What’s the best fit for chinos?
For us, it’s the classic military fit: high waist, wide legs. It’s universally flattering and calls back to when chinos were actually made for going outside.
If you don’t want to do a 1940s wide fit, get them with a standard straight fit or a slight (very slight) taper. It’ll smarten your chinos up while not encasing you like a tech-guy sausage talking about spreadsheets.
Which leads me to what you should avoid, tight chinos. Yes, they are comfortable. I even like the Lululemon versions, but other than Lulu, the tight, stretchy chino world is no good. Skip all the ABC imitators.
When is the best time to wear chinos?
Whenever. If you buy them in a light enough cotton with a roomy fit, they’re good in the summer. If you buy them in a heavier outdoors-ready twill, they’re great to wear in winter. The key here is the fabric of your chino.
What’s the difference between khakis and chinos?
Technically nothing. If you call a pair of pants “khakis,” chances are you’re looking at a pair of chinos. Khaki is the name of a color, that dusty tan, a term coined by the British army in the 1800s. Chinos are the descendants of army pants from that period, so khaki is the classic color, though they can be any color. Chinos can be khaki, olive, navy, black, etc. What makes chinos, chinos is the tight twill fabric—originally cotton, now sometimes blended cotton—that has functional military roots in 19th-century battle dress.
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