In the last few years we’ve seen drawstring chinos rise in popularity. And as the author of a website centered around gentlemanly style, we’ve given this new chino type a spin to see how (if?) they can pull some duty in the modern man’s wardrobe.
The good news – there is a place for such a garment in your lineup, even though traditionalists may scoff at the idea of an elastic-wasted chino with drawstrings. But you must understand their place. Otherwise you risk giving off a sloppy or lazy appearance in the wrong scenario.
What are drawstring chinos?
Drawstring chinos are basically athleisure pants made with chino fabric, cut to look like traditional chinos. They give you the appearance of wearing chinos, but provide the comfort of an elastic waist that doesn’t feel as constricting as a traditional pair of pants with a belt.
Some come with belt loops and an interior drawstring so you can throw on a belt to dress the pants up a bit if necessary, while others just go with a standard flexible waist like you’d see on athletic pants.
Many brands make these pants with a stretchy fabric to fully embrace the flexible appeal of this garment. This makes them easy to wear all day, especially if your daily routine consists of any sort of light to moderate movement.
As you can see in the picture below, with an untucked shirt it’s difficult to tell that these have a drawstring.
Stylish, lazy, or something in-between?
The traditionalists will call this style lazy. The fact that you are foregoing one of the staples of an outfit, the belt, and replacing it with a feature of athletic attire means people will perceive your garment as overly casual for certain situations. Especially for chinos, which these days lean a little dressier.
And for those who like to tuck in their shirts, this style of pants will not work too well. Even those with belt loops and an internal drawstring will overcomplicate your tucked-in looks – you might as well go with standard chinos.
While we don’t think drawstring chinos are any more stylish than traditional chinos, we do think they can work very well if your style leans more casual. Especially if you wear your shirts untucked most of the time. A couple pairs of these chinos will improve your overall comfort without affecting your look too much vs. traditional chinos. You can toss them on to run some errands, grab a coffee, lounge around the house, or even for a low-key lunch. All without too much fuss.
Again, these will also fit well for those who work from home. You can feel put together without having to sacrifice comfort. And let’s be honest, wearing a belt with chinos can sometimes seem like a little too much for staying at home all day. But obviously working in sweatpants may be a little too relaxed to take yourself seriously.
Our final verdict – they can fit a stylish wardrobe if your style leans more casual. Or they are a great option to feel cleaned up yet comfortable for low-key weekend activities or basic errands.
When to avoid
As we touched on in the previous section, avoid wearing these for dressier situations. Obviously if you need to tuck in your shirt, then most options available won’t work (please do not tuck a shirt into your elastic waist chinos!). And those drawstring chinos with belt loops and an internal drawstring will likely have other details that lean more casual, so you’re better off wearing a pair of dressier chinos or even slacks (difference here).
These will not work for dressier occasions or with any tailored attire (blazers, sport coats, dress shirts, etc…).
Options for different scenarios
Since we are saving the drawstring chinos for casual settings, let’s go through a few options that pair best with these pants. These outfits lean pretty basic, so it’s the execution that matters most. Don’t let the drawstrings allow you to get too lazy with the other parts of your outfit.
Remember, your other pieces should look like they go with more casually leaning chinos, not sweatpants or even athleisure pants. But you can lean a little more relaxed than a standard button-down, chinos, dress shoes combo.
- Lounging around the house (without feeling like a slob) – plain t-shirt, crewneck sweatshirt or flannel overshirt (if cold), chinos, house slippers
- Work from home – polo shirt / lightweight casual button down / knit sweater, chinos, upgraded house slippers
- Running errands / grabbing coffee (warm) – clean t-shirt, shirt jacket or chore coat, chinos, plain white sneakers
- Running errands / grabbing coffee (cold) – knit sweater or crewneck sweatshirt, pea coat, chinos, casual boots or rain/weather specific boots, beanie
- Casual lunch – polo shirt, chinos, chukka boots, casual watch
We recommend options from J. Crew (we own this pair, stock is currently low however), Bonobos (pictured at the top), and Gap (good budget pick).
As for colors, our guide to the best chino colors applies to drawstring chinos as well. For more advice on mixing and matching chinos with other pieces, check out this article. Most of the advice applies here too.
