The Best Chinos Will Help You Clean Up Nice, No Matter How Long Its Been

Finding the best chino pants amid a sea of formless khakis can be a painful ordeal. Especially given what a crazy year it’s been for pants generally. Weirdness abounds. Swishy is king, pleats are back, dress pants are enormous, and it all can be a little overwhelming at times. Thing is, far-out trousers being in doesn’t mean that more earthbound bottoms are suddenly out. There’s plenty of room under the Golden Age of pants umbrella for the classics, and it doesn’t get any more classic than some hardy, reliable chinos.

As far back as World War II, guys have turned to chinos for their functionality and versatility. There aren’t many types of pants, after all, that feel as at home covered in grease in a mechanic’s garage as they would at a garden party in Martha’s Vineyard. chinos are the crème de la crème of casual pants, just the sort of bottoms to make you toss your joggers into the back of your closet and consider (gasp!) swearing off sweatpants for good. You can wear them with a beefy oxford cloth button-down and slip-ons at home, a crisp white t-shirt and scuffed sneakers to the bodega, or a blazer and loafers at your friend’s laid-back barn wedding upstate. Point is: Regardless of what you wear ‘em with, a trusty pair of chinos will never do you wrong, no matter how attached you’ve become to your loungewear.

And if you’ve been off the chino train for a minute, right now is a great time to hop back aboard—after a decade or so of slim fits dominating the conversation, designers are shifting back toward a straight-fit silhouette that’s more comfortable, universally wearable, and altogether timeless. When you’re sick of all the bonkers prints and voluminous cuts dominating the rest of your wardrobe, these fifteen unflappable pairs—yes, the very best men’s chino pants on the market today—will be just the palate cleanser you need. If you’re looking to get back into the chino game for less, you’ll find plenty to work with, but you can also check out our favorite khaki pants under $100.

The All-Around Best Chinos

A.P.C. gets a lot of shine for its denim, and with good reason: the steadfast Parisian label’s New Standard jeans were at the heart of the late-aughts selvedge boom. But it’s 2021 now, the Golden Age of Pants, and a man can’t live on raw denim alone. As it happens, A.P.C. makes a near-definitive version of that other most essential of men’s bottoms—khaki chinos. Their take hits all the notes you want (a not-too-tan, not-too-pale shade of beige; a flattering straight cut with just a touch of taper) and a few you didn’t realize you needed (the fabric is waterproof cotton gabardine, like your raincoat). Add to that a pretty reasonable price—from a cost-per-wear perspective, anyway—and you’ve got yourself a baseline against which all other khakis can be judged.

The Best Workwear Chinos

Dickies Original 874 work pants

We’ve sung the praises of Dickies’ signature ⁠work pants so many times in the past year or so, you could probably write this blurb for us. They’ve got the higher-waisted, wider-legged cut we’ve been digging lately. They’re made out of a hearty cotton twill, which means they’re tough enough to stand up to construction sites and skate sessions, versatile enough to wear to the office or the bar, and come in roughly as many colors as a bulk pack of Crayola. Oh, yeah, and they only cost $23, which leaves plenty of room in your budget to tailor ‘em down a smidge or simply stock up on extra pairs. All of which is to say: this is by no means the last time you’ll read about Dickies 874s on GQ.com.

The Best On-the-Go Chinos

Theory tech cotton “Curtis” pant

In pre-pandemic times, you had a lot on your plate—meetings, dinner dates, maybe a flight in the mix—and you needed pants that could keep up. As life continues to return to some semblance of vaccinated normalcy, you’ll want to reacquaint yourself with pants designed to handle that degree of wear and tear. That’s where these stretch chinos come in. They’re fashioned from a featherlight cotton, with some polyamide and elastane mixed in for strength and comfort, and tailored in a super clean, streamlined silhouette. They won’t sag in the face of constant movement, or weigh you down in a gross pool of leg sweat. Wear them all week at home, toss ’em in your suitcase before your first post-vax trip, whatever: they’ll stay looking fresh and crisp through it all.

The Best Of The Moment Chinos

Levi’s XX chino Stay Loose pants (was $90, now 61% off)

When it comes to jeans, it’s tough to top Levi’s’ pedigree. But for a few years now, the company damn-near synonymous with all things denim has also been churning out some of the best trousers in the menswear game, including a perfectly baggy take on the classic, all-American chino. The brand’s aptly-named Stay Loose chino pants boast a ’90s-inspired fit that’s cut loose through the seat and thigh and come pretty close to capturing exactly how a pair of chinos should fit if you’re looking to experiment with the more relaxed fits stylish guys have been embracing with gusto as of late. Now on sale for over 60 percent off, what was already a real solid value proposition just became the one to beat.

The Best fashion Guy Chinos

Lemaire pleated military chino trousers

For years now, fashion types have flocked to Lemaire in droves to scoop up the label’s deceptively simple designs. Co-helmed by Christophe Lemaire and Sarah-Linh Tran, the brand carved out a niche for itself selling the sort of cerebral, subtly luxurious clothing that remains catnip for a certain kind of thoughtful dresser. Every season, Lemaire’s pants tend to be a standout. This time around, it’s the brand’s chinos we’re, ahem, completely losing our shit over. Cut voluminously and done up in a breezy cotton-linen blend, they emphasize silhouette above all else, sure to pool elegantly on top of every pair of shoes you wear them with. Throw ’em on at any point over the coming months and you might feel obligated to sashay around whatever outdoor space you find yourself in—negroni in hand—while whoever’s on the aux cranks the SOPHIE up to the max. Trust us: The power of a really good pair of chinos is that potent.