What Are Chinos?

Where do chinos come from?

Chinos take their name from chino, a cotton twill cloth that Merriam-Webster describes as “of the type used for military uniforms”; the word itself is first recorded in English in 1943, for both the cloth and the trousers. Who first called the cloth “chino”, and why, is not documented, and dictionaries give different answers.

The khaki connection

The colour most chinos come in has a better-documented history than the name. The Online Etymology Dictionary derives khaki from the Urdu for “dusty”, from Persian khak, “dust”; Britannica gives the source as Hindi, meaning “dust-coloured”. Khaki was first used mainly for British cavalry uniforms in India. The two reference works consulted here give different years for its introduction: the Online Etymology Dictionary dates it to the Guide Corps in 1846, while Encyclopaedia Britannica credits Sir Harry Lumsden and William Hodson with introducing khaki uniforms in 1848.

Britannica adds that khaki was in wide use by 1857–58. It then became the official uniform colour for British armies in India, and later spread across the empire and to other nations. It also notes that during the South African War (1899–1902) cotton khaki proved unsatisfactory because of the climate, so wool and worsted serge were introduced. The Online Etymology Dictionary dates khaki’s wide adoption for camouflage to the same years, under the name the Boer Wars.

Where the word “chino” comes from

The three dictionaries consulted here disagree on where the word came from:

• American Heritage Dictionary: from American Spanish chino, “yellowish”, after the cloth’s original tan colour, probably from Spanish chino, “Chinese”.
• Online Etymology Dictionary: from American Spanish chino, literally “toasted”, after its usual colour.
• Merriam-Webster: origin unknown.

So the link to China appears in one dictionary as a probable root of the Spanish word, not as a claim that the cloth was made in China. Stories that go further than this, about where early chino cloth was woven or which soldiers first wore it, are not supported by the dictionaries listed in the sources.

What makes chinos chinos?

Chinos are defined by their cloth: trousers become chinos when they are cut from chino twill, a woven cotton or synthetic-fibre cloth, whatever their colour. Merriam-Webster allows the cloth to be cotton or synthetic fibre; the American Heritage Dictionary describes it as a coarse twilled cotton used for uniforms and sometimes for work or sports clothes.

Twill is the giveaway. Look closely at the face of the cloth and you will see fine diagonal lines; that weave is what separates chino from flat plain-weave cottons such as poplin. Beyond the cloth, chinos are ordinary trousers in construction: a waistband, belt loops, a front fly and pockets.

Chinos vs khakis vs jeans

Because chino is “usually khaki” in Merriam-Webster’s words, the two names overlap in everyday use. They are not interchangeable in meaning: navy chinos are still chinos, and khaki trousers in wool are not. None of the dictionaries consulted here separates chinos from khakis by fit or stitching.

What are the main types of chinos?

Chinos vary mainly by front style, leg shape and cloth finish, while the twill stays the same.

How do you tell well-made chinos?

You judge chinos in three places: the fibre label, the twill face and the stitching at the points that take strain.

Read the fibre label

• Percentages, largest first. Under US law the generic fibre names and their percentages by weight must be listed in descending order, so “98% cotton, 2% elastane” tells you what you are buying, within the tolerance below.
• Why the 2% is named. Fibres under 5% must otherwise be shown as “other fiber”. Wool and recycled wool are the exception: they are always named with their percentage. A fibre with a definite functional purpose at that amount, such as elastane added for stretch, may be named. The US Federal Trade Commission accepts either “elastane” or “spandex”.
• The 3% tolerance. In the US a blend label may be off by up to 3 percentage points; that tolerance does not apply to a single-fibre claim such as “100% cotton”.
• “Chino” is not a fibre. The label must still give the generic fibre names; the cloth name tells you the weave, not what it is made of.

Look at the cloth

• Find the diagonal on the face. If you cannot see a twill line, the trousers are not chinos in the strict sense, whatever the tag says.
• If the trousers have a pattern or stripe, it should match where seams meet; New Mexico State University’s garment-judging guide treats matched plaids and stripes as a sign of care.

Check the stress points

New Mexico State University’s guide to judging garments sets out checks that apply directly to trousers:

• Crotch seam: ideally double-stitched; the guide calls this desirable. Turn the trousers inside out and look for two rows of stitching.
• Waistline: taped or double-stitched for reinforcement.
• Corners: pocket corners reinforced with shorter stitches.
• Seams: ends secured neatly, no loose threads, raw edges finished so they do not fray.
• Zip and belt loops: the zip fly should lie smooth; loops should be neat and sturdy. Tug each loop gently.
• Hem: even in width, with stitches spaced evenly and hard to see from the outside.

Red flags: a twill line that is not visible, fraying seam edges inside, only one row of stitching at the crotch, and a label that names the cloth but gives no fibre percentages.

How do you wear chinos?

Chinos sit between jeans and wool suit trousers, so they suit most smart casual and business casual settings.

• Casual: a T-shirt or polo shirt and canvas shoes or loafers. A short turn-up at the ankle suits a slimmer leg.
• Smarter: an oxford-cloth shirt and a navy blazer. Darker chinos in navy, olive or charcoal read as more formal than pale khaki.
• Length: slim and tapered chinos look best with little or no break at the shoe; a straight leg can take a slight break.
• Belt: chinos have belt loops, so wear a belt in leather or canvas to match the shoes’ formality.

Chinos are cotton twill, not worsted wool, so they do not replace suit trousers at formal events that call for a suit.