Chinos. Hardly the life and soul of a man’s wardrobe, but integral nonetheless. But then, isn’t it precisely the former military staple’s inherent boringness that makes them so great anyway?

Sure, a pair of slashed-knee skinny jeans may give a little more edge to your image and let everyone know in no uncertain terms that you follow the trends, but they won’t be up to much languishing on your bedroom floor when you can’t find anything other than a band tee to pair them with.

Chinos, on the other hand, are the wardrobe’s reliable all-rounder. They are menswear’s multipurpose tool, the box-to-box midfielder of bottoms, the, well, you get the picture. Chinos are the one style of trouser that is as good a fit with a T-shirt and sneakers as a shirt, blazer and brogues. This means, if you happen on the perfectly fitting pair, you should snap up several pairs in different colours. Specifically, these ones.

Beige

The OG. Were it not for neutral-coloured chinos, most of us would still be trying to pass off blue jeans as a match for structured suit jackets. Not only that, but we wouldn’t have half the frankly glorious pictures of Steve McQueen to show us how style’s done, either.

How To Wear Them

As a general rule, be it on shoes or suits, the lighter the colour, the less formal the piece. As such, beige chinos are ideal for casual settings – like a day in the park or happy hour drinks. Pair yours with a shirt that’s navy blue, burgundy or dark grey; as these dark hues will help balance the look. Or, for a modern preppy look, throw them on with an Oxford shirt and sweatshirt, and finish with a pair of casual sneakers for a failsafe outfit.

Navy

Not just for men with anchor tattoos, navy chinos can be worn in plenty more ways than paired with a Breton top, beanie and a bottle of Captain Morgan. Indeed, a pair of chinos in this colour is one of the smartest additions you can make to your fleet of smart-casual pieces.