Along with jeans, chinos are the other essential type of pants for men : adaptable to several styles and comfortable, we didn't need anything more.
Crossing generations without too much difficulty, it has never really aged. It also seems to refer to older male icons, almost as if it had always been there.
So before we present our vision of chinos, we have to tell you the rather unique story of this piece. And for this part, Nicolò is the one who takes care of it!
Come on, come on... We'll tell you everything.
1845 to 1941: From Dust to Uniform, the Birth of Khaki as Military Clothing
A garment created out of necessity
Imagine yourself in India, 1845.
A valiant British soldier, clad in your impeccably structured white and red uniform, you stand proudly at attention, unperturbed despite the heat.
You look good in the Queen's colors, but you and your comrades quickly realize that there's a problem: in the middle of the desert, those colors make you as inconspicuous as a lighthouse in the middle of the night. Not necessarily the smartest thing to do when you need to avoid being spotted, or shoot the enemy before they do.
Very useful for impressing people and inspiring discipline, but a little less useful for remaining discreet in the middle of the Indian desert! And we're not even talking about the heat...
Forced to compromise on style and military attire, you use whatever means are at hand to dye your clothes and make yourself a less obvious target. Mud, dust, coffee, and even curry are all part of the mix!
Very quickly, your entire regiment gets involved and degrades the uniform, starting with those damn white pants that can be seen from hundreds of meters away.
The result of your ingenuity would later be called "khaki", an Indian word used to describe this local dust with a specific color.
Fortunately, Sir Harry Lumsden, at the time commander of the Punjab Armed Forces , realizes the merits of his soldiers' approach, and replaces the very tight bottoms of the British uniforms with more breathable and loose trousers, which he will have dyed with tea leaves to obtain this same khaki color, suitable for camouflage in a desert environment.
Sir Harry Lumsden, great soldier and textile engineer .
Three years later, the British Army itself recognized the tactical advantage of this color and adopted it for all its uniforms in hot countries, such as Sudan, South Africa or Afghanistan.
These uniforms, made of lightweight, sturdy cotton twill, were made in China to reduce transport costs, but demand was so high that the khakis' fabric also ended up being woven within the UK.
"Come on, Jack! Trust me! I'm telling you, this new uniform is good..."
Chino crosses the oceans
Little by little, many armies follow the example and wear khaki. a standard color for their uniforms, including the United States, in 1898.
It was only from this date, during the Spanish-American War between the United States and the Spanish colonies and the Kingdom of Spain, that American military trousers were called chinos. .
Unlike khakis, chinos would later come to designate all of these pants of military origin in cotton twill, regardless of the color of the canvas.
The victorious American army, all dressed in chinos.
Chinos then made their first foray into the civilian market for their practicality and versatility , through brands such as Sunset. A subsidiary created by Levi's in 1906, it was intended to produce clothing other than denim.
A pair of Levi's chinos from 1919. Probably one of the oldest in the world. (Credits: Esquire)
Still on the military side, chinos as a uniform continued to spread across the various branches of the American military. First in the US Navy aviation in 1912, then among crews aboard submarines in 1931.
It was only in 1941 that it became an integral part of the uniform of officers stationed on bases, and that the army subsequently authorized their wearing during leave. .
Note the loose cuts of the period, which nevertheless have a fairly clean leg line and are far from shapeless!
From 1944 to the 1960s: A garment demilitarized, democratized, then made iconic
This latter decision helped to make it even more familiar to the public, and the military surplus chinos available in large quantities after the war - cheap, sturdy and in a sober color - were a real success with the general public.
But beyond its democratization on the market, there are other factors that have contributed to making it a true style icon...
The GI Bill: Military on Campus
The first is the newfound influx of soldiers into major American universities at the time. To understand this, we need to look at the GI Bill , a law passed in 1944 that provided many benefits to soldiers discharged from World War II. It reduced their tuition fees to a paltry amount, allowing them to pursue studies that would normally be difficult to access.
Chinos, the standard trousers worn by officers on leave three years earlier, were massively imported into the normally "select" circles of the famous American prep schools, and thus became representative of the future preppy intellectual elite .
Feel free to check out our article on preppy if you are curious to learn more about this style and its history.
For the first time, "ordinary" soldiers can study and continue their education. (Credits: CNN)
The second factor, making chinos a true symbol, is the appropriation of the piece by Hollywood celebrities of the 50s and 60s . We can cite James Mason, James Dean and the unbeatable "King of Cool", Steve McQueen.
Steve McQueen, his motorcycle and his chinos. The cut, straight but fitted, is already very close to what is done today.
The chino was also adopted by the anti-conformist literary movement of the Beat Generation, through authors such as Jack Kerouac and Neal Cassady. These precursors associated the chino with the image of the adventurer, the explorer and the elegant rebel.
In fact, what makes chino so strong is that it draws its charisma from a set of connotations , which are nevertheless contradictory:
- Military clothing, it is also adopted by utopians,
- Pants of the people in difficulty after the war, but also those of the young elite of the Ivy League .
In short, chinos transcend social castes and eras, while constantly referring us to the generations of men who wore them before us.
In the 90's, Gap distinguished itself in an excellent advertising campaign, "Who wore khakis?". Each poster consisted of a photo, simply accompanied by the text "... wore chinos". Here, Andy Warhol, Miles Davis and Picasso... but also Jack Kerouac, Marilyn Monroe and many others.
1980s to today: a piece abandoned then resurrected by Dockers and its Alpha Khakis
Gradually, chinos are becoming rarer.
They don't disappear entirely either, far from it, but they end up being perceived as old-fashioned, especially because new generations of men don't want to wear a piece that they saw on their father, and their grandfather before him.
Until less than ten years ago, chinos were often associated with "dad's casual Sunday outfit", worn too loose and with a shapeless cut.
"But come on, son, these chinos are really good, I don't see the problem!"
That was without counting on Dockers , which launched its Alpha Khaki line in 2011, made up of "modern" chinos. They paired them with casual pieces with a vintage look, such as bombers or corduroy blazers.
The cuts are updated: they are more fitted, with a lower waist and a narrower leg opening, suitable for wearing with sneakers or thinner shoes. The materials are once again inspired by the military world, the colors are diversified to move away from gray and beige and the brand even allows itself biases such as camo prints on certain pieces.
Modern chinos according to the Alpha line. We are far from what was shown in the previous photo!
The line is a success and the brand is transforming its image among a younger audience. . It's a new lease of life for chinos, which are regaining their letters of nobility and their status as a timeless essential. Once again, they are being brought forward almost everywhere!
Our BonneGueule interpretation of chino
Tackling such a basic item of the men's wardrobe is not an easy thing: we put off the deadline several times, giving our thinking time to mature a little.
Because beige chinos are everywhere and at all prices, and Alex and I wondered what else we could bring.
The first thing was to understand why this piece is rarely worn, and what it would take for it to be worn almost every day. This allowed us to identify four areas:
- Pants should be comfortable, so you need a soft and stretchy material ,
- A fitted cut , of course. Years later, I'm still a big fan of semi-slim,
- A custom-developed color to have “our” beige,
- And functionality at the pocket level .
Steve McQueen, our chinos are (also) made for you. Okay, so it's just Luca...
A material from the French manufacturer Velcorex
Velcorex is a French supplier specializing in velvet fabrics and chino canvases.
He also supplies some well-known Scandinavian and streetwear brands in these columns...
A comfortable fabric, to wear all year round
We are here on a so-called "4 seasons" fabric of 280 gr/m2, a cotton twill to be more precise!
Important point: the canvas is emery, that is to say that a diamond point will lightly scratch its surface in order to bring softness to it . You will quickly feel it when you put on these chinos!
And for even more comfort, it is a fabric containing 2% elastane:
- Not only does it help to achieve a snug fit ,
- But comfort is obviously increased .
The goal is really to create the chino to put on whenever you want to wear comfortable pants, whether it's to meet friends on Sunday or to work during the week.
And after wearing it well, I confirm that the addition of a little stretch is a real pleasure.
Thanks to its 2% elastane, our chinos are more comfortable and will easily accompany you in your movements.
Beige, but not just any beige!
We had to choose the color. Like a camel coat (we'll come back to that in a few days...), this step is not easy because it relies on a lot of intuition and feeling.
We are in the most total subjectivity, and it is very complicated to argue rationally why beige X is better than Y.
To give you an idea, here is the Pantone beige color chart. Do you see how complicated it gets?
For my part, being very inspired by the colors used for military clothing, I wanted a nuance between the coyote color, which is really a standardized and specific color in the armies, and the "British khaki", this beige which sometimes appears gray.
A color fixed in "fabric dye"
Note that the material is "fabric dyed", a detail that has its importance. As a reminder, here are the three types of dyes:
- Yarn dyeing , where the yarn is dyed first and then woven. This is the most prestigious, but also the most expensive. And Alex tells me that this is a technique that is not used for chinos,
- Fabric dyeing , where the unbleached material is immersed in vats of dyes,
- And the piece-dye , where the pants are assembled in ecru material, then dipped in a vat. This is the most practical method; you can rationalize your canvas purchases, by easily offering several colors, but it is not without drawbacks: the composition label is also dyed, and there can be a fading effect next to certain seams. And above all, given that the pants are already assembled and the material will be heated, the sizing can vary slightly (if sometimes you do not understand why the sizing is different depending on the color for a brand, you have the answer).
So we chose "fabric dyed" because the color holds better. Besides, the pants are washed in the factory, which helps to stabilize the color... and the cut!
A beautiful fabric-dyed material that takes the light well.
Very functional pockets with a zip
I sometimes have a fear when wearing chinos: that my personal belongings will fall out of my pockets when I sit down. To solve this problem, we placed a hidden zipped pocket in the left pocket.
Interesting little detail: we lined the pockets with Emanuel Lang khaki poplin , as a nod to the piece's military origins.
No risk of your belongings getting lost! You can also see the Emanuel Lang poplin lining.
Not forgetting the essential stopping point!
The right back pocket is also zipped, to keep your papers safe. The challenge here was to hide it, because it is an area that is often under tension. So we reversed the piping, for a super discreet pocket!
Impossible to find the zip if you are not the wearer of the chinos.
A fitted cut, long to develop
The work on the cut was very, very long, much longer than the development of a blazer or a coat. It took no less than five prototypes to arrive at the final result. Sometimes too loose, others too tight, or even a waist too high... In short, all this to tell you that behind this apparently simple cut, it was in fact very long.
But I'm very happy with the result: we managed to combine a well-fitting leg line, without ever sacrificing comfort , and carefully avoiding the "too slim" effect.
So here we have a leg opening of 16.5 cm, which will make these chinos ideal to wear with sneakers or high-top shoes, since they will fall nicely on the ankle. This is also where the elastane comes into play!
Sneakers, derby, ankle boots... You can wear your chinos with all your shoes.
Neat finishes
A clean and trimmed interior
We start with the inside of the leg:
- The inner seam, running from the bottom of the pants to the crotch, is completely folded down ,
- The one going from the bottom to the belt is completely braided .
The result is very clean, no thread sticking out. On the left, the braid; on the right, the folded seam.
Not only does this require more care in making, but it also ensures beautiful lapels.
A sturdy trouser belt
So that it never lets you down, we made sure that the belt loops fit neatly under the belt. A little new feature: we have assembled it in chain stitches.
It’s inspired by the world of jeans!
Japanese YKK zippers
We don't need to introduce you to YKK, the Japanese brand of reference for zips. This is the one we turned to for the zips of the pockets and the fly.
The fly and pockets close with a YKK zip. The button is made of polyester resin: using horn supplies would have dramatically increased the price of the piece.
Where is it made?
The French Velcorex fabric is then sent to Morocco, where it is assembled into chinos. This country is developing undeniable know-how in the manufacture of shirts and trousers.
We chose to work with a small, human-sized workshop, very close to its clients in the luxury sector .
How to choose your size?
Like all cotton pants, they stretch a little: they should be a little tight when you buy them, but not as tight as jeans! With elastane, even if the pants are snug at first, they will still be comfortable!
How to wear chinos?
It's quite simple: with everything. Chinos are truly an all-terrain piece, adapting to almost all styles.
Come on, let's look at some inspirations anyway. 😉
Very simply, you can accompany your chinos with a shirt. Depending on the model you choose, you will give the final boost to the outfit. Here, Luca opts for a denim shirt, giving very casual accents to his look. On this kind of outfit, treat yourself with accessories! (Cadot shirt, Tibet Forever bracelets, Harpo and Metal Pointu's rings, Lunor glasses)
You know how effective the beige/blue combo is! No chance of making a mistake, especially in a formal look. The camel coat echoes the chinos, visually lengthening the silhouette. The green tie breaks with the dominance of the other two colors, but burgundy, mustard or even a patterned model would have found their place just as well. That's the advantage of betting on sober colors. (Office Artist shirt, BonneGueule navy blazer , Atelier Particulier tie, BonneGueule coat revealed in two days, Meermin shoes)
And without a coat, the combination works just as well!
We move on to more streetwear influences. The "earth" color palette used is consistent, no worries there. Precisely, the sneakers take it up and therefore recall the cardigan, thus framing the outfit. For more nonchalance, Luca wears his cardi open and his bag on his shoulder in street adventurer mode . (Muji T-shirt, Agnès b. cardigan, BonneGueule x Buttero sneakers , Almaré bag, Commune de Paris hat)
Bordeaux, navy blue, brown... The versatility of a British khaki chino is no longer in doubt, even in winter. The turtleneck of the sweater, lined with the wool collar of the jacket, emphasizes the build and brings structure to the outfit. If Luca chooses desert boots, you can take the workwear side even further by opting for good big work/combat boots. (Gutteridge turtleneck, BonneGueule jacket , Paire & Fils desert boots, Klockers watch)
A few words about the interview
Take care of these chinos and they will accompany you for many years.
When washing, turn it inside out before putting it in the machine. Be careful not to use detergent with bleaching agents or to overload the drum.
And you know the drill: no tumble dryers 😉
How to get BonneGueule chinos?
You can now find our beige chinos on the e-shop and in stores.
