Spanx has created one work pant collection to rule them all - here's what we thought about each pair

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Spanx has created one work pant collection to rule them all - here's what we thought about each pair

the perfect black pant 3 bg

Spanx

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  • Spanx is responsible for some of the best leggings and tights that we've tested. Now, it's making "the perfect black pant" in four different styles.
  • You can pick up the Perfect Black Pant in Backseam Skinny ($128), 4-Pocket ($110), Hi-Rise Flare ($148), and Cropped Flare ($110). Sizing options include petite, regular, or tall inseams.
  • The material is a comfortable, versatile, and machine-washable Ponte fabric that's smoothing but not constricting.
  • You can find short reviews from three women who tested the pants below. But here's a tiny summary: Spanx pants are a fantastic, comfortable option for work, and you'll find yourself gravitating to them throughout the week.

What you wear to work - like what you wear on an eight-hour flight - can make all the difference.

Ideally, work clothes have a stacked resume: professional, versatile, easy to care for, and comfortable to wear. Hopefully, they'll also be affordable.

As time goes by, you create a meticulously curated uniform: the perfect tuckable button-up, the seamless underwear you can forget you're wearing, the exact-right walkable heel or professional flats that feel custom-made, a bra that you would voluntarily wear every single day... the list goes on.

Shapewear brand Spanx is responsible for great leggings, Insider Picks' top overall choice for tights, and my personal favorite supportive, soft, everyday bra with wide straps; and now, it's entering the race for the perfect black pant - the veritable backbone of many a work wardrobe.

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Spanx's "Perfect Black Pant" collection includes four different styles: the Backseam Skinny ($128), 4-Pocket ($110), Hi-Rise Flare ($148), and the Cropped Flare ($110). The material is a machine-washable, comfortable, smoothing Ponte fabric. Each style comes in petite, regular, or tall inseams and sizes XS-3X.

The perfect black pant borrows some of the skills Spanx has earned its reputation for, like a smoothing, lengthening effect. But, unlike its shapewear, you won't feel constricted. The Ponte material has four-way stretch and a pull-on band that's easy to get on and prevents any segmentation or muffin top. In other words, just a really well-made iteration of the black work pant.

To see how the pant stacked up in person, I asked three women - all of whom spend their days discovering, testing, and reviewing the best products and clothing you can buy online - to pass judgment.

Keep reading to find our reviews of the Spanx Perfect Black Pant ($110-$148):

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Disclosure: This post is brought to you by the Insider Picks team. We highlight products and services you might find interesting. If you buy them, we get a small share of the revenue from the sale from our commerce partners. We frequently receive products free of charge from manufacturers to test. This does not drive our decision as to whether or not a product is featured or recommended. We operate independently from our advertising sales team. We welcome your feedback. Email us at insiderpicks@businessinsider.com.

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4-Pocket Skinny

4-Pocket Skinny
$110, available at Spanx in petite, regular, and tall

I'm the kind of person who refuses to wear dress pants or slacks to work unless absolutely necessary, like I'd-lose-my-job necessary. They're itchy, hot, and stick to your skin while you sit on your butt all day long. The Spanx Perfect Black Pant is the complete opposite — I feel like I'm wearing the most supportive pair of leggings. The material is not only soft and stretchy, but it's about the same thickness as my jeans, so I don't feel exposed or uncomfortable wearing them in the workplace.

The waistband sits fairly high around the smallest part of my waist which I find to be very comfortable. Some people aren't a fan of high waisted pants, but I'm only 5-foot-4 so I imagine someone who is taller won't find them to sit as high as I do. The only downside to these pants is that they are advertised as the 4-pocket style, but the two front pockets are just for show. — Francesca Rea, content producer

Back Seam Skinny

Back Seam Skinny
$128, available at Spanx in petite, regular, and tall

At first, I didn't love that these pants have Spanx's signature pull-on design — I know it's necessary for creating the comfortable feel and sleek look, but I like my work pants to look as close to traditional pants as possible under close inspection. But, that complaint dissolved after a few days of repeat wear. They're too comfortable. They're the same thickness as jeans with the comfort of leggings, and I found myself gravitating to them for days when I really need to be either a) very comfortable or b) really "on" at work.

The four-way-stretch Ponte fabric is smoothing, breathable, and flexible enough to do lunges in. The silhouette is sleek and versatile, and I love the elevation of a tailored back seam. And since I mostly wear pair with button-ups or slightly long shirts, the lack of a top button or zipper isn't noticeable. Best of all this, though, is being able to throw them in with the rest of my wash.

If I could do it again, I'd go with the slightly more versatile style that has pockets, but that's only because I've begun wearing them so often. — Mara Leighton, reporter

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Hi-Rise Flare

Hi-Rise Flare
$148, available at Spanx in petite, regular, and tall

I am probably not the ideal customer for these pants; I'm 5-foot-2 and curvy, so long pants never really work for me. This pair, though, was a really nice surprise. I need to get them properly tailored so I don't have to wear super high heels with them, but if you aren't vertically challenged like me, I think you'll find them to be extremely flattering and elongating (as I did).

Shape aside, the waist was smoothing but not uncomfortably tight. I loved that they just slipped right on (good for busy mornings) and that the weight of the pants keeps the legs from blowing around too much. — Sally Kaplan, editor

Cropped Flare

Cropped Flare
$110, available at Spanx in petite, regular, and tall

I'm barely taller than my colleague Sally at 5-foot-3, so I exclusively buy cropped pants in an effort to avoid tailoring fees. I also have a well-documented love of Spanx tights and leggings, so I was excited to review the Cropped Flare.

Spanx offers a petite inseam (23.5") for the Cropped Flare, so it was truly cropped on me. I was initially worried that the pull-on design would too closely resemble leggings in look and feel, but fortunately only the latter was true. The Cropped Flare has the comfort and smoothing and shaping properties of leggings, but the look of actual work pants. The ponte fabric is super strectchy and on the thicker side, so I plan to wear these during the colder months. — Ellen Hoffman, director of content strategy

Shop the Perfect Black Pant here in four styles
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