This post was inspired by casual clients who are loving chinos for Spring and Summer because they’re casual, covered, comfortable, easy to launder, and a break from wearing jeans. Note that chinos needn’t be a shade of khaki. If khaki’s not your thing, think pearl grey, charcoal grey, olive, peach, cranberry, aqua, light blue, lemon, lilac, navy, pink, mint, coral, mustard or white. Olive, cranberry, coral and pearl grey have been winning chino colours for clients this year.
I’ve shown three versions of the easy chinos outfit. An earthy rendition on the left, a modern classic vibe in the middle, and a colourful look on the right. Let the creative juices flow. Here are the components of the outfit.
Chinos: Choose a pair of cotton-rich chinos in a colour that tickles your fancy. Boyfriend silhouettes that are rolled at the hem are fab, but so are trendy cropped wide leg styles.
Top: Choose a casual T-shirt, blouse, pullover or knitted top in a pattern or solid. I’ve chosen a floral blouse, a striped tee, and a knit top with lace insets because they’re current favourite chino pairings for clients.
Denim Jacket: Choose a light or dark denim jacket in a fitted or oversized silhouette. A white denim jacket works too. A light and white denim jacket looks particularly good with pastel and mid-tone chinos. Prettier and softer. Hard-edged gals will prefer a dark blue denim jacket.
Footwear: Choose casual footwear that works with the palette like espadrilles, wedges, wrapped sandals, mules, gladiators, thong sandals, or sneakers. A pair of classic penny loafers looks good too. Personally, I like the look best with footwear up to an inch in heel height.
Accessories: Finish off the outfit with a casual bag like a tote, backpack, crossbody or hobo. Add a scarf to jazz things up. Add jewellery, eyewear, headgear and watch as desired.
