This fall, menswear is going back to the basics. There's a real return to dressing up, with a revival of workwear and neo-preppy classics. That means the classics are cooler than ever and are being refreshed by brands both big and small. And we're celebrating that return. Starting off with the pleated chino—an essential part of a man's wardrobe, especially come fall. Comfortable, versatile and practical, you might think of these khaki cotton pants as simple office wear, but the chino got its start, like so many icons of menswear, with the military.

In the 1840s, British colonial soldiers marching through India dyed their white uniforms to match the terrain's dusty, saffron-hued sand. In fact, the term khaki is derived from the Hindi word khak, meaning “dust-colored”. Eventually, every soldier was outfitted in khaki cotton uniforms and soon they became standard-issue for many of the world's military. But it was young American soldiers who introduced the pant to civilians—sporting their uniform chinos on college campuses after returning from World War II.

They were durable and as easy to wear as they were to clean. Cut from cotton twill, the pants were more respectable than a pair of jeans but not regarded as stuffy. If denim was becoming a symbol of mid-century rebel youth culture, then chinos represented an optimistic, educated gentleman. Along with horn-rimmed glasses, oxford button-downs and penny loafers, a pair of crisp chinos completed a collegiate style tied to the Ivy Look.

Since then, chinos have become a cornerstone of an American man's casual wardrobe. They were spotted on Hollywood legends, seen in countless Ralph Lauren collections, and on the cover of early J.Crew catalogs. The shape and silhouette continued to adapt to the times. While pleated chinos were at first a weapon against the suit-and-tie conformity of corporate America, they eventually suffered the same fate during the “casual Friday” boom in the '90s. But you can't keep a good pant down. Those ill-fitting workaday khakis gave way to more tailored flat-front styles in the early aughts. Chinos seemed to trim down until they couldn't get any slimmer and, like everything in fashion, were rife for reinvention. After a decade of tighter styles, pants started widening over the past few years and pleats slowly started popping back up. Now, a pair of pleated chinos proves more is more while pulling double duty—it's at once classic and yet thoroughly modern.