How to dress chinos properly on any occasion–Everything you should know.

nic chen
7 min readMay 26, 2022

What Are Chinos

Cotton

Chino is made from sturdy and durable cotton twill or cotton-blend fabric, You might be confused about what is chinos, chinos first appeared in the American military, stationed in the Philippines during the Spanish–American War, circa 1898.

Chinos are such a military product more casual than dress pants and more formal than jeans.

What Is Different Between Chinos And Khakis?

On some occasions, you might mess up chinos and khakis, chinos are named as kind of pants, like chinos, slacks, and jeans, we distinguish them by style, and materials.

The word “khakis” is actually a light tan color, the same as black, white, and red.

Remember that, you can say a khaki chino, a navy chinos distinguish by color, while you mentioned khakis pants, that might be pants in khaki color, the pants might be slacks, dress, jeans or chinos in khaki color.

Chinos Or Jeans?

Jeans

From the material, Chino is made from lightweight cotton, jean is made from heavyweight cotton.

As to the style: Chinos are more formal than jeans.

It might be a good question while you can only keep one pant in hand, so should I keep chinos or jeans?

Yes, those two styles might be interchangeable often, always remember that:

Chinos are easier to dress up than jeans!

Dress Pants Or Chinos?

Dress pants: pants made of wool or some wool-blend material, with loose legs wide, soft, and fine than chinos, always combo with a suit.

When it comes to the dress pants and chinos, which should be chosen? the answer is dress pants appear on more formal occasions.

Want Sweatpants Or Chinos?

Never doubt that sweatpants are trending these days, no matter their comfortable or casual looks. you might ask me if you only have one pair of pants to buy, which pants do you prefer. um, it is really a hard one, but I will choose the chinos at last, because chinos are more smart casual than sweatpants, though sweatpants are more sport, and comfortable, but I can wear chinos as workout pants, on more occasions than sweatpants.

Final, formal chinos vs casual chinos

If you are fan of chinos, you will agree with me, chinos can be formal chinos and casual chinos, so what is formal chinos and casual chinos?

formal chinos: A chino well-tailored with body silhouette, will easily show your body details while dressy, that more bunching neatly characteristic makes formal chinos better match with a blazer.

casual chinos: has soft details, and sometimes can be made of super-stretch material, with slightly formal and a little bit casual. You can enjoy your night out of town.

How To Pick A Chino Fit?

Well, after comparing different materials, and different styles of pants, you might know why you need chinos, but the next problems are: how to pick a chino fit?

so what chino fit?

always remember that, comfortable is the first-factor need to care about, so here are tips to make your chino more fit:

The waist

— a fitted waist will not need a belt after dinner or can easily hold pants up after sports.

The hips

–should try to avoid a soggy butt, and can easily bend without breaking the seams.

The Pocket

–You should not feel any comfortable while you pull your hands in the pocket.

The thighs

–Your thighs should hold by pants without loose, but not tight

The ankle

–the ankle should be taped naturally, you can simply put socks on without taking off the pants.

The length

–it depends on how many breaks you need, but my suggestion is: that 1.5 to 2 inches turned up from the bottom is best

What Color Should Be Chosen?

While you know how to pick fitted chinos, still will confuse about what color to pick? here are the top colors nicerior recommend

Navy Chinos

Navy chinos for Men. Whether you’re a student or professional, every man needs a pair of solid navy chinos — and not just for spring and summer. Navy pants for men are incredibly versatile, comfortable, and great for layering in the fall or winter. Look fabulous from day to night in our navy pants for Men.

Red Chinos

Red is a color that pops and is a great alternative to khaki. Are one of the most versatile chinos out there and they can be worn all year round. From the office to a party or evening drinks, red chinos have been an essential in my wardrobe since I picked up my first pair back in 2010.

White Chinos

I don’t really want to put more flatter words on white, white chinos should be classic and pure color, always neatly, clean, bright, and fresh.

Tan Chinos

Here I would like to take khakis as examples, tan chinos fit the most aesthetic look, not matter for the business casual, smart casual occasions.

Pink Chinos

Never afraid of pink chinos, in some cases, the pink can be eye catches, which will make you start prom。

Pattern Chinos

Chinos with cute or classic patterns will make you approachable, Soothing

Should Chino Rolled?

While browsing on INS, you will find some influencers rolled their chinos up, so should we roll our chinos? how many breaks should we do?

in my opt, if you are a tall-slim guy, the pants are also slim and high waist, you can simply roll your chinos up, that will make you more casual look

if you are short, I will suggest you not do that.

What Is The Combo With Chinos?

then what should my chinos combo better on my wardrobe? here are some small tips you can follow:

Shirt

A shirt is a class top, men should always have a shirt, you can choose a casual shirt for casual occasions or a formal shirt for business needs, so a shirt might be a perfect match with chinos, below are combo samples:

T-shirt

Finish the shirt, the T-shirt should be the next top that men should always have, a cute tee with a cute pattern can make you more casual, and a solid tee will make you smart and casual.

Blazer

A blazer is another top that can be casual and smart casual, the blazer with same color with chinos will always be a win-win combo, or sometimes you can make a different color blazer to match the chinos, that might make you lovely and aesthetic.

Bomber jacket

Actually, I don’t think that two will be a wise choice, but chinos are the king of casual, thought these two are not perfect for each other, but still work.

Long coat

A long coat, can not only keep you warm but also make you look more gentle. Coat with chinos, a classic vintage British look, but always remember your scarf

Don’t forget the footwear

After picking the top, you might also be worried about the footwear, Nicerior also gives you some advice about footwear.

Sneaker

Sneakers are trending, as another casual leader, the sneaker is a good fit for chinos, but you should always remember men’s three-color principles.

Boat shoes

Boat shoes are kind of like casual leather shoes, another classic to match with chinos

leather shoes

Should be careful to pick the right shoes for the right occasions.

football shoes

Never have this combo idea in your mind, that is a disaster.

Sport shoes

Same as the football shoes. LOOOOL

Casual shoes

Another good choice is some fashion icons’ love.

Boots

It will be a great idea if you match it with a coat, t-shirt, and chinos in winter or outside sports, eg: hiking.

Some mens chinos shops recommend

Here are 11 great places to buy chinos for any budget or build:

BrandPrice RangeZara$17 — $138Uniqlo$19.90 — $39.90Nicerior$25–49Legend London$40–89Siksilk$28 — $68J. Crew$94James$35 — $38icon-Amsterdam$49–79Banana Republic$79.99 — $98L’Estrange London$80–200A.P.C.$180–250Ledbury$99 — $165

My top four personal favorite chinos are:

  • Zara (modern slim fit; available down to 25″)
  • Legend London (extremely comfortable; inseams down to 26″)
  • Everlane Mid-weight Slim Fit Chinos (lightweight and great for warmer weather)
  • Uniqlo Stretch Skinny Chinos (thick and stretchy; free hemming in stores)
  • A.P.C Chinos (stands for “Atelier de Production et de Creation”)
  • Nicerior stretch skinny chinos(stretchy, comfortable, fit for big thigh)

Uniqlo chinos should be my best choice, not only their price and material, and Nicerior and legend London, two new brands with great material, super-stretch chinos always give me a great experience. what is your favorite brand? plz comment below and let me know. Peace!

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