Classic Chinos

If there’s one pair of pants every guy needs for summer, it’s chinos. They dress up or down, they are as comfortable as jeans, and they are cool, breathable cotton. And don’t mind the wrinkles – that’s what gives them that style cachet.

It wasn’t until I moved to an Ivy League town that I learned that wrinkles are a class marker because they mean your pants are made from natural fabrics (expensive) instead of man-made fabrics (cheap). Cotton is cool and comfortable… and, yes, it wrinkles. So don’t worry if your chinos are slightly rumpled (as long as they’re clean). In certain spheres, that’s actually a good thing.

These new chinos from TonkTastic capture the Brooks Brothers essence of our favorite summer pants. The fit is perfect, and they work with shirts from several popular creators, so they wear well in a wide variety of settings. All the traditional chinos colors are covered (eggshell, stone, light blue, light gray, marine blue) along with several more adventurous colors and patterns.

Because of how they are rigged, these chinos fit well with a lot of different summer shoes. Here are some of my recommendations.