What Are Chino Pants? How To Wear in 2023?

Table of Content

• Introduction
• The Origins of Chino Pants
• The Look of Chino Pants
• The Fit of Chino Pants
• Chino Pants Materials
• How To Style Chino Pants
• Chinos vs. Khakis: What's the Difference?
• FAQs

How’re you, my fashion lovers? There’re many different good types of pants on the market, but when it comes to good, semi-casual pants with a bit of formality in them, chinos pop up in our heads pretty fast. They’re very versatile and might be a good match to any pair of shoes or any tops out there. I’m 100% sure you have at least a pair of them in your wardrobe, and I’m sure you love them so much. But what exactly are chinos pants and what is the reason for their popularity? 

Well, it’s a bit of a tricky question, because many people confuse them with Khaki pants, but it’s not true, and we will learn more about it today! 

In this article, we will discuss what are chino pants, their history, and their fit, and speak about how to style them. We will also take a look at the material they’re made of, and will answer the question: “Should you buy a pair of them”?

Before we start, as always I encourage you to take a look at our polo shirt guide, as well as our oversized T-shirt guide, so that you have more options to look fresh!

The Origins of Chino Pants

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Did you know about the history of these pants? Honestly, when I only got the idea of writing this article, I didn’t know about the history of chino pants. Turn out, the history is fascinating and really interesting, we should dive into it deeper, right?

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The history of chino pants dates back to the mid-19th century, when the British military wanted to find the perfect, comfortable, and durable fabric for their soldiers’ uniforms, and they found it! In a cotton fabric called “chino”. The fabric was dyed in khaki color, to help soldiers blend in with their surroundings, and that is why some people think that chinos pants are khaki pants, but it’s not 100% true, and I will tell you why a bit later.

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Over time, they got more popular among civilians for their versatile and casual look and got into their wardrobes pretty quickly.

The Look of Chino Pants

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Chino pants are great, mainly because of their look. They are more tailored than other pants, which is making them good for school uniforms and some semi-formal outfits, they’re more similar to tailored pants that you would usually notice along with a dress top. On the other hand, they’re not as formal, which allows you to wear them in casual looks as well. 

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The chinos have small pockets, and are not as functional, as cargo pants, for instance. But does someone need to store many things in their pockets while gouging out? I personally have doubts that there’re many people who do so. 

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They are minimal and are perfect for men and women who prefer a more put-together look, but not very layered. I love these pants, because I’m kind of a minimalist fan, who doesn’t like excessive clothing, so chino pants are perfect for me, considering that they have plenty of different colors to choose from. But choosing some common, neutral colors will help you to match your tops and shoes easily with the chino pants, so if you don’t know how to style them, stick to this advice, but I’ll talk about their styling later, in the styling section.

The Fit of Chino Pants

Many people don’t like other types of pants, because they’re either very wide or just do not emphasize their body line. This is normal, especially among older people, because we, teenagers want to express ourselves a bit more, this is the reason why we like wearing bold and crazy outfits sometimes, like some outfits from streetwear style, which I have a full guide about. But chino pants are more tailored and really good for people who don’t like bright clothing, which brings a lot of attention to them. Adults might like these pants more, and I understand them because I also wear chino pants frequently.

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Chino pants are typically designed to be slim-fitting and suit most people’s body types perfectly. But if you have other body types, whether you’re fit and have plenty of muscles, or you have a bit more body fat, you can still try to buy chinos pants, because they come with a whole bunch of different fits for all body types!

Chino Pants Materials

Chino pants are traditionally made from a 100% cotton twill fabric, that’s why they’re soft and have this slightly-textured feel. Modern chino pants options might have a mix of cotton and other materials like polyester, which we also have a complete guide about. This allows to add more stretch to the pants and makes them even comfier for everyday wearing.

The fabric is lightweight and breathable, so you can wear them all year, and still be in warmth. 

How To Style Chino Pants

The impressive versatility of chino pants allows you to style them with literally anything. But today I will show you the best styling tips when putting on your chino pants.

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Tops

There’re an infinite amount of opportunities for chino pants open when it comes to styling them with tops. For a formal look, wear a button-down shirt, or a dress shirt that will be perfect for work or any other formal occasion. For an even more formal look, put a blazer on top of your shorts, and your chino pants will be the perfect addition to this set.

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For a more informal look, wearing a sweater or a classic T-shirt will be just fine. You can layer different clothes to create an interesting look that will stand out. I’d recommend you style it with an oversized T-shirt as well, just tuck it into the pants, and you’re good to go. This minimalistic look is something I love wearing during warm or hot seasons.

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If you’re still not sure what you can match with your chino pants, here’re a few tips that will help you look better with chino pants:

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• Buy neutral-colored chino pants. Neutral colors, such as gray, black, white, and beige are really great due to their versatility. I mentioned it before, but I truly think this is a piece of very important advice because if you buy your pants and will not be able to match them with any of your tops, this is gonna be disappointing.
• Buy slim-fit pants, because they’re more versatile and will be good for any occasion and clothing you want to put on. You probably remember what I was saying at the beginning of the article – chino pants are designed to be slim fit, even though it’s not the only fit type out there.

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Shoes

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When it comes to choosing shoes to wear with chinos, you can again choose whether formal style or a bit more casual. With the first one, you can use loafers or dress shoes ( natural materials are a good choice ).

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I like to style chinos with T-shirts and sneakers. I have my low white Air Forces which are a very good options to match with my beige chinos.

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Accessories

To complete your look, you can find a good, minimalistic belt, wristwatch, or minimalistic chain. This will enhance your look drastically since accessories are a very good tool to do it. I also have a good article on this topic.

Chinos vs. Khakis: What's the Difference?

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Most people for some reason use khaki and chinos pants interchangeably, which in my opinion isn’t right, because there’re some subtle differences between these pant types.

Khaki is more about the color, and chinos are more about fabric. Also, chinos are usually a bit slimmer and more tailored than khaki. Khaki on the other hand, frequently has a more relaxed fit.

Khaki might be only in shades of tan or beige, while chinos might have different colors.

FAQs

Q: Are chino pants formal or casual?

I’d say they’re both. You can match them with formal clothing, or with more casual. The main advantage of these pants is that they’re completely versatile and you can get very creative with it, so if I was you, I’d definitely try both styles for different occasions.

Q:  Can you wear chino pants to work?

Yes, chino pants can be worn to work, especially in more casual or business-casual settings. Pair them with a button-down shirt or a blouse, and add a blazer, and there you have it! If you want to make it even more formal, choose gray, black, or white chinos, they’re gonna be looking very good in this case.

Q: How should chino pants fit?

Chino pants should fit comfortably around the waist, with enough room to move and sit down without feeling restricted. The legs should be slightly tapered, and the hem should hit right around the top of your shoes, with a slight break. The overall fit should be slim and tailored, but not too tight. If it’s too tight, you should choose a bigger size!

Q: How do you care for chino pants?

The answer is simple as 2+2. Just follow the care instructions on the garment label. Generally, chinos can be machine washed in cold water and hung or laid flat to dry. Don’t use too much heat and be careful with ironing, do it only in low-temperature mode!

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