Chinos are back, with a preppy fashion twist! Here's how to style your Dad's favourite trouser for 2025

“Chino” is not a word I thought I’d be writing in 2025, let alone in the context of this trouser style being, whisper it, in fashion. But it is! Inspired by the return of preppy chic, I’ve been wearing a pair of light tan high-waist, slightly flared Uniqlo chinos at least once a week with a tucked in navy or orange silk shirt, slightly oversized blazer and ballerina sneakers or sandals.

However, I honestly didn’t think of them as actual chinos until I began seeing this century old military trouser style pop up on Gucci and The Row catwalk collections, and in every new-in edit across every fashion store in the country over the last week.

What’s going on? Easy. Preppy chic remains the touchpoint for everyday style inspiration as we move into autumn, and a chino is the trouser to take you there.

So what, exactly, makes a chino? First developed in the mid-19th century for the British and French military, the name itself comes from the Spanish word for “Chinese” - the cotton cloth originally being sourced from China. By the time American soldiers brought them home after the Spanish-American war in 1898, chinos began to shed their military roots and become a mainstay of everyday civilian style.

The characteristics of a chino are simple – they must be cut from lightweight cotton twill, button at the waist with a straight leg, and mostly come in the many shades of tan from stone to honey brown, though they also come in navy, black, khaki and softer pastels.

By the 1950s, they’d become the smart-casual trouser, loved by Ivy League preppies and Hollywood rebels alike. Think James Dean in rolled-up beige chinos and a white T-shirt. By the 1990s Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy – the evergreen muse for modern preppy style - gave them minimalist polish and a modern style classic was set.

On the cusp of autumn 2025 chinos are being offered again by just about every retailer we respect here at Good Housekeeping, and each one has their own take on the style, reflected in our edit of the ten best chinos you can buy now.

Will you go for traditional chinos which button neatly at the waist, and taper cleanly to the ankle? You can find these in the new collections from Cos, Boden and Massimo Dutti.

Styles available now also nod to every popular jean shape from wide legs, found at ME+EM and Arket, cropped at Mint Velvet, slouchy at both Hush and Gap, and barrel shaped at Uniqlo.

If you’re rifling through your wardrobe thinking, “Didn’t I have a pair back in 2018?” - and the answer is yes, reintroduce them to daylight now.

These cotton classics are practical, polished and a refreshing alternative to denim-fatigue, they also feel fresh, look awesome with a loafer or ballerina sneaker, and are a style solution that work in the office with a tucked-in shirt and loafers, on holiday with a tank and sandals, or weekend-ready with trainers and a sweatshirt, or all three. They are that versatile.

Shop our chino edit