Chinos
First I am going to quickly explain why I think the chinos have become essential. If you read this site regularly (and especially my articles) you will of noticed that I am really invested in trying to expand and develop my own personal style. It is important to me that I am always trying new things and looking for ways to push myself further (this is true within my whole personal life) and I want to encourage you all to do the same. There is nothing satisfying about being just another guy on the street and fashion is a great way of expressing yourself and setting yourself apart from all the other “off the shelf” males walking down your local high street.
I must stress that I do not encourage everyone to go out wearing “wacky” clothes or every bright colour they can find so people notice them. I mean being subtly different to 90% of the male population will set you apart, and by opening your mind to new pieces of clothing it means you can find this differential. Of course you then need to know how to put it all together so you are not the aforementioned crazy guy, but that is what we are here for .
Chinos are an amazing place to start. 9 out of 10 guys walking around your local city at the weekend will be wearing jeans within their casual outfits because they are safe and comfortable and easy to create outfits with. But if you are that one other guy rocking chinos and pulling it off, who do you think is going to come across as the most stylish and confident male? That was a rhetorical question don’t worry.
The great thing about chinos this year is that the premium designers AND high street have now started to release hundreds of chino styles in as many fits and colours as you would find jeans. In fact, I have seen more coloured chinos this season than I ever have jeans. It also means if you are experimenting you do not have to stray too far from the safety of your jeans. There are plenty of beautiful black, grey, navy and bold blue coloured chinos this season you can use to separate yourself from the jeans crowd, but they should boost your confidence levels because they are a near straight substitution to what you would normally wear.
The other important point to note this year about chinos is that they are definitely going to be the basis for most of the major trends you come across; Nautical, French Riviera, Americana and even the colour trends that are developing look best when created using chinos. So I think this is THE perfect time to invest in one or two pairs.
So today I have another instalment of the look book series for you, and we are going to base it around another Spring/Summer essential… chinos. Now last year I was really pushing and advocating the use of chinos within your outfits, but when we produced the look book for it we were mainly concentrating on Autumn/Winter trends and layering. Using chinos in the Spring/Summer period is very different, with more emphasis on lighter layers and of course a whole host of different trends to hit.
I have already given you the run down on the Americana and Nautical trends and how to pull them off using simple timeless basics you may already own and hopefully we will continue this today whilst also introducing you to some new pieces you might like to add to your wardrobe this year. By the time we have finished our lookbook series, you should have a variety of outfits you can throw on at the drop of a hat for ANY feasible situation. You can tailor each look to your personal style and substitute items out where you wish. The important thing is for you to learn what works and why, so you can make these substitutions yourself.
