I have a complicated relationship with jeans. I love the idea of them—the ease, the versatility, the way a good pair can make a T-shirt look intentional—but lately, I’ve found myself reaching for anything but denim. Maybe it’s the pendulum swinging toward softer, roomier silhouettes, or maybe I’m simply tired of pretending that a rigid waistband is the price of looking pulled together.

Enter the Leset Kyoto Carpenter Pants, the decidedly un-jeans-like pants that seem to have quietly become a uniform among some of fashion’s most closely watched women. Jennifer Lawrence has worn them. Kaia Gerber has worn them. Katie Holmes has worn them. Usually, I’d be one to point out that celebrity sightings alone aren’t usually enough to convince me that I need a new pair of pants, but there’s something particularly compelling about the way it feels like everyone in my fashion North Star mood board has a pair. Naturally, I had to see what all the fuss was about.

Leset Kyoto Pants on Celebrities

The appeal, I quickly discovered, is that the Kyoto Carpenter Pants occupy a sweet spot that jeans can’t quite reach. They have the slouch and nonchalance of workwear, but they look significantly more considered than your average pair of cargoes or sweats. They’re the kind of pants that make a simple outfit feel like a look without announcing that you tried very hard to make it one.