Which chino colours to buy, and in what order

Chinos are the trousers most people own in more than one colour, and they’re where wardrobes quietly go wrong: three pairs of beige that look the same, or one bright pair that only works with a single shirt. Buying them in a sensible order means every new pair adds something the others can’t do.

First: navy

If you own only one pair, make it navy. It’s smart enough under a blazer and relaxed enough with a sweatshirt. It goes with white, light blue, grey, olive and most patterns, and it hides marks well. In a casual office, dark navy chinos can stand in for wool trousers.

Wear with: white or light blue shirts, grey knitwear, brown or tan shoes, white trainers.

Second: stone or khaki

The original chino colour, and the classic warm-weather pair. Stone, a pale beige with a touch of grey, is easier to wear than a yellowish khaki and goes with more. If your skin tone is close to beige, choose a stone with a little more grey or a little more depth, so the trousers don’t blend into you.

Wear with: navy, white, light blue, olive, brown leather.

Third: olive

Olive is the most useful colour that most people don’t own. It’s darker than stone, easier than navy to wear with denim jackets and workwear, and it looks particularly good in autumn with browns, creams and navy.

Wear with: navy, cream, white, grey, brown suede.

Fourth: grey

A mid or charcoal grey chino sits between casual and smart. It works with black, which navy and khaki struggle with, and it suits people who wear a lot of blue, pink or burgundy on top.

Wear with: white, black, pale pink, burgundy, navy knitwear, black or dark brown shoes.

After that: colours for the season

Once those four are covered, add colour for the season and for character rather than for usefulness.

• Off-white or ecru in summer, with navy and denim.
• Rust, tobacco or brown in autumn, with cream, olive and navy.
• Burgundy in winter, with grey and navy.
• Pale blue or sage in spring and summer.

One of these is plenty for most wardrobes. They’re the pairs people notice, which also means people notice when you wear them twice in a week.

Making the colours work together

• Put contrast between top and bottom. A shirt and chinos in almost the same shade look like a uniform. Either match them exactly and vary the texture, or make the difference obvious.
• Dark over light, or light over dark. Both work. Mid tones on both halves are the hardest to get right.
• Let the shoes bridge the gap. Brown leather and suede go with every colour above. Black shoes are best kept for grey and navy.
• Check colours in daylight. Shop lighting is warm and flattering. A khaki that looks rich in the shop can turn yellow on the street.

Colours for work

If your chinos go to the office, the darker colours do most of the work: navy, charcoal, olive and a deeper stone all pass as smart casual with a shirt and leather shoes. Pale colours and the seasonal brights read as weekend wear in most offices, however well they’re cut. A good test is the jacket you’d wear to a meeting. If the chinos look right with it, they’ll pass.

How chinos change over time

How a chino was dyed changes how it ages.

Piece-dyed chinos are woven first and then dyed as a length of cloth before cutting. The colour is even and fairly stable.

Garment-dyed chinos are sewn first and dyed as finished trousers. The colour is softer, a little uneven at the seams, and it fades with washing, which many people like. Expect a garment-dyed navy to turn a softer mid blue after a year or two of regular washing.

To keep the colour longer, wash chinos inside out in cool water with a detergent for dark colours, and dry them on a line out of strong sun. Sunlight fades dark colours quickly, and a hot dryer does cotton no favours either.

You don’t need all of them

Plenty of people get through the year with navy and stone and nothing else. The order above is for the day you want a third pair and can’t decide. If you’re buying for summer heat, lightweight chinos for hot weather and travel covers the cloths that stay cool.