The clothing item that is worn universally by men around the world is called trousers. These are stitched to have one opening at the top and double openings at the bottom to be worn by men from waist downwards, to cover their entire lower body. Trousers look formal and are an accepted form of dressing in offices. These trousers are referred to as pants in US and in many other countries. There is another word slacks that is used for trousers in some places. This confuses many as they cannot make out the differences between trousers and slacks. There are also people who use these terms interchangeably. Let us find out in this article if the two terms trouser and slacks refer to the same clothing item or are there any differences between the two.
Pants
‘Pants’ is a word used for trousers in USA and many other countries of the world. It is a clothing item that is used all across the western world and even in the commonwealth countries that were once a part of the British Empire. Even in South Asia and China, Japan, and Korea where men used to wear traditional clothing items, pants have become extremely popular as they are comfortable and easy to carry. It should not be confused with underpants that are undergarments that are worn by women and extend to the thighs.
Trousers or pants are made from many different fabrics though cotton is the preferred fabric because of the sheer comfort and breathability of the fabric. There are also pleated as well as pleat less pants to cater to the requirements of different categories of people. Wrinkle free pants are in vogue these days as they do not require hard ironing.
Pants are unisex in the sense that they are worn by both men as well as women. However, the colors, textures and fits for women’s pants are different from the pants worn by men.
Slacks
‘Slacks’ is a term that is used for formal and informal trousers worn by men as well as women. However, most slacks are casual wear, and they are not meant to be worn in offices as they do not go with a tie or a formal suit. Younger generation rarely uses slacks and prefers wearing pants as slacks are very loose fitting and considered old fashioned. Also, slacks are made of a material that is shiny and polyester rather than cotton. Thus, these slacks do not match with formal attire. However, slacks are very comfortable and one feels at ease while wearing these slacks. Slacks are popular among both men and women though girls wear more slacks than men.
Slacks vs Pants
• Slacks are very loose fitting while pants are not that loose though they are also comfortable.
• Pants are formal while slacks are casual wear.
• Pants can be worn in offices, but slacks cannot be worn in formal occasions.
• Pants are synonymous with trousers as this term is used in US.