My advice would be to buy a good pair of (plain black) bib shorts and try them out.
You can always wear loose shorts over them if you want.
I've just started riding again after a multi-year layoff, so I'm trying to avoid 'saddle sores' and chafing.
As your fitness improves, so will the length of your rides, and problems can arise. If you get a sore spot, you'll probably have to takes some time off the bike for healing.
(BTW, anti-friction products- Sport Shield, Friction Zone, etc. - or 'chamois cream' are useful, no matter what your shorts, IMO.)
For less-expensive: BlackBibs or 'Falconi' bibs from love2pedal would be worth a try.
I've used the love2pedal bibs and they are OK, but nothing near the quality of RedWhite ($130), which are my current favourites.
I also bought some (new) Hincapie bibs on eBay that are well-made and very comfortable.
I tried mountain bike shorts with a liner with padding but they weren't comfortable and I got chafing/saddlesores.
Perhaps they were poor quality (from MEC) but the liner fabric and the chamois/padding was nothing like the 'real' bibshorts.
Everybody is different, so saddles and shorts are in the 'you have to try it for yourself' category for me.
Remember, some of the folks here at BikeForum (not me!) have many many thousands of miles of cycling behind them - and on their behinds!
A**es of steel, probably.
