The irony of blabbing about getting full-on weird with your pants while extolling the virtues of the best khaki pants for men is not lost on us. Call us hypocrites—we prefer to think that we’re complex, and contain multitudes. For what it’s worth, the call for weird pants still stands! Buy those Matrix-y leather jeans; pull out the velour flares; get the big, baggy cargos. Go for NBA tunnel-like glory, and we’ll cheer you on the whole way.
Best Khakis for Men Under $100 Shopping Guide
That said, life is all about balance—the highs, the lows, the offbeat, the straight-ahead—and sometimes you just need a break from your walk on the wild side. Sometimes, in other words, you just need pants that are a little simpler, easier to pull off, and slightly, dare we say, basic.
After a week-long bender of your guilty pleasure, you gotta flush the toxins somehow, right? Same goes for your closet. In those moments, there’s hardly a better option than the most classic and American pants of all: khakis. Whether you dress ‘em up at the office, or down with a white tee like Steve McQueen in that one photo you’ve seen a thousand times, they’ll be the leafy greens your wardrobe demands. Best of all, it’s easier than ever to cop a perfect pair of the best khaki pants for men, with a slew of stellar pairs available for less than a single C-note. Here are 15 affordable khakis that’ll work for just about every body type, budget, and style imaginable.
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Whether you’re restoring cars in a dingy garage or cleaning up for a first date, the Dickies 874—the most legendary silhouette in the brand’s range—will help you do it entirely fuss-free. Cut with a just-right straight fit and crafted from a typically sturdy cotton-poly blend, the 874 promises crisp, unimpeachable structure without compromising on the give you need to let your gams breathe. Pair it with a cropped work jacket and rugged boots to lean into its jobsite pedigree, or dress it up with a shaggy cardigan and trashed loafers. As long as Dickies keeps making ‘em, we’ll keep recommending ’em.
“Viral khakis” might sound like an oxymoron, but J.Crew’s Giant-Fit chinos are exactly that. True to their name, they also happen to be the widest option on this list with a delightfully generous 10-inch leg opening that harks back to the glory days of J.Crew’s ‘90s-era catalog. If you’re not sure how to style ‘em—or wrap your head, as it were, around their girth—take a page from the brand’s own lookbook: start with an artfully tucked tee, add a roomy oxford shirt, and finish off with the dainty hard-bottom shoes of your choice.
Before J.Crew’s viral chinos, there was Gap’s iconic 2000s-era khakis campaign. The brand still makes ‘em like they used to, and, as it turns out, still makes ’em really, really well. If they were good enough for Miles Davis, they’re sure as hell good enough for you—bonus points if you jack the Prince of Darkness’s elite knit polo and rakishly-knotted neckerchief, too.
If you’re climbing V5s right before climbing the corporate ladder at your 9-to-5, you want khakis exactly like these. Gramicci’s classic hiking pants are stretchy but sleek and garment-dyed for a healthy dose of added visual intrigue. When cargos come with more baggage than the context demands—but you still want to gear up with the outdoors in mind—their tech-oriented bona fides straddle the divide with flair. Sure, they’ll look killer with trail-ready sneakers, but to milk maximum mileage out of their potential invest in some retro alpine boots, too.
To quote our friends in New York: It’s “mad brick” out there. But instead of swapping out your ever-dependable khakis for wool trousers or stiff jeans, L.L.Bean has another solution—just substitute ‘em for…another pair of khakis. More specifically, the brand’s relaxed flannel-lined joints, which are cut from the same unbeatable fabric you know and love on the exterior and lined with blanket-soft flannel on the interior. They’ll keep your knees from shaking while you power through the morning commute, and up the presentability quotient when you’d rather be swaddled in fleece.
Plus 10 More Sub-$100 Khakis We Love
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