THE ESSENTIALS is an ongoing series where I show you pieces that belong in every guy’s closet. By building a closet with these core essentials, you make it nearly impossible to ever put together a bad outfit.

The last 20 years has solidified the chino firmly as the pant of choice for the working man. For good reason. First, they’re comfortable, always important when it comes to clothing. They’re also extremely versatile, particularly for the man who rarely finds himself in a suit.

The chino gets it’s name from the cloth it’s made of – a lightweight cotton twill fabric, originally designed for British and French military uniforms. It made its way into the wardrobes of the working civilian at the turn of the 20th Century, becoming a favorite with male style icons, like Steve McQueen

For a piece of clothing to make The Essentials list is quite a big deal, but the chino has earned its place. I would be so bold to say that if you want a truly versatile wardrobe and could only pick one type of pant, the chino would be it.

Chances are, you already have a pair of khaki colored chinos in your closet. But how do you go beyond that and incorporate navy, green or even grey into your look? I’ll show you some foolproof ways to think about colored chinos below. Before we get into that, let’s cover the original: the khaki chino.

What is it about khaki and white? It’s a color combination that’s nearly impossible to mess up. Maybe it’s the callback to preppy Americana that makes it so timeless. While this look definitely signals a shift to warmer weather, it’s not impossible to wear in the colder seasons. In this case, I recommend a beautiful indigo blue jacket (another classic pairing with khaki.) No show socks can often come off as trying too hard, so let’s remedy this by adding some much needed pattern to this clean look.