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The Best Men’s Chinos Will Serve You Well
You can’t do prep without a fresh pair of these
A soldier, a streetwear nut, a Yale grad and your grandpa walk into a bar, and they’re all wearing some of the best men’s chinos. Not a joke, just a fact, as this menswear classic is so versatile that it’s become a byword for goes-with-absolutely-anything.
Especially since, these days, there’s plenty to choose from. You can still get the chinos that belong on a smoky battlefield. You can still get the chinos that belong in a smoky Harvard debate chamber. But you can also cop wider, Nineties, No Doubt-adjacent chinos, and classic slimline chinos, and also the in-between straight leg fit that’s been co-opted time and again by the skater trust fund fusion of new prep. Which isn’t going anywhere, by the way. And neither are chinos.
Now, chinos didn’t miraculously burst into life when a sweater vest collided with a legacy admission one sunny morning in 1942. In fact, the very first men’s chinos came almost five decades prior when US troops had their uniforms made from Chinese twill cotton during the Spanish-American War. The name ‘chino’ was even taken from the Spanish word for China. History is fun, right? And, like so many other new classics (field jackets, bomber jackets, white T-shirts etc.), the chino moved from the military into the wardrobes of men lucky enough to switch national service for the big Q1 sales Zoom.
On the East Coast is where chinos really came into their own – where the preppy pedigree came into play. By the mid-20th Century, after soldiers returned home from WWII, these simple trousers became a very welcome, casual alternative to tailoring in Northeastern American universities. Since, they've endured to become a casual staple embraced by all shades of menswear buffs – us included.
Below, we’ve pulled together the best men’s chinos for the soldiers, the streetwear nuts, the Yale grads and your grandpa. And yeah, you too.
John Lewis ANYDAY
If you’re ever looking to restock your wardrobe foundations, the best deals come from John Lewis ANYDAY. Take this ripstop cotton chino, for example, designed to last, and priced at less than £30.
£28; johnlewis.com
A.P.C
Laced with French sensibility, A.P.C will always give your look a bit of je ne sais quoi. That’s why these chinos make the perfect base to build an outfit for any Francophile. But if you’re not, you can hardly go wrong with their straight-leg, cotton-twill composition.
£265; mrporter.com
Ralph Lauren
Speak of prep and Ralph Lauren shall appear. The age-honoured emporium is innately tweedy so, naturally, offers an exquisite classic-fit chino, fit with a forgiving elasticated waist, that you can depend upon for the foreseeable.
£135; ralphlauren.co.uk
Arket
Ghiaia Cashmere
Inspired by the founder’s Sicilian heritage, Ghiaia Cashmere’s chinos are made with a premium cotton and designed with a laid-back straight leg cut
£410; mrporter.com
Norse Projects
Norse Projects is home to exemplary menswear. In this case we turn to the Aros Heavy: a god-tier straight-leg chino that boasts an organic cotton broken twill build.
£160; norseprojects.com
Berwich
Everyone – even those without an office – should have a pair of office appropriate chinos. Berwich’s Morello Chinos, available via lovable Essex vendor The Local Merchants, mean business.
£145; thelocalmerchants.co.uk
Gant
Gant’s slim-fit organic cotton chinos are of the kind of streamlined, frill-free design favoured by the quietly brilliant. The authors, the teachers, the bookkeepers and so on.
£95; gant.co.uk
Asket
You’re probably going to ask a lot from your next pair of chinos, which is why Asket’s heavy twill variant should be up for consideration. Cut from Italian-made military-grade organic cotton, the weighty khakis are built to survive the hustle and bustle of contemporary life, and then some.
£120; asket.com
Mr Marvis
Why Mr Marvis Gullwings? Two words: elasticated waistband. And since they’re available in an array of lengths, widths and colours, there’s a pair to please everyone.
£109; mrmarvis.co.uk
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