Go to macys and buy dress pants. Those are slacks. Khakis are NOT slacks. Kenneth Cole, Calvin Klein, Perry Ellis are good choices. Bar III is one of their house brands with a slim fit. I don’t wear those, haha. I’m also a restaurant manager. Those and a button shirt have been my self imposed uniform forever. Find a brand, fit, and size you like - then when you need more you can just go to the display and get another color. Slacks show wrinkles so hang them folded but the opposite way you would fold jeans (sides of fold are front and back not right and left) on a hanger to keep the pleat and prevent wrinkles. Get a good iron that costs 
100. It will last 20 times longer than a $20 iron. No need to dry clean if you can press a shirt yourself. If you use spray starch only do it on the inside so it doesn’t make your shirts shiny. I personally only spray the back of the collar when I’m ironing. Answer from caln93 on reddit.com
100. It will last 20 times longer than a $20 iron. No need to dry clean if you can press a shirt yourself. If you use spray starch only do it on the inside so it doesn’t make your shirts shiny. I personally only spray the back of the collar when I’m ironing. Answer from caln93 on reddit.comHockerty
hockerty.com › en-us › blog › slacks-vs-dress-pants
Slacks vs Dress Pants - Is it the same? - Hockerty
November 4, 2024 - Let's answer the main question the clearest and easiest way possible: Are slacks and dress pants the same? Yes, they are. The term slacks and what we call dress pants are mentioning the same garment.
StudioSuits
studiosuits.com › blogs › articles › slacks-vs-dress-pants-whats-the-difference
Slacks vs Dress Pants: What's the Difference? – StudioSuits
May 3, 2021 - To define slacks, they are a type of men's trousers that are characterized by a loose-fitted construction. The word "slack," in fact, was derived from the Saxon word "slak," meaning "loose." They aren't tight or snug when worn.
Maplewood Online - Is there a difference between slacks and pants??
Online Community for the Township of Maplewood, NJ. More on maplewood.worldwebs.com
Is "slacks" outdated word? | WordReference Forums
I know what "slacks" are. I just want to know if the term itself is old-fashioned. My dictionary says the word is a bit archaic. More on forum.wordreference.com
ELI5: Differences between dress pants, trousers, slacks and chinos?
slacks = trousers = dress pants (not fully though) all generally have a crease with them and are generally made of wool (cotton/linen/etc exist) imo, dress pants are sold seperately, whereas trousers are a part of a suit. chinos are pants that are cotton, twill weave More on reddit.com
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November 27, 2017american english - Difference between "slacks", "pants", and "trousers"? - English Language & Usage Stack Exchange
Added AmE tag because to me "pants" definitely does not mean the same as "trousers"! ... More important (to me) than the reference of each of these word is the users. "Slacks" and (to a slightly lesser extent) "trousers" are words used by older people, women, and people in the clothing industry. More on english.stackexchange.com
Reddit
reddit.com › r/malefashionadvice › starting new job and dress code mentioned slacks what does slacks mean?
r/malefashionadvice on Reddit: Starting new job and dress code mentioned slacks what does slacks mean?
May 18, 2025 -
Like the title says I am starting a new job in a management role with a food service division for a private hospital. The dress code says slacks for management. I am mixed on what slacks infers like Chino's, khakis or actual dress pants. Any help would be appreciated.
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Go to macys and buy dress pants. Those are slacks. Khakis are NOT slacks. Kenneth Cole, Calvin Klein, Perry Ellis are good choices. Bar III is one of their house brands with a slim fit. I don’t wear those, haha. I’m also a restaurant manager. Those and a button shirt have been my self imposed uniform forever. Find a brand, fit, and size you like - then when you need more you can just go to the display and get another color. Slacks show wrinkles so hang them folded but the opposite way you would fold jeans (sides of fold are front and back not right and left) on a hanger to keep the pleat and prevent wrinkles. Get a good iron that costs $60-$100. It will last 20 times longer than a $20 iron. No need to dry clean if you can press a shirt yourself. If you use spray starch only do it on the inside so it doesn’t make your shirts shiny. I personally only spray the back of the collar when I’m ironing.
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Chino's, khakis or actual dress pants Nope, nope, yep.
Cambridge Dictionary
dictionary.cambridge.org › us › dictionary › english › slacks
SLACKS | definition in the Cambridge English Dictionary
2 weeks ago - SLACKS meaning: 1. a pair of trousers that are in the style of trousers worn as part of a suit, and that are…. Learn more.
Black Lapel
blacklapel.com › blogs › the-compass › slacks-vs-dress-pants
Slacks vs Dress Pants vs Trousers: What's the Difference? – Black Lapel
September 24, 2024 - Cut to ye iPhone times and slacks generally refer to pants that are neither jeans nor chinos, but rather a pant made of a smooth, wool knit or a blended fabric that one would wear to look more dressed up than casual.
Quora
quora.com › What-does-the-term-slacks-mean-in-clothing
What does the term 'slacks' mean in clothing? - Quora
Answer (1 of 9): To me, “slacks” are a particular kind of pants. They can be for men or women. (or children, I guess, but the thought of putting a poor child in slacks makes me sad - how can you play and have fun in these?)
Indeed
indeed.com › career-advice › starting-new-job › guide-to-business-attire
Guide To Business Attire (With Examples) | Indeed.com
2 weeks ago - Business professional typically refers to clothing choices like dark-colored (gray, navy) suits and ties, pantsuits, tidy dresses, skirts or slacks. Tops include button-down shirts (in colors like white or light-blue), blouses and a blazer.Shoes should be closed-toe like an Oxford, loafer and classic heels no higher than 3 inches.
Alberto-pants-USA
alberto-pants-usa.com › blogs › news › slacks-vs-dress-pants-what-is-the-difference
Slacks vs Dress Pants: What Is the Difference? – Alberto-pants-USA
May 27, 2025 - Slacks typically refer to a category of relaxed-fitting trousers that use soft, light, and comfortable fabrics. As the name suggests, we call them slacks because they give us a little slack, meaning they’re somewhat loose.
Oliver Wicks
oliverwicks.com › article › what-are-slacks
What Are Slacks and When Should I Wear Them? A Guide for Men - Oliver Wicks
November 22, 2021 - First of all, they are incredibly versatile in the fabrics used. Slacks can be cotton, like everything else we just looked at, but they could also be linen, wool, and much, much more. This means they can more easily be used year-round, no matter the weather.
Maplewood Online
maplewood.worldwebs.com › forums › discussion › is-there-a-difference-between-slacks-and-pants
Maplewood Online - Is there a difference between slacks and pants??
Main Entry: pants Part of Speech: noun Definition: clothing for legs, lower half of body Synonyms: Bermudas, bloomers, blue jeans, boxer shorts, breeches, briefs, britches, chaps, chinos, clam diggers, cords, corduroys, denims, drawers, dungarees, ...
Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Trousers
Trousers - Wikipedia
3 weeks ago - Trousers (British English), slacks, or pants in (Northern English, American, Canadian and Australian English) are an item of clothing worn from the waist to anywhere between the knees and the ankles, covering both legs separately (rather than ...
Paulbrownengland
paulbrownengland.com › blog › what-are-slacks
What Are Slacks | Pants, Chinos & Slacks
Welcome to the fascinating world of slacks, the pants that have weaved their way through history and into contemporary closets. But what exactly are slacks, and why are they more than just another pair of pants? It is true that slacks are like the chameleons of the fashion realm.
SuitShop
suitshop.com › blogs › news › slacks-vs-dress-pants
Slacks vs. Dress Pants: What’s the Difference? | SuitShop
April 23, 2024 - Slacks refer to a type of trousers designed for casual or semi-formal wear. They typically feature a looser fit compared to dress pants, providing increased comfort and ease of movement.
WordReference
forum.wordreference.com › english only › english only
Is "slacks" outdated word? | WordReference Forums
May 22, 2013 - It's a perfectly good word in US English. RM is referring to a normal item of men's clothing, simply pointing out that it's considered less casual than jeans. Slacks are also worn by lawyers, accountants, bankers, .
Frank And Oak
ca.frankandoak.com › blogs › frank-and-oak-blog › slacks-vs-dress-pants-understanding-the-difference-and-finding-your-perfect-pair
Slacks vs Dress Pants: Understanding the Difference and Finding Your P – Frank And Oak Canada
The term "slacks" comes from the Old English word “slæc,” meaning loose or not tight.
Reddit
reddit.com › r/malefashionadvice › eli5: differences between dress pants, trousers, slacks and chinos?
r/malefashionadvice on Reddit: ELI5: Differences between dress pants, trousers, slacks and chinos?
November 27, 2017 - In the UK trousers refers to any full length bottom half clothing. ... So someone mentioned previously that there's some kinda difference with the pockets as well that differentiates chinos from dress pants? ... Depends. Plenty of chinos have more casual pocket styles (the ones on the left are the 5-pocket style like jeans with rivets and rounded pockets, while the ones on the left have a slightly more dressy slanted style). Most dress slacks will have slant pockets or straight pockets.
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An excert from here:
Slacks implies pants of certain materials which are not part of a suit (jeans are not slacks, and you would not refer to the pair of trousers that came with a suit as "slacks".) It is also more common to use "slacks" to refer to pants worn by women, while men would wear "trousers". Meanwhile, "pants" could refer to slacks, or trousers, or jeans, or just about any form of two-legged outer garment for the lower body.
Note that in AE, "pants" by itself is never understood to mean underwear of any kind, and must be altered in some form (either as "underpants" or as "panties") to have that meaning.
Bill: What's this I hear that the boss walked into your office while you were changing your clothes and caught you in your underwear? Tom: No, but she nearly caught me in my underwear; luckily, I had just put my pants on.
This is an AE perspective but, I would say that trousers and pants are synonyms. With both being any outer garment that covers both legs separately and goes from waist to ankles. Technically slacks is also a synonym, but the informal definition I most frequently hear is that slacks = dress pants. I.E. Pants that you might wear if you were trying to look nice.
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I know the question is tagged AmE - but that wasn't in the original, and hasn't (yet) been confirmed by OP, so I don't see anything wrong with answering from a BrE perspective.
In the UK, pants almost always means underpants. And as OED says, slacks are loosely-cut trousers for informal wear, esp. those worn by women.
I think for many Americans, pants and trousers are effectively synonyms. But so far as I'm aware, "esp. those worn by women" tends to apply to slacks on both sides of the Atlantic.
Yaktack
yaktack.com › words › slacks
slacks
An expansive vocabulary can simplify communication, not make it more complicated as most people might infer. It allows people to say what they mean with greater precision. Yak Tack helps people expand their vocabulary. How Yak Tack Works Type a word you'd like to remember.
Straight Dope Message Board
boards.straightdope.com › factual questions
What is the difference between slacks and pants? (Women's clothing in particular) - Factual Questions - Straight Dope Message Board
May 24, 2013 - I was talking to a clothing/costume designer who told me that slacks and pants mean different things, especially when talking about women’s clothes. I had to dash, and couldn’t finish talking with him. Any thoughts?
WordReference
forum.wordreference.com › spanish-english / español-inglés › spanish-english vocabulary / vocabulario español-inglés
slacks/trousers/pants | WordReference Forums
February 13, 2014 - In my dialect of American English, "pants" are outerwear that cover the entire leg (as opposed to "shorts", which only cover the upper part of the leg). "Slacks" and "trousers" are pants made of loose, thin material.