Selvedge Khaki Chinos – Five Plus One

Five Plus One is our weekly series of buyer’s guides. We pick a specific category and dig up five great options along with one that’s a little outside the norm.


Many of us have come to expect selvedge on our jeans as almost a pre-requisite–if you’re gonna be rocking raw, you’ve gotta have those shuttle lines on the cuff. That’s not nearly as much the case with many of the other pants in our collective wardrobes–specifically khaki chinos.

For those of us burdened with a job that frowns on denim (note: not us at Heddels), those khakis are often the only option for the 9 to 5 struggle. But how are you going to stunt in your mainline Dockers?

Luckily, many of our favorite denim brands have diversified beyond indigo twills and into tan ones as well as indigo, so there are a good variety of options available for any selvedge fiend who wants a pair of chinos. Read on for some of our recommendations!

1. Naked & Famous Weird Guy Selvedge Pants

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If it’s Naked & Famous, chances are it’s also selvedge and Japanese. That is the case with this pair of chinos cut from 13oz. cotton twill in the brand’s famous (although sometimes problematicWeird Guy cut. And although it advertises itself as a chino, the pockets will tell you that this is merely a beige jean masquerading as one…not that we have a problem with that.

Available for $150 at Dutil Denim

2. Left Field 9oz. Selvedge Twill Kerouac Chino

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Jack Kerouac was a tough, insightful, hard-drinking guy, and the fine folks over at Left Field want to pass those traits on to you in their Kerouac olive selvedge chino. Okay, maybe not that last one. But the 9oz. twill, cut into a slim fit, welt-pocketed pant with heavyweight chambray pocket bags should be able to handle that level of abuse should you so desire; just try to avoid fights in front of the San Remo Cafe.

Available for $198 at Left Field

3. Japan Blue JB0450 Selvedge Chino

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Japan Blue is in the enviable position in this industry of having their own vertically integrated weaving mill. So if they decided one day that they wanted to spin up some crazy fabric made of sugar threads, they could. But they didn’t and went with khaki twill instead–probably a better move. One thing they don’t have is a chino pattern, however, so these guys are in the same “Jeano” camp as N&F, but the price can’t be beat!

Available for $125 at Okayama Denim

4. Rogue Territory Officer Trousers

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If you want to look extra official, then get yourself into a pair of Rogue Territory Officer Trousers. These true chinos are a great example of how to retain many of the details of a jean while still delivering a unique pant. They’ve got the tucked belt loops, bartacked seams, and instead of RgT’s signature sixth pen pocket, the Officer Trousers have a neat little flap that sits outside the back welted pocket. It’s like your pants are sticking their tongue out at whoever’s behind you! Or not, if you choose to tuck it in.

Available for $225 at Rogue Territory

5. 3sixteen ST-44x

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The march of the “Jeanos” continues with this pair from New York’s 3sixteen. Johan and Andrew turned to their friends at Kuroki Mills to turn out their khaki twill, and in their words “The fabric has some heft, crunch and irregularity in the weave that is uncharacteristic of most other chino twills on the market”. So if you are only buying chinos under duress and want to be secretly wearing something that is cut and feels like a jean, this is your best bet–it even has a patch.

Available for $240 at 3sixteen

Plus One – Mister Freedom Sportsman Chinos

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Now for something truly unique, we have the creative mind of mister Christophe Loiron at Mister Freedom. The Sportsman Chino evokes the type of pants you might see Brando wearing in On The Waterfront, it has a relaxed 50s fit, a crotch gusset, bright white and blue pocket bags, a back cinch, and an unhemmed hem for all those freewheelers out there who don’t need the man to tell them how and where their pants should end.

Available for $290 at Mister Freedom