Chinos worn casually?

[Duvel]

Chinos... whatever. Just wear them.

[LesserBlackDog]

Dunno why people find it difficult to wear chinos. I have a hard time imagining a situation in which denim would work but chinos would not. The key is to find chinos in a fit that is modern and flattering to avoid looking like a Best Buy sales manager.

[Duvel]

The key is to find chinos in a fit that is modern and flattering to avoid looking like a Best Buy sales manager.

Well, I agree essentially. BUT... there is a wide variety of fits that work. I own several kinds of fits, from a classic, i.e., looser and higher-waisted, look to a contemporary, i.e., slim and slightly cropped, look.

I think the key is making sure that each of these fits looks right, i.e., the inseam and waist are your size. The Best Buy sales manager problem, to use that analogy, is not so much the loose fit as the inattention to how it fits, i.e., inseam is too long so the pants drag or the waist is too big so the butt is baggy, etc.

[printyra]

you also do not want them too tight, or you will run the risk of looking like a hipster

[McG]

Related question: In the pictures above (and frequently in catalogs and on websites), you see the pants cuffed up around the ankles. Do people actually wear their pants like this in real life?

[Duvel]

I do sometimes, depending on the fit, what else I'm wearing, and the situation.

[LittleNelly]

To me, because I'm an office worker in a business casual dress code environment, chino's will forever be associated with work. Because I wear them 4 days a week already, I'm loathe to touch them in any situation where I could wear jeans instead.

[Duvel]

To me, because I'm an office worker in a business casual dress code environment, chino's will forever be associated with work. Because I wear them 4 days a week already, I'm loathe to touch them in any situation where I could wear jeans instead.

I can understand feeling that way. I used to feel that way until I became more interested in what I was wearing. Now the way I look at it is that my workplace merely gets the benefit of whatever I choose to wear that day. I don't get dressed "for work" but "for me." In other words, I no longer think of having a work uniform, per se. Instead I think of having clothes that I like to wear, and that includes good-fitting, nice chinos that are also, coincidentally, appropriate for work.

Of course that means I still don't wear jeans or t-shirts to work, even though some of my peers do (it is that casual). You should see everybody freak out when I put on a tie and a blazer. And a suit? You'd think the world was coming to an end.

[MikeAD91]

I can understand feeling that way. I used to feel that way until I became more interested in what I was wearing. Now the way I look at it is that my workplace merely gets the benefit of whatever I choose to wear that day. I don't get dressed "for work" but "for me." In other words, I no longer think of having a work uniform, per se. Instead I think of having clothes that I like to wear, and that includes good-fitting, nice chinos that are also, coincidentally, appropriate for work.

Of course that means I still don't wear jeans or t-shirts to work, even though some of my peers do (it is that casual). You should see everybody freak out when I put on a tie and a blazer. And a suit? You'd think the world was coming to an end.

Yeah, I'm in the same position as you. I have a closet of nice clothes and work is the only time I get to wear them. I'd be happy to have more opportunities to wear the clothes I wear to work.