Update: The full debate is now available online, below.

Sweatpants are, as they say, having a moment. From baggy "cozy boy" styles, to leather versions, to sharply tailored takes that mimic trousers, designers as diverse as J. Crew and Vivienne Westwood have recently tried their hands at resurrecting sweatpants from sartorial disrepute. But just because fashion sweatpants are out there, it doesn't necessarily mean these things are going to look good on everyone, or even anyone. So we asked Esquire Digital's style editors, Max Berlinger and Andrew D. Luecke, to argue whether they're ever appropriate, and if so, how to pull them off.

Max Berlinger: Hey, Andrew. We've been asked to discuss the perils, pitfalls, and possible pros of wearing sweatpants (alliteration!). I'm for them and you're not. Let me ask: Why?

Andrew D. Luecke: Because, Max, they'll never be chic. Listen to the name. Sweatpants. SWEAT-pants. They're made to sweat in, and sweating is never cool.

MB: First of all, I don't think any guy is trying to make them chic. But clearly sweatpants aren't some shameful thing anymore, and that's good. The way I see it, there is already a limited vocabulary within the confines of fashion. Incorporating sweats is a smart way to make things seem casual, while paying attention to the fit—which is what's going on now—maintains a sense of decorum.

AL: But we already have casual pants that look sharp and go with everything—they're called jeans, and they're pretty much okay to wear to even the White House. Sweatpants on the other hand are too casual, no matter how well they fit. They're sloppy. And the last thing guys need is more sloppy casual crap. And by the way, of course some people are trying to make them look chic.

MB: Well, look who's selling them now: J. Crew, Steven Alan, Todd Snyder…. This isn't some avant-garde shit. This is sweatpants being remade for the everyman.

AL: This isn't for the everyman—he doesn't know who Todd Snyder is! He just knows he saw Kanye in some sweatpants and now he thinks it's fine to wear his when he takes his wife out for their anniversary. It's too much.

MB: Plenty of guys know what J. Crew is, and Club Monaco, both of whom have started offering slim sweats. Look, should you wear these to a black-tie wedding? No. But I don't think that seeing guys wearing these around the neighborhood or out to a bar will be a completely discombobulating experience.

AL: Speak for yourself. I just don't see the need. Even setting aside jeans and khakis, there's a rich array of fabrics that are comfortable and work well for a sharp, good-looking trouser. A good suit pant in tropical-weight Italian wool is going to be as comfortable as sweatpants, and will make a man look better, not worse. And when you're wearing something well made and sharply tailored, like that suit pant, you can feel it in your heart. It makes you proud of yourself; it makes you a better man. Sweatpants don't do that. You don't feel them in your heart; you feel them in your gut, and your gut likes what it feels, and says, Oooh, soft, cozy, might as well just fatten up and snuggle in here for the long haul. Sweatpants make you a worse man, even when Todd Snyder designs them.

MB:But don't you think more variety is better than less? Don't you think that an arsenal of different styles can only enhance a man's life? Again, this isn't for everyone or for every occasion. It's just another thing that guys can, if they feel comfortable, consider.

AL: Actually, I don't think variety is better when it comes to men's clothing. We may not need rules for our thoughts and dreams, but we damn well need them for getting dressed. Without rules, most men would be wearing suits that make them look like the cardbard boxes they ship refrigerators in. I'm all for freedom, and even sometimes for sartorial rule-breaking, but like Picasso said, you gotta know the rules to break them. With sweatpants there are no rules to break—they simply look like garbage.

MB: We've discussed this before. So many people can make so many different things work for them. Individuality, my friend. Voice of the people. Anyway, here's my final say on the matter: They're here, you can buy a solid pair of slim ones for, like, sixty dollars at J. Crew, and you should try them.

But wherever you get them, here's my suggestion: Buy a pair that has elastic at the cuff, so they'll keep a slimmer line. Wear them as you would a pair of chinos on the weekend: Pair them with some really simple sneakers, an untucked oxford shirt (that hits about two inches below your waistline) with rolled-up sleeves, and confidence. As in all things style-related, the most important part is making sure the fit is right. They should fit like a slim pair of pants: not too skinny, but definitely not baggy. The trick to pulling them off is to make them feel more formal, not to make the rest of your outfit look sloppy.

AL: And where will you be wearing this outfit? If it could possibly work at all (and it can't), brunch is the only place. And then what? Are you going to change out of your sweats to go to the museum after brunch? No, you're not. And being in sweats is going to make the museum less appealing. There's no intellect in sweatpants. Sweatpants don't want to go to the Met and look at Boccioni sculptures—they want to go sit at home and fart. They aren't for men, they're for man-boys. Grow up and wear man-pants, like some tailored goddamn chinos. Tailored chinos love Boccioni!

Andrew D. Luecke Style Editor, Esquire Digital Before coming to esquire.com, Andrew D. Max Berlinger Berlinger is a freelance writer based in Brooklyn.

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