The other night, my partner and I decided to hit the local bar in our small town to celebrate his first day on the job. I stood dumbstruck in front of my closet, wondering what the F to wear. Again, it’s a small town, so think nothing too fancy. But we’re toasting a special occasion so I don’t want to go in jeans either. In my head, I’m picturing a chic warm sweater with black slim-fit trousers… the latter of which does not exist in my closet. I started to wonder: what on earth are people wearing to date nights these days? And not first dates where heels and tights are a total O-kay, but a casual we’ve-been-together-forever-but-still-want-to-look-nice-for-each-other kind of date night.

We talk non-stop about going out tops, but what about the going out pants? Particularly in the winter, I feel like our options are meager. I do not want to turn to the wide-leg trousers I wear far too often (at this point, I associate them too much with office wear, and I do not want to look like I’m going to work). I want feminine, slim-fit, elegant pants that can be styled with crewneck sweaters and still look delectable. It’s a date, for god’s sake, so go ahead and hug my booty and elongate my legs. It’s too cold to wear skirts right now and I’m sure as hell not going out in tights, so I repeat: Where are all the good date-night pants at????

Well, I found them. It took some serious digging and the use of my imagination, but below is a curation of the best date-night pants that are feminine, but not too flirty. Enjoy!