How Chinos Should Fit: The Complete Guide

We all love chino pants – they’re one of the most comfortable and versatile types of pants men have in their wardrobe. You can wear them casually with a polo shirt or flannel on a date night. Or, you can dress them up a bit for business casual settings or to meet workplace dress codes.

However or wherever you wear yours, one thing is for sure – they only look and feel right if they fit properly. That’s why we’ve written a complete guide on how chinos should fit.

By the end of this article, you’ll be armed with the necessary information to help you secure the perfect fit – whether you’re shopping in person or online. We’ll talk about sizing the length, waist, hips, and thighs. You’ll even learn our opinion on the tapered vs untapered debate, and we’ll give you some quick insights into styling your pants.

At the very end, we’ll let you in on a little tailoring secret that will help you get the perfect fitting pair of chino pants every time.

Why Learn How Chinos Should Fit Before Buying!

If you’re a man of style, then just getting a “close enough” fit isn’t going to cut it. You want your chinos to fit like they were made just for you – even if they were bought off the rack. Learning how chino pants should fit will help you unlock top-tier style. Because as you already know, it’s not just what you wear – it’s how you wear it.

When you see a man wearing pants that are far too baggy or uncomfortably skin-tight, what comes to mind? You probably associate their unkempt appearance with them as a person. Whether that’s right or wrong is up for debate.

But one thing is for sure: to help you nail first impressions and be seen as a man who takes his style and appearance seriously, you need clothes that fit well. Moreover, a well-fitted pair of pants matched with the proper top will help you step out in confidence.

Fortunately for you, that’s exactly what we’re here to help with. Let’s begin!

How Should Chinos Fit: Everything You Need To Know

So, how are chinos supposed to fit? There are a few areas we need to discuss in order to achieve the perfect fit:

• Length
• Waist
• Hips & Thighs

While some men prefer their chinos to fit a bit snugger than others, there are some universal standards you should adhere to when sizing your pants. Let’s start by making sure your chino pants fit right in terms of length.

What Length Should Chinos Be?

First things first – what length should chinos be? This will depend on whether you want the ankle cuff to sit neatly at the top of your shoes or if you want to roll your cuff.

It also depends on the style you’re going for. These days (particularly during hot summer months), men are pulling off the shorter chino pant look when paired with some nice loafers, showing a bit of ankle. However, for more formal settings (like work), you’ll want your chinos to fall right at your shoes. The goal is to get the bottom of the cuff to touch the top of your shoes without excess fabric bunching up.

Sure, you can roll your cuff to eliminate the excess fabric – but this doesn’t look quite as put together in our opinion. If you find your chino pants are too long, you’ll want to get them hemmed. So, get your tape measure out and determine the length for the top of your waist (where the chinos will sit) to the top of your shoe.

How Snug Should Chinos Fit In The Waist?

Once you have a good understanding of your ideal chino pant length, the next question you must ask is: how snug should chinos fit in the waist? The answer is a bit vague – snug enough that you don’t need a belt, but not so snug that you are left with impression marks on your waist after taking the pants off.

Another thing to keep in mind when sizing your measurements is that chino pants sit a bit higher up than your jeans will. you’ll want to take your measurements about 1-2″ below your belly button. The reason getting the waist sizing right matters so much is that you’ll commonly tuck a shirt into your chinos – if they sit too low or too high, people will notice.

How Should Chinos Fit At The Hips & Thighs?

Now, there is one final question to be answered – how should chinos fit at the hips and thighs? While we’re seeing more and more men rock tighter pants, this should be limited to casual settings. In semi-formal or business-casual settings, you’ll want your chinos to lightly hug your hips and thighs. The key phrase here is lightly hug. It’s a fine line between this and skin-tight, which makes shopping for chino pants tough.

On the other end of the spectrum, you don’t want your chinos to fit loosely with creases around your quads and calves. This looks sloppy and unkempt in our opinion. Your goal should be to get your chino pants to fit with a slim-straight look – straight from the waist down to your shoes. You should be able to see the silhouette of your legs.

Those of us with big legs know how tough it is to find chino pants that satisfy our length and width measurements – and also accommodate our hips and thighs. Sure, you could find a pair of more breathable, comfortablestretch chinos – but you’re still left with tight chino pants that might not look as good as you’d hoped. Don’t worry – we’ll soon discuss how to make sure your chinos fit your unique body. Before we do that, let’s discuss the taper.

To Taper or Not To Taper?

We are all for the tapered pant look. Men’s bodies are unique – some of us have huge upper thighs with average calves.  The last thing you want is to look like you’re wearing boot-cut chino pants because you had to accommodate huge legs. By tapering your chino pants, you can get a perfect fit from top to bottom.

We know what you’re thinking – where can I get tapered pants that actually fit my body, though? It’s not easy – especially if you’re shopping off the rack at a department store or browsing your favorite retailer online.

Fortunately, we have a solution that helps you get the perfect pair of chinos, dress pants, or even khaki pants every time:

How Can I Get My Chino Pants To Fit Perfectly?

If you’re looking to achieve that perfect fit that we’ve described above in great detail, there is really only one way to go about it: you’re going to have to find a tailor or custom clothier. Getting custom-fit chinos is the best way to ensure a perfect fit that doesn’t just feel good – it looks good, too. Custom pants in general are a great idea for men who seek to be viewed as “well-styled”.

And these days, getting custom clothes at affordable prices is easier than ever. You don’t even have to leave home if you don’t want to – you can get the entire process done online in just minutes when you get custom clothes here at Black Lapel. With that said, we also have a Boston location for those seeking a one-of-a-kind custom clothing experience.

Oh, and the best part? We guarantee you’ll end up with chinos that fit exactly how you want them to. If not, we’ll make adjustments to get it right – on the house.

Final Thoughts On How Chinos Should Fit

Now that you know how chinos should fit, there is just one thing left to do – get to shopping. Remember: it’s as simple as finding your length and waist measurements, and then taking into account leg openings and tapers.

Getting chinos that fit well isn’t hard – especially when you call upon the help of a custom clothier like Black Lapel. You just get us your measurements and style preferences and we handle the rest, bringing your pants to life. They’ll fit like they were made just for you – because they were! Take a chance and see what the hype is all about – you won’t regret it.

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