Pimping up the dad pants

Hands up if your dad owns a pair of chinos.

Just as I thought. All of you. 

Chinos are the quintessential dad pants. Every dad has a pair in his wardrobe. Well, to be fair, they’re the quintessential ‘guy’ pants really, with their heritage deeply rooted in military fashion, every single one of us has a pair hanging in our closet.

So, with Father’s Day on the horizon, and with a little help from Trenery, I thought I’d throw out a few ideas on how you could possibly help dad (or you of course) ‘Pimp his Chinos’.

Let’s start with something fancy shall we.

Chinos, may just be one of the most versatile items in a gentleman’s closet. After all, if they were good enough for both the British and American army in the 19th century, well then, they sure as hell should be good enough for going to pick up your almond latte in the morning, or attend your third cousin’s garden wedding in the afternoon. If you don’t yet own a pair of chinos I suggest you stop reading this article and go get yourself some immediately – on second thought, keep reading and I’ll show you where to get a pair later. See, chinos are the perfect mix between jeans and pants (not to be confused with jean pants) making them transcend dress codes and pretty much go with everything. 

Now, I don’t expect you to just take my word for it. I have instead decided to use the fine art of ‘show and tell’ to build my case.

I’ve gone with a pair of  ochre coloured chinos from Trenery and built 3 different looks for 3 different dads. The looks are formal, for the business dad, smart casual for the everyday dad and casual, for the rustic dad of course. You may notice a particular theme of navy, grey and claret popping up in all 3, don’t be alarmed, this isn’t some elaborate trick, but rather the colours of the season I suggest you stick to. Why ochre chinos? Well, this is so you can see how versatile a pair of chinos can be – even in something as DARING as ochre.

Being the middle of winter I’ve created lots of layering and used lots of knitwear, not only is it a trick to keep dad (or you) warm and cool at the same time, but it helps you pick out what dad already has or possibly needs for Father’s Day. 

Obviously, I see myself as the formal business dad, so let me break down that outfit for you real quick. I decided to layer a grey v-neck sweater over a fine claret checked shirt and solid burgundy tie – I always like going with a v-neck sweater when wearing a tie as it lets you show a little more of the tie off. I topped that off with a navy blazer to complete the contrasted layering. The blue belt with brown loops created a fun interaction between the blue blazer and the tan brogue Oxford shoes.

For that less formal dad, I’ve layered the top with a claret checked shirt, dark navy shawl collared knit and graphite doubleKnit Harrington Jacket with navy sleeves. The jacket helps keep the knit from taking over the show, but keeps it relevant with the navy sleeves – almost plays a little trick with your mind.

For accessories, we’ve given this dad a navy and brown belt to pair with his mid brown gusset boots as well as a brown messenger bag for all his cool dad stuff. Lastly, and only because dads get cold too, did I throw in this burgundy and grey, multi patterned scarf to finish it all off.

Lastly, there’s rustic dad. Now, rustic dad is too busy getting out there and doing outdoorsy stuff to have time for little fidgety things like buttons! Don’t worry rustic dad, I’ve got you.

Again, using my triple layer effect, I’ve started with a simple grey tee covered by a zip up navy knit and a sleeveless puffer jacket – rustic dads are pretty active, so they need to be able to move freely. A pair of brown desert boots keeps this dad looking trendy and will match perfectly with his brown, burgundy and navy belt, which will also match perfectly with everything else he’s wearing. To top it all off, a simple grey knitted beanie, because rustic dad doesn’t care about getting his hair messed up!

So, whether you know (or are) any of these dads above and think their look could use a bit of an upgrade, every item featured is available at Trenery. Tell them I sent you, and they’ll give you a high five! 🙂

Okay. Stay Fancy.