Zimpapers Logo

I booked myself a front seat in my lounge last week watching a Hip Hop battle between two of my teen legends, Jah Rule and Fat Joe. The rhythms they were playing swept me way back into time, back into late 90s and early 2000s.

Nostalgia swept us off our (Hip- Hop/Rap fans) feet as they kept on playing hit after hit, it all felt like old times again. Like they always say, neither of them won but the culture did.

So, how is this relevant to fashion, Sir?

Well, what was very striking for me is what the two rappers wore. There is no way in the world I could just enjoy music and not take notice of the outfits everyone on stage was wearing.

Both of them were wearing cargo pants (before Fat Joe changed into a different outfit for the night) and it took me back to a post I made during the EURO 2020 of the Spain International football coach who was wearing a white dress shirt tucked in green cargo pants and some white Adidas trainers and he looked so cool in them.

What are cargo/combat pants?

Cargo pants, commonly known as combat trousers were initially worn by the British military officers during the 2nd World War and then the US Military adopted the uniform a few years later as military workwear.

Cargo pants are usually loose fitting and rough which makes them ideal for outdoor activities especially in the trenches during the war but do not let this notion fool you for one second that you cant rock these pants stylishly in the 21st century.

Cargo pants usually come with large side pockets and sometimes thigh front pockets which makes it more suitable and convenient to carry tools and other handy accessories.

How to style cargo pants ?

Of course we are not in the trenches, neither are we in the British or US military, we are not going to be wearing cargo pants to put grenades and bullets or screwdrivers, tape measures and all sorts like a handyman but one thing for sure is we are going to wear them in a modern and stylish way.

As we all know, an apple doesn’t fall far from the tree; the style should not be too far from the origins of the cargo pants which is rugged, earth tones.

The secret, as always, is to know your size and dress accordingly. For average men, slim fit cargo pants will be the goal to cargo this summer. You don’t want them to be too baggy, bulky and oversized but to be flattering and have a nice silhouette on your body.

You can keep that handyman look by wearing a denim shirt or rolled up sleeves and Boots like Timberlands (which are also outdoor work shoes) or CAT and a daddy cap to put the cherry on the cake.

You can pull off cargo pants by wearing a dress shirt and dress shoes but this look has to be treaded with carefully because if they are not skinny or slim fits, it will throw the whole look off when the baggy cargos pile at the top of your shoes.

Wearing them with chelsea boots, a nice white t-shirt and a Denim jacket can make you look stylish even for a date night or a descent evening with your colleagues or clients. On a cold Friday outdoor night you can add a hoodie under the denim jacket just to keep you warm on unpredictable cold nights.