Renaissance of the Chino

Good news medic boys! Your favourite sports night style staple and go-to firms-wear has found itself on the hottest catwalks of London, Paris, Milan and New York: yes, chinos are actually in vogue.

Admittedly, the modest chino is somewhat underrated; it is the male equivalent of the trusty black pencil skirt: smart, easy to wear and to co-ordinate. Only their very beige-ness (both in colour and level of sartorial captivation) makes them blur into obscurity – you, in your chinos and blue shirt, look exactly the same as your firm buddy who is wearing ostensibly the same thing. So how to make them look new and interesting, whilst still keeping them smart enough not to earn a sneer from your cantankerous old Mary’s consultant? Take a leaf out of James Dean’s book, who immortalised the classic cool of the chino in East of Eden (pictured).

First, step out of the comfort zone of the crisp blue shirt, and pull on a (gasp!) small-collared shirt, in a wide navy gingham perhaps. Then, take a crew neck jumper, wonderfully cosy for winter, in either a chunkier cable or a finer gauge knit depending on your build, in a warm maroon or grey. For the pièce de résistance, a pair of brown brogues: classic, timeless – a man’s staple. The look is preppy American cool – Don Draper on a casual Friday at the office: a little outdoorsy yet traditional. This makes a welcome change from the reliable, yet rather ordinary striped blue shirt.