The Most Comfortable Pant Trend Of The Year Is Taking A 2010s Staple & Giving It An Upgrade

Do you ever peer into the darkest corners of your closet drawers, get nostalgic, and quietly sigh, "I miss those jeggings?" Well, break out the digital cameras and dust off your "Gangnam Style" moves, because lounge denim is the latest 2010s trend to make a comeback since handkerchief hems. The updated look, dubbed sweatpants jeans, combines the comfort of leggings with today's baggier, wide-leg silhouettes.

These ultimate soft pants are suddenly popping up everywhere, from the Gap to higher-end designer racks, with Rag & Bone's Miramar sweatpants jeans going viral among the fashion girlies. Styles range from simply cozier versions of your basic blues to pull-on pants with details like pockets and zippers for the most serious sweats devotees. We spoke to Katie Schuppler, founder of KS Style Consulting, for the lowdown on the latest craze in leisure denim.

"The trend is definitely back!" Schuppler exclusively confirmed to Women.com. "And although they are called a 'denim,' they are typically made out of a stretchier, more sweatpant-like material (hence the name)," she elaborated. As for why these imposter pants have the fashion world in such a chokehold, it all comes down to cycles, Schuppler explained. "I think that after COVID, everyone was avoiding comfort athleisure style because it's all we wore, and now it's coming back around again but in a more stylish way!" she shared.

They may feel like a dream, but the words "sweatpants jeans" aren't exactly the most office- or date-friendly. There's no shame in keeping a few pairs of house jeans in rotation, but trend cycles are made for public participation. That means fashionistas have been challenged with the daunting task of elevating the lovechild of two notoriously tricky-to-elevate styles.

We asked Katie Schuppler for her best loose denim styling tips, and she explained that contrasting the roomier fit with more compact accompaniments brings sweatpants jeans into the current moment, transforming a style that runs the risk of seeming sloppy into an intentional aesthetic. "For example, pairing sweatpants or a denim sweatpant with heels and a bodysuit and completing the look with a sleek clutch bag for happy hour with friends or date night is the new way of wearing this trend," she exclusively told Women.com. As with so many outrageous styles, it's all about balance.