By HANNAH SKELLEY, FASHION EDITOR Updated: 16:48 BST, 9 June 2026
Daily Mail journalists select and curate the products that feature on our site. If you make a purchase via links on this page we will earn commission - learn moreThere’s a subtle movement that’s gripped the midriffs of men up and down the country. Sadly, I’m not talking about a sudden return of the six pack. But rather, I’m referring to a nationwide slackening: elasticated waistbands have taken over.Zips and buttons have been shunned. Belts abandoned. Instead crinkled, stretchy, slip-on styles that resemble the structural integrity of lounge wear or gym kit have seemingly slid into the zeitgeist and on to the hips of all the guys I know.We like to bandy around the phrase ’not all men’, but most have opted into wearing these, what I like to call toddler trousers.A colleague told me she locked eyes with a handsome stranger standing across the carriage on the Circle Line last week but found herself repelled when she scanned down his body to find a ‘jogger style’ waistband peeking out from under his work shirt. She said it looked too lazy for the office, despite the fact he was clearly commuting.Last month in a buzzy Notting Hill pub I witnessed a man next to me peel off his jumper to reveal a crotch so scrunched it's clear the elastic in the top of his corduroy trousers was far too taut. I’m unsure how comfortable it was for him, but it wasn’t for the rest of the dining room.My own boyfriend James (sorry darling), prefers a sweat-pant-cum-chino style from Uniqlo that’s soft enough to sit in on Zoom while working from home, but could also pass as a pair of semi-smart office pants. His have usurped his jeans altogether.Toddlers don’t know how to belt their trousers up yet, so we’ll let that fly. But to the middle-aged, millennial and Gen Z guys shimmying into stretchy slacks, I must ask; what has happened to your fly?You might think I am being dramatic, but on the high street John Lewis reports that searches for ’men’s elasticated trousers’ rose 150 per cent in May versus April on its website and sales of its stretchy stock are up 60 per cent.It also turns out a lot of men dress like my beau. His aforementioned slouchy Uniqlo £24.90 Easy Ankle Trousers with an elastic drawstring waist come in four shades and have been a consistent bestseller in the menswear department for the best part of a year.M&S likes to tout theirs as ‘casual’ trousers (read jogging bottoms). And at Next there are a whopping 111 pairs of these laidback trews to choose from.What’s wrong with a stiff, fitted waistband? And moreover, stiff fitted fabric around the buttocks? Your elastic might be comfy but be warned, it often comes with the promise of a saggy bottom.As sexy suit trousers disappear from office corridors, coffee machine meet-ups and ink printer encounters across the City, it could be the reason why around half of the young male British population is still single, with 64 per cent of them reportedly attending little to no dates in the past year.Lockdown is too far gone to link it to a hangover from days of ’waist up’ dressing. Comfort is a key cause, but one can only presume this mass dressing down is also related to slight laziness – stretchy waistbands allow for expanding waistlines – and perhaps a tightening of all of our metaphorical belts. These slack styles are cheap!But I want to make the case for a return to smart dressing, recession or not. Save comfort for days at home or when you’re hitting the gym. Dressing up can be your armour and it can entirely change the way people perceive you. If you look the part, you’ll get the part. And perhaps the rate of single males will plummet…So what to wear instead? There are plenty of affordable proper pants across the high street. Abercrombie’s linen-blend baggy trousers have just the right amount of Seventies flare (£75, abercrombie.com). Mango’s pleated pants in olive green, beige and classic black are an excellent staple for less than £60 (£59.99, mango.com). If you’re after a pair you can pull off every day, in the office, in Waitrose or at a wedding, Massimo Dutti’s versatile linen suit trousers will serve you very well this summer (£99.95, massimodutti.com).But to put it simply, men, bring back the belt – and getting dressed properly. Or risk being caught with your pants down.SHOP: The five fashion rules you must follow when it comes to occasionwearREAD MORE: What men should NEVER wear to a wedding – and the sharp alternatives that will guarantee you look the part
