What to wear with blue chinos

The Brdwlk participates in affiliate programs including Amazon Associates. If you purchase after clicking through a relevant link, we may earn a commission.

Navy chinos are an incredibly versatile type of pant. They’re not quite jeans, not quite slacks, which means they are suitable for everything from relaxing at the weekend to wearing in the office. Chinos in shades of blue are especially adaptable as the darker shade means you can match them with a larger variety of outfits.

In this article, we’ll go through some basic rules for wearing navy chinos, as well as highlight nine great navy chino outfits for inspiration.

What Do You Wear With Navy Chinos?

The beauty of navy chinos is that they go with a lot of different items. Pair them with canvas shoes and a t-shirt to stay sharp at the weekend, or with loafers and a shirt when hitting the town in the evening. Experiment with textures by pairing them with denim jackets and complete the rugged look by adding a pair of chunky boots.

Different Types of Navy Chinos

Consider the vast variety of chinos that are out there. You can wear a light pair to stay cool in the summer, or a heavier pair to keep the heat in during winter. Some brands sell “vintage” style chinos with jean-like embellishments, while others have a slicker design and could almost be mistaken for suit slacks.

How Navy Chinos Fit

Loser fitting pants provide a more comfortable, casual look, while those tailored close to the leg are typically more formal. Think about getting a pair that falls just above your shoes for a modern look. As an example of this check out the pictures in looks one and two below.

What Colors Go With Navy Chinos?

What to wear with blue chinos
The Brdwlk

You can wear most colors with navy chinos. Shirts, t-shirts, and jumpers in grey, white, and pastel go especially well with the darker pants. Blues are also ok although you should avoid anything that too closely matches the colors of the trousers. The exception to this would be if it is a pattern (see image above) or if the navy is a different texture (outfit seven), or if the navy is a jacket or blazer that can be broken up with a lighter shirt (outfit one).

What Shoes to Wear With Navy Chinos?

Canvas shoes go really well with navy chinos, as do casual shoes like loafers and boat shoes. You can pair them with smarter shoes too if the rest of your outfit calls for it. In winter I love wearing mine with heavy leather boots and a thick jacket.

Outfit One: With a Shirt, Blazer, and Dress Shoes

What to wear with blue chinos
Uniqlo

Why it Works: Pairing navy chinos with a shirt, blazer, and dress shoes results in the most formal look on this list. Upon first glance, you may think the model in the image above is wearing a full suit. For this type of outfit, you should keep the cut of the chinos slim without being too skinny to match the formal vibes. This outfit avoids being too over the top by by forgoing a tie and choosing a relatively casual shirt.

Shop the outfit in the image above at Uniqlo

Outfit Two: With an Oxford Shirt and Sneakers

What to wear with blue chinos
Scotch and Soda

Why it Works: Keeping things smart, this next outfit pairs navy chinos with a white oxford shirt and sneakers. This is the kind of outfit that can easily see you go from the office to an evening on the town. To make this look slightly more formal, simply tuck in the shirt and switch out the sneakers for a pair of shoes.

Shop the outfit in the image above on Scotch and Soda

Outfit Three: With a Check Shirt and Sneakers

What to wear with blue chinos
Ralph Lauren

Why it Works: If you favor a bit of character in your shirts, then pairing navy chinos with a patterned shirt could be the way to go. This outfit works in a very similar way to the one above and could also easily be paired with more shoes to up the level of formality. The key thing with the pattern is that it is fairly light and the colors go well with the darker shades of the chinos.

Shop the outfit in the image above at Ralph Lauren

Outfit Four: With a Grey Sweater and Brown Loafers

What to wear with blue chinos
J. Crew

Why it Works: If the weather doesn’t quite favor shirts, then keep warm by pairing your navy chinos with a grey jumper. Add loafers to keep things smart, or boat shoes, sneakers, or canvas shoes to stay casual. In winter, go with a heavier jumper and books for a similar look.

Shop the outfit in the image above at J. Crew

Outfit Five: With a Casual Short Sleeved Shirt and Sneakers

What to wear with blue chinos
Bonobos

Why it Works: Now we are really starting to enter casual territory. Pairing navy chinos with a loud shirt results in an outfit that is sure to stand out wherever you go. You should also note that the chinos in the image above are a slightly lighter shade than some of the ones above, which adds to the casual vibes. If you want some shirt inspiration, then check out our article on some of the best cuban collar shirts you can buy.

Shop the outfit in the image above on Bonobos

Outfit Six: With Boots and a Denim Shirt

What to wear with blue chinos
Belstaff

Why it Works: While chinos are often associated with a clean preppy look, pairing yours with heavy boots and a denim shirt adds some rock-and-roll flavor to your outfit. Chinos are the perfect trousers to wear with a denim shirt as you avoid the trappings of double denim. I’d avoid having the shades of the denim too closely match the trousers, however.

Shop the outfit in the image above at Belstaff

Outfit Seven: With Canvas Shoes, Plain T-Shirt, and a Denim Jacket

What to wear with blue chinos
Taylor Stitch

Why it Works: This outfit of navy chinos with a simple t-shirt, denim jacket, sunglasses, and canvas shoes has similar rugged vibes to the one above. The chinos here have a loser, high-cut modern fit which we like. If it gets too hot, you can easily remove the jacket and still be left with a great looking outfit.

Shop the outfit in the image above at Taylor Stitch

Outfit Eight: With a Sweater, Jacket, and Sneakers

What to wear with blue chinos
Uniqlo

Why it Works: Pairing navy chinos with a sweater is a casual outfit perfect for wearing around campus. The chinos in the above image work perfectly because they have a wider fit and jean like stitching. You can also try turning up your hems for some extra embellishment.

Shop the outfit in the above image at Uniqlo

Outfit Nine: With a Plain T-Shirt and Canvas Shoes

What to wear with blue chinos
Bonobos

Why it Works: And here it is, the proof that navy chinos look good with everything. If you don’t have the time to put together an A-list outfit, simply throw on your chinos, a plain t-shirt, and some canvas shoes for a dependable look that you know is going to work. In the image above the model pairs navy chinos with a plain white shirt, but they are going to well with pretty much any color.

Shop the outfit in the image above at Bonobos


Next Up

  • Here are the best Breton shirts you can buy right now
  • What to wear with a black denim jacket
  • Here are the most stylish sunglasses to wear in 2020

What Colour goes with blue chinos?

What Colour goes with blue chinos? Blue is popular because it complements many other colours, especially white and pink. Our navy chinos look great with lighter shades of blue like our blue Oxford shirt.

What do light blue chinos go with?

One particular color that matches well with light blue chinos is navy. The reason why they complement each other is the fact that they belong to the same color family. This makes them handy to coordinate and contrast by using different hues of blue.

What shirts go with chinos?

Chinos work well with a grey or navy t-shirt and white leather sneakers. When wearing a t-shirt with chinos, avoid shoes like monkstraps or other dress shoes. Stick to sneakers or boat shoes as your t-shirt indicates a casual look so you need to dress down your footwear too.