They’re lightweight. They’re versatile. They’re the perfect alternative to jeans if you want to keep it casual or go for a slightly smarter look. Of course, we’re talking about chinos today.
So named because they were originally made in China and ‘chino’ is the Spanish word for China, chinos are extremely popular and versatile legwear pieces that come in an extremely wide variety of colours, finishes and styles - chino shorts are a big deal as well!
Given this wide variety, choosing the perfect pair of socks to pair with your chinos may seem like a daunting task - but fear not! It’s totally manageable. And that’s why we’re here today - to break down for you exactly what socks you should and shouldn’t pair with your chinos to pull off the most stylish looks, whether you’re staying smart or keeping it nice and casual.
Choosing socks to wear with shorts
First up, let’s discuss chino shorts and the best socks to pair, before going into more detail further down about the full-length chinos. Pairing socks with chino shorts follows some very simple rules to bear in mind that we’ll break down right now.
Firstly, if you do want to go for a preppy ‘US teen’ look - socks pulled up your calves and paired with trainers. Go for a pastel colour that’s nice and light, though of course the most classic look is to go for white socks.
Secondly, you should be pairing the type of sock you’ve got to the type of shoe or trainer that you’re wearing. The classic style to go with when wearing shorts is to make it seem as if you’re not even wearing socks (which, of course, you should be!). So, if you’re wearing low top shoes, loafers or boat shoes, slip on a pair of no-show socks (also called invisible socks). If you’re sporting high tops, ankle socks will do the trick just fine.
Now, let’s dig into the considerations you need to bear in mind when pairing socks with full-length chinos!
Colour
Colour is key - even though (if you’re not rolling your chino cuffs) your socks won’t often be on display. When they are revealed, you’ll want your socks to either blend in with or compliment your choice of chino (and the shoes you’re wearing too!) for a truly stylish look.
Pastel colours are your best friend here. Though chinos certainly are available in some rather neon colours, most are more muted and softer in tone, so you should be pairing your socks accordingly. We’re talking light and inoffensive blues, creams, greys, browns, greens… you’ve got a lot of choice here!
And, naturally, if you love a neon look, you’ll probably want some equally neon socks to either compliment or clash with your chinos to create a real statement. If you’re sporting bright red chinos, you could blend with some bright red socks, or create some colour clash with some purple or yellow?
Of course, white is very versatile and looks particularly good with lighter and washed out colours - especially if you are wearing loafers or trainers.
Length
Length is perhaps less important than colour, but if you’re trying to create a specific look, length is definitely key - and that look is rolling your cuffs.
If you’re rolling your cuffs, you’ll probably want to make it appear as though you’re not wearing socks at all - a classic modern look. In this case, you’ll want to follow our advice above regarding shorts. No-show socks will be your best friend here!
Best socks to wear with chinos
Now that we’ve got the hard and fast rules out of the way, it’s time to run you through a few pairs of our very favourite socks to pair with chinos that you can pick up from our online Pants&Socks store right now!
1. Any of our no-show socks
Let’s kick things off with a very general pick - seeing as, by their very nature, no show socks are meant to fly perfectly under the radar.
All of the no-show socks that we keep in stock are quality picks for almost any occasion, but let’s break them down into categories for you: sporting, casual and smarter.
If you’re going for a bit more of a sporting feel and value endurance in your socks (and great value), then choose Puma’s Unisex Footies. In a handy 3-pack and coming in at just £8, these are a real steal.
If you want a more casual look when you slip off your shoes, then Tommy Hilfiger’s Iconic Footies are the way to go with a preppy, sports-inspired design.
And finally, if you want to keep things a little classy, go for the Invisible socks by BOSS. They’re sleek. They’re smart. They’re amazeballs.
All of these no-shows come with reinforced stress zones and a handy injection of silicone around the cuffs to make sure they don’t go slipping around all over the place inside your shoes.
2. BOSS Regular socks
Don’t let the name fool you at all - these socks will pair with your chinos like a dream!
As expected from BOSS, quality is the name of the game. Crafted from a sustainable cotton blend, these simple socks are the epitome of understated elegance and style, with a subtle BOSS logo at the neck.
They’re available in a variety of muted colours to pair with your chinos as well - in darker shades (don’t worry, we have lighter options to discuss soon!) of black, charcoal, beige, dark blue and dark brown. These are excellent colour matches for almost all varieties of chino colours, so these are a real winner for the chino wearers among you!
3. FALKE Walkie Light socks
FALKE knows exactly what it’s up to when crafting superb socks - and its Walkie Lights are perhaps the best of their bunch.
First up, they’re available in a selection of delightfully light pastel colours including sand, graphite, ivory and navy blue. So don’t worry - they will pair nicely with almost any pair of chinos.
But the winner here is in their construction. They’re stitched in climate-regulating merino wool - one of the very best sock materials that money can buy. They’re soft to the touch, have reinforced stress zones and a cushioned sole, while sporting FALKE’s signature anatomic fit.
They’re breathable, comfortable, lightweight, soft as hell and perhaps our favourite socks to pair with chinos!
What socks will you wear?
And there we have it! Your quick fire guide on what socks you should and shouldn’t be wearing with the ever-versatile chinos!
Remember that colour pairing is your best friend here and that you can almost never go wrong when you choose a pastel colour sock - but don’t go for white socks with your chinos (unless they’re no-shows of course as they’ll never be seen!).
For more how-to guides, FAQs, reviews and… everything you need to know about men’s pants and socks, stay tuned into our Below the Belt Blog.
Otherwise, please enjoy browsing the rest of our MASSIVE collection of men’s socks to find the very best fit for you and your brand new chinos.
Happy hunting, folks!