Chinos Versus Jeans: The Big Debate

Chinos and jeans are both fashion staples of the male wardrobe. The epitome of casual coolness for decades, these items of clothing are embraced by men across the world and worn in various combinations to achieve a diverse selection of styles.

Given that most men love both their chinos and their jeans in equal measure, deciding which item to grab in the morning can be a tough call.

To help you or the man in your life make such an arduous decision, take a look at our guide to when one fashion staple may be more appropriate than its rival:

Hot Weather: Chinos

Whilst jeans are typically made out of denim, chinos are typically made out of cotton; hence the latter is usually considerably cooler to wear in hot weather than the former. It is advisable therefore to opt for mens chinos in hotter weather, where the cotton material will help keep you considerably cooler than thicker, heavier denim.

Dinner Parties: Chinos

Whilst both chinos and jeans exude a certain degree of casualness, jeans ultimately overrule chinos in the casual stakes. As a result, it’s often a better idea to wear a smart pair of mens chinos when attending a formal occasion, such as a dinner party or a meal with colleagues.

A dark pair of slim fitted men’s chinos in either navy blue or black, looks particularly smart when worn with an elegant pair of shoes and a crisp white shirt.

Football Match: Jeans

Men that wear a pair of chinos to a football match run the risk of looking slightly ‘out of place’. Similar to all items of fashion there is a time and place for men’s chinos and a football match on a Saturday afternoon is certainly not one of them. 

Instead, stick to wearing your favourite pair of mens jeans to a football match and you’re likely to look and feel more appropriately dressed for the occasion.

Office Attire: Chino

Although the days of wearing a suit and tie every day to the office may be long gone, jeans still remain that little bit too casual when it comes to dressing for work.

Men’s chinos on the other hand have been considered a stylish, cool, comfortable and appropriate item of office clothing for several decades and they continue to remain so.

Office chinos can either be ‘dressed up’ with a shirt or ‘dressed down’ with a t-shirt, depending on how relaxed your boss is when it comes to the company’s dress code.