Not all pants are created equal. There are many different styles available, each with its own characteristics and objectives. Two styles of pants that can be worn for professional or casual situations are dress pants and chinos.
Although they appear to be fairly similar, each event’s style varies just a little. In contrast to casual attire, which calls for t-shirts or sweatshirts, formal pants are always best paired with long-sleeved button-down shirts.
Despite the fact that dress pants/slacks and casual pants like chinos may appear to be identical, there are a few subtle differences between chinos and dress pants, including when and when to wear each and how to correctly style each. To learn everything there is to know about chinos and dress trousers, continue reading.
The Characteristics of Chinos
Multipurpose stretch cotton is often used to create high-quality chinos, which also incorporate cutting-edge design elements like covert phone pockets, flexible fastening systems, and side pockets. Chinos are incredibly comfortable, breathable, temperature-regulating, and durable thanks to the lightweight twill fabric.
And to top it all off, chinos are renowned for their unrestricted range of motion! Chinos often come in the slim fit style, which fits every body shape and gives off a smart-yet-casual impression. And you can find out how to select the perfect fit for your next pair of chinos here.
Additionally, chinos are available in several classic hues like beige, black, grey, and navy. We always lean heavily toward a minimalist style that can be dressed up or down in an elegant or sporty way when it comes to its design.
Briefly said, chinos serve as the perfect transitional piece between formal pants and casual cotton pants or jeans. The chino is one of the few pieces of men’s clothing that may be worn in so many different ways.
In general, chinos may be machine washed; however, make sure to carefully follow the care instructions and always wash them with items of a similar hue to avoid mixing colors.
The Characteristics of Dress Pants
Dress pants are a type of clothing meant to be worn for formal or semi-formal occasions. They may be made to be worn with a matching suit jacket and are frequently made of wool or polyester. Due to their close fit, dress pants have a crease on them. When worn with a shirt without a tie and in a more relaxed manner, dress pants can be worn to many formal and semi-formal events and be termed smart casual attire.
Unlike chinos, which are typically made of cotton blends, dress pants are typically made of wool. Dress pants are softer than chinos since they are composed of wool, which also gives them a slight gloss and a smoother finish. Although wearing dress trousers without a matching suit coat is possible, you need to be careful how you style them. Dress pants are frequently worn with a matching suit coat.
Dress pants should not be machine washed with old sports t-shirts and socks because they are made of delicate fabrics. Check the label of your dress pants if they are made of wool or a wool blend to see how to care for them, but generally speaking, having them professionally dry cleaned is your best bet.
What Is The Difference Between Chinos And Pants?
Business casual is best exemplified by chinos, whereas formal trousers are chic and sophisticated. Converse, boots, and oxford shoes can all be worn with chino pants.
Conversely, formal pants only appear truly stylish when paired with loafers or lace-up shoes. And while formal pants look best when paired with a shirt or turtleneck and an appropriate blazer or coat, chinos can be worn with a polo shirt, t-shirt, or even sweatshirt
While formal trousers aren’t quite as adaptable for everyday wear, they are unquestionably a need that should be present in every wardrobe. You never know when you might need them, after all!
While the formality of each is undoubtedly the biggest and most significant distinction between slacks and chinos, there are a few other crucial elements to be aware of when studying trousers. First off, chinos typically have little to no crease, whereas slacks typically have a crisp center crease in the middle of each leg.
The seam details between the two are yet another difference. Although the seam on the inside legs of a pair of chinos could be very noticeable, it’s common for slacks and formal pants to have a hidden or decreased seam. Last but not least, pleats are frequently found in trousers but are rarely found in chinos.
The Material
Compared to the cotton twill of chinos, the wool fabric of slacks is finer, softer, and smoother. During the Spanish-American War, the US Army’s initial “chino cloth,” which was used to make the pants they wore, was made entirely of cotton. Today, however, cotton-synthetic hybrid chinos are widely available.
In a similar vein, wool-synthetic hybrid slacks are also widely available. Some guys are more aware than others of the superior finish and feel of synthetic fibers. Because synthetic blends are less expensive, your budget can be a factor.
The Maintenance
Slacks, or dress pants, require dry cleaning. Wool is usually quite stain- and odor-resistant, but washing wool trousers are a little trickier than cleaning chinos. The main cause of this is that wool slacks shrink faster when washed in a machine.
The wool fibers in those dress pants stick together when they are machine washed, giving the impression that they have shrunk greatly. Modern detergents can also actually break down the molecules of wool.
Chinos are simpler to clean since the cotton twill fabric can be washed in a machine. Try to wash them with fabrics and colors that are comparable to them, though. Conveniently, chinos can survive tumble drying and high heat. It will always be less likely to shrink, though, if you hang it to dry.
Chinos Vs Dress Pants (Slacks): 3 Questions to Help You Choose
There are no absolute rules, however, there will be situations where chinos would be preferable to slacks and vice versa.
When deciding between the two, ask yourself these three questions.
1. The setting or occasion’s formality
In general, dress pants appear more formal than chinos for the reasons I mentioned previously. As a result, there are circumstances in which dress pants would be preferable to chinos.
It would be safer to stay away from chinos and put on a pair of dress pants if the dress code clearly specifies the word “formal”. Dress pants are just less of a risk for formal situations, even though there are some chinos that are deemed “dressier” with welted pockets, a clear center crease, and minimum seam features.
At the end of the day, dress pants’ shinier sheen and softer texture will always project a more formal impression. For example, it would be extremely risky to wear chinos to a wedding. Likewise, you should use caution during a job interview.
The only situations where wearing chinos would be improper, however, are those that are truly formal. Since they are so adaptable, you can wear them to the majority of casual, semi-casual, and business-casual events and settings with no problem.
Dress pants, on the other hand, would not be appropriate in casual contexts or when worn with more casual attire. Just too formal, really. They would, however, be appropriate in business casual contexts that veer towards being more professional.
2. What Are You Supposed To Wear With It?
Here are some suggestions and strategies for finding the perfect match when it comes to putting together a full outfit that goes well with your pants or chinos.
Blazers and sportcoats look excellent with both slacks and chinos, regardless of which you’re wearing. Blazers and sportcoats can be dressed up or down depending on the color and style, putting together an exquisite yet casual look for a number of occasions.
It is better to stay with more formal shoes, like Oxfords or Derbys, since slacks are often more formal. The shirt you choose to wear could be crucial if you want to appear business casual and can choose between wearing chinos or formal pants.
The standard dress shirt and the OCBD are the two main players in this (Oxford Button Down Dress Shirt). The phrase “dress shirt” is used to describe any collared shirt with long sleeves and a stiff collar.
One could compare an OCBD to a certain style of a dress shirt. However, the button-down collar and “Oxford cloth” were used to make it stand out from the crowd. This makes OCBDs appear more relaxed than a typical dress shirt.
Chinos rather than dress pants might be more appropriate if you want to wear an OCBD shirt. With semi-casual clothing, such as chinos, a button-down collar looks more put together.
OCBDs can go with dress pants, but there might once again be a little mismatch. This is especially true if your OCBD is part of a suit outfit that also includes a coordinating jacket. Simply put, it would appear too lax.
One additional note regarding the shirt: don chinos rather than dress pants if you intend to wear it untucked.
3. Are You Willing To Keep Those Dress Pants (Slacks)?
If you frequently need to wear either chinos or dress pants, this is a question you should ask yourself. This may very well be a problem you encounter if you work in a “business casual” environment.
You could be torn between wearing chinos or slacks at work because both are appropriate. You will wear these pants repeatedly throughout your typical working day; this is not a unique event. Because of this, you might want to consider the dress pants’ upkeep requirements.
As I noted previously, you could fairly easily machine wash your “work chinos” with little difficulty. But you should be prepared to dry clean your dress pants on a frequent basis.
Chinos Or Dress Pants For Business Casual?
Dress pants are typically saved for more formal business casual situations, but both chinos and dress pants are acceptable for business casual dress rules. Chinos do frequently appear to be the best choice for business casual.
It is important to delve a little deeper for one reason: business casual is a challenging dress code to master. The term “business casual” shouldn’t be used to mean a particular look or dress requirement. Consider it more effectively as a spectrum. Depending on the situation, the setting, the field, etc., it might mean numerous things.
The “business casual” clothing code has been adopted by many contemporary workplaces. This does not, however, indicate that all of these places of work endorse the same attire. A “business casual” corporate office will probably continue to demand more formal attire than, say, a “business casual” tech company.
The business casual dress code may occasionally be more “casual” and occasionally more “formal” even within these workplaces. For instance, the same man would dress more formally for board meetings than for his regular desk job. This should make it easier for you to choose between formal pants and chinos for the office.
Are Chinos OK for interview?
For a business casual interview, well-pressed cotton pants, khakis, or light-colored chinos are excellent choices. Considering that many shirt colors go well with these, stick to neutral hues like grey, black, brown, and navy blue.
Dark-colored jeans may be appropriate at some places of employment. Wear chinos or dress pants if you’re unsure if jeans are appropriate for this workplace.
Conclusion
It can be difficult to distinguish between several styles of pants. When it comes to language, there isn’t much uniformity, which just makes this worse. The same pants are described using several terms, sometimes accurately and sometimes incorrectly.
It should be chinos and formal pants if you wanted to have a thorough understanding of the differences between any two types of pants.
Even though the distinctions between them can be small, wearing them incorrectly can be very noticeable. Yes, even to those who aren’t really concerned with fashion.