Walk into any Walmart and you'll see them. Those neatly folded stacks of denim and leggings under the Time and True label. They look fine. They look like... well, pants. But there’s a reason why people who usually shop at Nordstrom or Madewell are suddenly filling their carts with fifteen-dollar trousers. It isn't just because they're cheap. It’s because the manufacturing landscape of "value" fashion has shifted so dramatically that the gap between a $120 pair of jeans and Time and True pants has become surprisingly thin.
Honestly, it's kind of wild.
A decade ago, budget clothes felt like budget clothes. They were scratchy. The zippers broke if you looked at them wrong. But Walmart’s 2018 pivot—launching Time and True as a replacement for older brands like DanskinNow and Faded Glory—changed the math. They started focusing on "bi-stretch" fabrics and higher cotton percentages. They stopped trying to mimic high fashion and started focusing on what people actually do: sitting at desks, chasing toddlers, and running errands.
The Secret Sauce of Time and True Pants Construction
Most people think cheap pants are just thin fabric. That's part of it, sure. But the real difference usually lies in the "stitch count" and the hardware. If you flip a pair of Time and True denim inside out, you’ll notice something interesting. The overlock stitching is actually fairly dense. It's not the high-end "flat-felled" seams you’d find on raw Japanese denim, but it's remarkably sturdy for the price point.
They use a lot of spandex. Usually around 2% to 8% depending on whether it's their signature skinny jean or a knit legging.
This is the trick.
By using high-stretch synthetic blends, the fit becomes "forgiving." A high-end designer pant relies on precise tailoring to look good. If you're a quarter-inch off in the hip, the pant looks terrible. But Time and True pants use stretch to bypass the need for bespoke tailoring. The fabric does the work that the pattern maker didn't have to do. It’s a brilliant business move that happens to make the pants incredibly comfortable for the average person.
Why the "Butter" Leggings Became a Cult Favorite
You've probably heard people compare them to Lululemon. Let’s be real: they aren't Lululemon. They don't have the silver-thread anti-stink technology or the patented Nulu fabric. But for $7, the Time and True high-rise leggings offer a "brushed" finish that mimics the hand-feel of luxury lounge gear.
The secret is the polyester-spandex ratio. Most of these leggings are roughly 90% polyester and 10% spandex. The "butter" feel comes from a mechanical brushing process where tiny metal brushes rub the surface of the fabric to create a soft nap. It feels expensive. It feels cozy. It also pilled after twenty washes in the 2010s, but modern textile finishing has improved.
People buy them in bulk. I’ve seen shoppers grab five pairs of the black ones at once because, at that price, they're basically disposable, yet they perform like mid-range gear.
The Durability Myth vs. Reality
Can we talk about the "fast fashion is trash" argument? Usually, it's true. If you buy a five-dollar shirt from a random ultra-fast-fashion site, it might dissolve in the rain. But Walmart is a different beast. Their scale is so massive that they can demand higher quality standards from factories while keeping costs low.
I’ve talked to garment workers who mention that the "tolerance" for errors in these massive runs is actually quite low. Walmart can't afford a 10% return rate on millions of units.
So, do Time and True pants last?
- If you're hiking the Appalachian Trail in them? No.
- If you're wearing the stretch denim to an office three times a week? You’ll probably get eighteen months out of them before the inner thighs start to thin out.
That's the trade-off. You're buying time. You're trading the longevity of a 10-year investment piece for the immediate utility of a trend-relevant silhouette. The "High-Rise Wide Leg" chinos they released last season are a perfect example. They looked exactly like a $128 pair from Everlane. Side by side, from six feet away, nobody can tell the difference.
What Most People Get Wrong About the Fit
One major complaint you’ll see in online forums is that Time and True pants "run big."
They do. It's called vanity sizing.
In the world of mass-market retail, making a customer feel like they fit into a smaller size is a proven sales tactic. If you are a true size 8, you might find yourself swimming in a Time and True size 8. Most seasoned shoppers know to size down at least once. This is especially true for the "jeggings" and the pull-on knit pants. The waistbands are designed to be comfortable, which often means they lack the structural rigidity of traditional button-fly trousers.
If you want them to stay up, go smaller than you think.
The Sustainability Elephant in the Room
It’s impossible to talk about Time and True without mentioning the environmental impact. These are mass-produced garments. They are made in huge quantities in countries like Vietnam, Cambodia, and Bangladesh.
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Walmart has made public commitments to "Project Gigaton," aiming to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in their supply chain. They’ve moved toward more sustainable cotton sourcing through the Better Cotton Initiative (BCI). But at the end of the day, a fifteen-dollar pair of pants is still a product of a high-volume industrial system.
If you're trying to be an ethical consumer, the best way to wear Time and True pants is to actually wear them. Don't treat them as disposable. Wash them on cold. Hang dry them—especially the ones with high spandex content. Heat is the enemy of stretch fabric. If you throw your stretch denim in a hot dryer, the tiny elastic fibers snap. That’s how you get those weird wavy lines near the seams.
How to Style Them So They Don't Look "Budget"
The trick to making Time and True pants look high-end is "the sandwich method."
Basically, you sandwich the affordable pants between higher-quality items. Wear the $15 wide-leg trousers with a genuine leather belt and a high-quality wool sweater. The eye assumes the pants are of the same caliber as the accessories.
Also, get them hemmed.
It sounds crazy to spend $10 hemming a $15 pair of pants, but a perfectly tailored cheap pant looks infinitely better than an ill-fitting expensive one. Most Time and True cuts are designed for an "average" height, which means if you're shorter or taller, the proportions will be slightly off. Fix the hem, and you fix the illusion.
Actionable Steps for Your Next Pair
- Check the Fabric Tag: Look for at least 60% cotton in the denim. If it’s mostly synthetic, it’ll be sweatier and lose its shape faster.
- The "Squat Test": Before you leave the dressing room, do a full squat. Because these pants use so much stretch, you need to see if the waistband slides down. If it does, you need a different size or a different cut.
- Wash Inside Out: This is non-negotiable for the dark washes. Time and True uses some pretty heavy dyes that will bleed onto your white sofa if you aren't careful. A cold, inside-out wash sets the dye and prevents those weird white streaks.
- Inspect the Zipper: Walmart uses YKK zippers occasionally, but often they use generic house brands. Give the zipper a few aggressive tugs. If it catches now, it’ll break in a month.
- Ignore the Number: Don't get hung up on being a "Size 4" or a "Size 12." Grab three sizes and go with the one that actually sits flat against your lower back without gapping.
The reality of fashion in 2026 is that the middle market has mostly vanished. You either buy the $300 designer version or the $20 mass-market version. Time and True has successfully positioned itself as the "good enough" option that surprisingly often crosses the line into "actually great." As long as you understand the limitations of the fabric and take care of the fibers, there is no reason to feel like you're settling. You're just being smart with your budget.
Focus on the silhouette and the feel. If the seam is straight and the fit is right, the brand name on the inside of the waistband is the least important part of the outfit.