them on Amazon and wanted to try them anyway as an option for any of you who might need some. Before we get into the review, keep in mind that I have no idea what I’m talking about when it comes to snow boots like this 😂. What I CAN say is that reviewers who actually do live in colder weather LOVE these. They have 11,360+ reviews and 4.5 stars! They are an inexpensive snow boot that is really cute, comes in several styles, and are really WARM! They are FULLY lined with faux fur inside, from the top down to the toes and everywhere between. I can’t speak for the quality. Honestly the quality feels questionable to me, so I don’t know how long they’d last with heavy use. I mean, they came FOLDED in the box for goodness’ sake. 😂 But given that they were around $41 when I bought them (they were marked down for some reason!) that is not surprising. And it’s also great if I ever did need snow boots, because then I would be able to get a pair without breaking the bank, but I wouldn’t need them to withstand heavy usage. If you’re in need of a pair, these are ones to at least TRY because of how many reviews they have and how affordable they are. You can decide for yourself if they’ll work for your needs. They come in several colors, which you can see HERE. I’m wearing size 9.

 

Gap Review: black vest + blue thermal long sleeve top + black leggings + gray Nike sneakers + white earrings

Gap Puffer Vest – size XS
I recently shared this puffer vest in a post with fresh activewear and athleisure outfit ideas (catch it HERE), but I wanted to try it a size down, so here it is a size down in XS. Size S had a lot of extra room when it was unzipped, but size XS fits better. The one downside is that while I can zip it in size XS, it is snug around my hips. The cut feels straighter and doesn’t nip in at the waist or accommodate my hips at all, and I had this problem with one of their jackets as well. I don’t usually zip up my vests, so I’d be inclined to go with XS since that’s the one that looks better with it open, the way I typically wear my vests.

What I like about this puffer vest is that it’s long, so it covers my backside when I’m wearing leggings. It’s very lightweight and is made of 100% recycled polyester. It comes in 5 colors and 1 print and in regular, tall, and petite lengths. You can see them all HERE.

BTW, this warms up the longer you wear it, so if it’s not that warm upon initial wear, just give it a few minutes to heat up and warm you up!

Shop the Outfit:
Top: Nordstrom (exact—wearing size S)
Vest: Gap (exact—wearing size XS)
Leggings: Nordstrom (exact—wearing size M)
Shoes: (exact—wearing size 9)
Earrings: c/o Nickel & Suede (similar—I wear size M)

 

Uniqlo Review: black fleece + black and white striped long sleeve top + blue skinny jeans + leopard print sneaker booties + white earringsUniqlo Review: black fleece + black and white striped long sleeve top + blue skinny jeans + leopard print sneaker booties + white earrings close up and side view

UNIQLO Zip-Up Fleece – size M
Last is my new wear-on-repeat item! This is soooo soft and COZY! Very, very warm. This has been my go-to layer for casual and athleisure outfits! It comes in 14 colors and is only $29.90! See all the colors HERE. I’m wearing size M and would recommend sizing up. This brand runs small in general.

That’s it for today! Let me know what you’re looking for in the comments, and I’ll keep my eyes open to try some options for the next round of reviews.

Shop the Outfit:
Top: Nordstrom (exact—wearing size M)
Fleece Jacket: UNIQLO (exact—wearing size M)
Jeans: Nordstrom (exact—wearing size 4; similar)
Shoes: Nordstrom Rack (exact—wearing size 9)
Earrings: c/o Nickel & Suede (similar—I wear size M)


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