What is the difference between khakis and chinos?

Answer 1

Khaki was originally the name of a color, but now chino (the name of a fabric) and Khaki are synonymous with a cotton casual pant. In 1846 Sir Harry Lumsden commanding an English troop in Punjab, India traded in his bright white Khakis for pajama bottoms to find relief from the heat. To disguise them he colored them to blend with the local terrain using mazari, a native plant. Thus the birth of Khaki, the Hindu (Urdu) word for "dust". As a by-product, Lumsden discovered that the new Khaki pants were more suitable in battle than the white pants, and red tunic. Blending in was good. Khaki is a color, but is now synonymous with a military twill pant. Khaki uniforms were introduced for British colonial troops in India in 1848 Khaki went from India to the Kaffir War in South Africa in 1851, and then after the Sudan Wars and Afghan Campaign of 1878 it was adopted in 1884 as the official uniform. The same year Khaki-color dye was patented, and was adopted by other armies, including America for the Spanish- American War in 1898. Chinos were military issue pants, which were made in China. The British Khakis found their way into China where they were duplicated and sold to American soldiers in the Philippines for uniforms during World War I. Chinos don't have to be twill, but are often a firm weave of cotton. Chinos can be Khaki color. The military style had no pleats and was tapered at the leg bottom to conserve fabric. This pants style remained popular for the military through the Second World War. When soldiers returned to civilian life they continued to wear their military chinos especially to college.