Express Pants: The Difference between the Producer, Agent, and Photographer

Express Producer – $59.90 | Agent -$59.90 | Photographer – $69.90

So you’re the kind of guy who’s not in love with wearing a suit to work everyday, but you can’t exactly wear your Levi’s either.  You need pants.  Dress pants.  But not those crappy pleated microfiber kind that every used car salesman on the planet seems to wear.  You want a pair of well cut, flat front, decent feeling pants that can fly at the office but are also updated enough to look good during a night out.  Express makes three versions of pants that could very well fulfill those needs, but there are some big differences between the current cuts that they offer.  Let’s break those down:

The Express Producer Pant: $59.50 for Solid Cotton | $79.50 for Herringbone Cotton

“Inspired by style on the edge of everything, the Producer is our most modern fitting pant.” – Express
The Producer Pant is the Express standard.  When I tried on the Express Producer the first thing I noticed was the trim lines.  The outer silhouette of the pant is excellent.  But the rise doesn’t feel that low, and they’re not as slim through the leg as you’d think they’d be.  The cotton fabric is soft and has good movement, and it’s no wonder they make a wool version of this template for their suits.  It’s a solid modern pant, just don’t expect a super low rise.
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The Express Agent Pant:  $59.50 for Solid Cotton | $59.50 for Pinstripe Cotton

“Inspired by style that effortlessly gets through any situation, the Agent is our most relaxed fitting pant.” – Express
The Agent is advertised as a less modern fit than the Producer, and since the Producer didn’t feel all that slim to me I was expecting nothing short of parachute pants when I tried on the Agent.  Boy was I wrong.  Yes they’re roomier through the thigh region, but the lines are still straight and the pant still feels pretty good.  As for the look?  Not a ton of difference between the Agent and the Producer.  I was kind of surprised.  If you’re the type of fellow who just can’t give up his relaxed fit jeans, the agent is a pant that can make you look current without extra baggage.
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The Express Photographer Pant: $69.90 for Wool Herringbone | $69.90 for Wool Pinstripe

Inspired by style at the speed of life, the Photographer is our slimmest fitting pant – Express
These things stand out.  Only wool blend versions of the Photographer are available online but most Express stores carry cotton.  I can’t speak for the wool blend, but the cotton felt like a pair of jeans.  Much thicker construction, stiffer, but it still stretched.  The pockets and seams were met at the stress points by matte finish rivets.  Front pockets had that jean curve style to them, and on the back pockets there was tonal stitch detailing.  They also had this goofy sheen to them.  Imagine if Dockers made leather-look pants from cotton.  Odd.

Final Analysis

$60.00 is a lot for a pair of cotton pants, but… Express is pretty generous with their coupons if you’re on their mailing list.  95% of you would potentially buy the Producer.  4% would potentially buy the Agent.  And that last 1%?  Those who’d buy the Photographer?  You’ve got some serious confidence that I’ll never have.

Got any experience with any of these fits from Express?  What’s your go to non-denim pant?