# "Khaki" vs. "British Tan" ?



## zzdocxx (Sep 26, 2011)

"Khaki" vs. "British Tan" ?

Is one of these colors considered to be more versatile, appropriate, more better, etc. ? ? ? I mean all else being equal and setting personal idiosyncracies of taste aside.

"Khaki"








"British Tan"








Or does it really not make much difference ? ? ?

Thank you.

BTW in the store the British Tan seemed more orangey than this photo conveys. Or perhaps I am mistaken.


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## Oldsarge (Feb 20, 2011)

I would pair the khaki with a blue coat and the British Tan one with either olive or very dark brown . . . but I suspect it really doesn't make much difference.


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## Tiger (Apr 11, 2010)

Oldsarge said:


> I would pair the khaki with a blue coat and the British Tan one with either olive or very dark brown . . . but I suspect it really doesn't make much difference.


I agree...


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## momsdoc (Sep 19, 2013)

You need both. Of course I think you need everything that's tasteful. Variety is essential in ones wardrobe. Your only limitation should be closet space and bankroll. Of course with the latter you cn always build more closets.


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## orange fury (Dec 8, 2013)

Oldsarge said:


> I would pair the khaki with a blue coat and the British Tan one with either olive or very dark brown . . . but I suspect it really doesn't make much difference.


+1. I own various shades of khaki and find lighter shades more versatile for what I generally wear overall, but it's all personal preference.


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## Desirable Result (Feb 15, 2014)

after I get out of the winter season and the weather starts to transition to spring, British Tan cotton trousers begin to make their appearance as the length of daylight brightens the landscape. Once I'm satisfied that the season is transitioning enough again leaning to summer and hotter weather,then the British Tan goes away and the stone colored khaki, come out. And then again as the daylight and colors begin to fade into the fall the British Tan comes back. I have to cotton suits that are basically British Tan in khaki that I use the same way.


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## zzdocxx (Sep 26, 2011)

Thanks, I feel I like the lighter one, called "Khaki" better.

I think I saw the British Tan at Nordstrom (they don't have the Khaki) and it looked rather orangeish to my eye.

Edit: Mmmm actually "goldish" might be a better word for it. In any case I didn't quite like it.


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## Barnavelt (Jul 31, 2012)

I was perusing cotton suits on the O'Connell's website and I very much liked the British Tan. It may have something to do with the "it's different" factor. There is a reason that the lighter khaki color is widely regarded as the standard. It's so very versatile and almost always looks good with anything.


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## Stubbly (Jul 26, 2013)

*THIS,* if you can afford it.

Loro Piana Cotton Twills - plain front - Bone


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## Oldsarge (Feb 20, 2011)

Shoot. For that price I could get MTM!


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## Flanderian (Apr 30, 2008)

zzdocxx said:


> "Khaki" vs. "British Tan" ?
> 
> Is one of these colors considered to be more versatile, appropriate, more better, etc. ? ? ?


No, that's why you need several of each! :biggrin:

Or at least I do, as I live in khakis. Each lends itself well to many combinations, but the differences between them can be the difference between just fine and wonderful, depending upon what you are pairing them with.


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## sethblack (Sep 17, 2013)

Both are nice. But if I can only have one, then I would prefer the Khaki pair. I think they are more versatile and work better with the color of shirts that I normally wear. Light blue and black in particular I think work better with khaki than tan.


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## momsdoc (Sep 19, 2013)

Like our mother country, British tan adds an element of sophistication to chinos.


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## IvanD (Jan 5, 2012)

Another vote for as many shades as your budget allows. 
Mine range from the very dark British tan to almost white and as others have mentioned, as the weather warms, the trousers get lighter. 
But if I had to limit myself to the one colour it would be the khaki as in my opinion they are the most versatile.


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## kaehlin (Mar 29, 2014)

IvanD said:


> Another vote for as many shades as your budget allows.
> Mine range from the very dark British tan to almost white and as others have mentioned, as the weather warms, the trousers get lighter.
> But if I had to limit myself to the one colour it would be the khaki as in my opinion they are the most versatile.


+1 to this


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## Kingstonian (Dec 23, 2007)

IvanD said:


> Another vote for as many shades as your budget allows.
> Mine range from the very dark British tan to almost white and as others have mentioned, as the weather warms, the trousers get lighter.
> But if I had to limit myself to the one colour it would be the khaki as in my opinion they are the most versatile.


I have never seen anything described as "British Tan" in Britain. I have seen plenty of Khaki though.


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## Randy Y (Apr 19, 2012)

My BB guy convinced me to get a pair of "London Tan" khakis which I suspect is the same color. I was unsure at first, but now I really like them. I think you should go for it!


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## zzdocxx (Sep 26, 2011)

BTW I already have a couple of pair of these (Peter Millar) in "Stone" which I think is similar to the "Bone" mentioned above.

I think something more along the khaki part of the spectrum will be more versatile, the ones I have almost look like resort wear. OTOH, I got them cheap cheap cheap on ebay.



Also -- somewhere on AAAC someone was ridiculing stone color pants as being something that fraternity boys wear, and that gentlemen such as ourselves should not.

Any creedence to that opinion ? I was a bit stumped as I am not current with the sartorial habits of fraternitians.

But yeah the light ones seem not as versatile.


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## orange fury (Dec 8, 2013)

momsdoc said:


> Like our mother country, British tan adds an element of sophistication to chinos.


Loyalist! This is 'murica! :tongue2:

I do generally wear British tan when I want something a little dressier. You know OP, you could just get some Nantucket reds and use those in place of khaki, everything you can wear with khaki you can wear with reds :biggrin:


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## orange fury (Dec 8, 2013)

zzdocxx said:


> BTW I already have a couple of pair of these (Peter Millar) in "Stone" which I think is similar to the "Bone" mentioned above.
> 
> I think something more along the khaki part of the spectrum will be more versatile, the ones I have almost look like resort wear. OTOH, I got them cheap cheap cheap on ebay.
> 
> ...


i don't buy that line of thinking personally, I think the shade of the chinos (from white through British tan) has more to do with skin tone and personal preference than fraternities. I know frat guys at my alma mater primarily wore light khaki chinos, sperrys, and navy blazers (with costa del mar's on croakies), but the difference is that it was almost always poorly fitting.


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## zzdocxx (Sep 26, 2011)

Haven't found any Peter Millar in my size on ebay in the color I want.

New they are $125 and have not found anywhere discounted.

Incredibly comfortable, three point waist closure, fabric is substantial yet so soft. I think they call it "garment washed", whatever that means.

I'm a little reluctant to drop $125 on a new pair just now as I am "going to lose weight".

Also Nordstrom only has the British Tan and the regular khaki color is available from PM website.

But I wanted something comfortable to wear on a cross-country flight, is what started this whole thing, strangely enough.

I've tried on many pair of chinos (mostly by mail order/return) from BeauTies, LLBean, Bills, Jack Donnelly, in various makes and models. Also Bonobos and John Nordstrom in the store.

Haven't found anything as comfortable and well-fitting as these.


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## zzdocxx (Sep 26, 2011)

Thanks O.F., I find that encouraging.

I was thinking yesterday it may depend on how I match it up with the other clothes I wear. I'll put my mind to that one.

Only other thing is, I figure the "stone" color will get dirtier more quickly. That's OK, just for the duration of a plane ride I can live with it.


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## orange fury (Dec 8, 2013)

zzdocxx said:


> Haven't found any Peter Millar in my size on ebay in the color I want.
> 
> New they are $125 and have not found anywhere discounted.
> 
> ...


If you are in the process of losing weight, I would be careful with buying pants. I lost 35 pounds between December and March, and I've been having to get all my chinos taken from a 36 waist to a 32. I had a pair of reds that I had altered midway through my weight loss, and now I'm going to have to get them taken in again. Looking back, I would've waited to do the initial alteration.


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## orange fury (Dec 8, 2013)

zzdocxx said:


> Thanks O.F., I find that encouraging.
> 
> I was thinking yesterday it may depend on how I match it up with the other clothes I wear. I'll put my mind to that one.
> 
> Only other thing is, I figure the "stone" color will get dirtier more quickly. That's OK, just for the duration of a plane ride I can live with it.


not a problem 

I haven't found stone to get any dirtier than my darker colors (white shows EVERYTHING though), but again, all personal preference. Either way, outside of this forum, 99% of the population won't notice lol


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## zzdocxx (Sep 26, 2011)

Here's the stone, I suppose it is an off-white. In person not quite so white as this:


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## orange fury (Dec 8, 2013)

zzdocxx said:


> Here's the stone, I suppose it is an off-white. In person not quite so white as this:


im wearing a pair of Ralph Lauren Suffield fit chinos in a shade very similar to that right now with a light blue polo, gray cotton sweater, and brown loafers. Basically what I would be wearing if I was going on a flight lol. Either way, I'm a fan.


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## zzdocxx (Sep 26, 2011)

That sounds good, maybe I'll pair them with a light blue OCBD -- will the degree of casualness be close enough ? I have some nice solid color silk shirts, might also go with one of those.


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## orange fury (Dec 8, 2013)

zzdocxx said:


> That sounds good, maybe I'll pair them with a light blue OCBD -- will the degree of casualness be close enough ? I have some nice solid color silk shirts, might also go with one of those.


I wear mine with light blue or light pink OCBDs generally, I wouldn't do silk. I'll admit that I have a bias against silk shirts, but in this case I think it would clash with the texture of cotton chinos.


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## Fading Fast (Aug 22, 2012)

I own too many chinos / khakis for a normal person, but would argue that each variation in color comes in handy when putting outfits together as subtle differences in shade, tone, texture. weight and other details make some work better with this jacket or that sweater than others. I usually lay my clothes out on the bed with the window shade up as that is when I see how a slightly lighter (or darker) tan goes better with this sweater or a tan that has more grey than brown in it goes better with this jacket, etc. or this finer texture works better with the weave of this shirt. 

If you do this right (and I don't always, even when I try), it is why some outfits look better than others and while most people couldn't tell you why - i.e., they aren't consciously thinking, gee, all his tones are consistent - they can intuitively feel that the outfit looks harmonious. Getting it right, really right where an outfit truly pops (even quietly), includes not only the fit and general color coordination, but getting all the subtle things like tone, texture, etc. right.

That said, and to your original point, if I had to narrow my chinos to two pairs, I go with one stone and one khaki (not British Tan) as they seem to go with more things and would, for me, cover 80% of my needs - but whom am I kidding, ever since I could afford to, I've owned tens of chinos all the time and am alway culling and buying more. Last point, I do like British Tan very much and it does, as others have mentioned, feel a bit more formal to me.


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## zzdocxx (Sep 26, 2011)

Great idea, I'll try that.

Actually ended up with two pair of the stone, saw the second pair on ebay with no bidders and picked them up for $15.


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## Flanderian (Apr 30, 2008)

Fading Fast said:


> I own too many chinos / khakis for a normal person,


I think we need to start a 12-Step program -

_"We admitted that we were powerless over khakis - that our closets had become unmanageable."_


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## orange fury (Dec 8, 2013)

Flanderian said:


> I think we need to start a 12-Step program -
> 
> _"We admitted that we were powerless over khakis - that our closets had become unmanageable."_


Yeeaaaah, I would enroll lol. I only have 4 pairs in khaki, but overall...


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## Fading Fast (Aug 22, 2012)

Flanderian said:


> I think we need to start a 12-Step program -
> 
> _"We admitted that we were powerless over khakis - that our closets had become unmanageable."_


I'm sure there have been similarly themed threads (as I remember some) - but this would be a good one to maybe start anew. I don't know why I buy so many khakis - although I can rationalize it with the best of them, see above, need for different texture, tone, weight, details and, then, add in "it was on sale," they are light in color so I "need" two pairs, etc. - as I seem to be marginally better able to control myself with other items of clothes (although, I have too much of everything), but I, despite my best intentions (and sometimes even successful efforts for a time), always have too many khakis in my closet.


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## Fading Fast (Aug 22, 2012)

orange fury said:


> Yeeaaaah, I would enroll lol. I only have 4 pairs in khaki, but overall...


"only have 4 pairs" - you do not even count in the addict category. I have four pairs of just one type of khaki (perfect-for-me pair of Urban Slim - really just not baggy - J.Crew broken-in, Khaki color). I have committed to not buy another pair of any khakis at least until the true end-of-summer sales.


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## orange fury (Dec 8, 2013)

Fading Fast said:


> "only have 4 pairs" - you do not even count in the addict category. I have four pairs of just one type of khaki (perfect-for-me pair of Urban Slim - really just not baggy - J.Crew broken-in, Khaki color). I have committed to not buy another pair of any khakis at least until the true end-of-summer sales.


I meant more in terms of pants overall, I think I have somewhere around 20 pairs in my closet currently.


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## partyof6 (Feb 24, 2014)

zzdocxx said:


> Thanks, I feel I like the lighter one, called "Khaki" better.
> 
> I think I saw the British Tan at Nordstrom (they don't have the Khaki) and it looked rather orangeish to my eye.
> 
> Edit: Mmmm actually "goldish" might be a better word for it. In any case I didn't quite like it.


I felt the same way about Brooks Brothers' British tan. I returned them and kept the khaki. The yellow/gold/earwax tint in their version is very strong. As others have stated, however, it's personal preference. Also, I believe other makers' British tan may not be quite as goldish.


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## zzdocxx (Sep 26, 2011)

Found a pair on ebay for $70 plus 11 shipping.

NWT but have an special organization emblem embroidered above the back pocket. 

Deal killer, or no biggie ?

Or cut out the logo if possible ? (Will it leave a dent ?)


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## partyof6 (Feb 24, 2014)

I'm not a fan of logos. I think it'll leave a dent if you remove it, or least lines where the stitching was. 

If you can wait until mid/late May, I believe BB is having another corporate sale. You can stack the 30% discount with their everyday value buys. That drives their chino (and dress trousers too) price down to a very reasonable amount.


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## momsdoc (Sep 19, 2013)

Fading Fast said:


> "only have 4 pairs" - you do not even count in the addict category. I have four pairs of just one type of khaki (perfect-for-me pair of Urban Slim - really just not baggy - J.Crew broken-in, Khaki color). I have committed to not buy another pair of any khakis at least until the true end-of-summer sales.


I am hesitant to open this Pandora's box. What constitutes "too many" khakis. Do colors other than beiges count, or is it the style and material? If I have concerns, does this mean I am a candidate for KA?


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## Fading Fast (Aug 22, 2012)

momsdoc said:


> I am hesitant to open this Pandora's box. What constitutes "too many" khakis. Do colors other than beiges count, or is it the style and material? If I have concerns, does this mean I am a candidate for KA?


In the beige family, I have over 15 pairs of khakis - and have sworn off buying any more 'till end-of-summer sales (like I'll really need more then).


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## MaxBuck (Apr 4, 2013)

zzdocxx said:


> Found a pair on ebay for $70 plus 11 shipping.
> 
> NWT but have an special organization emblem embroidered above the back pocket.
> 
> ...


I'd look elsewhere if the emblem is for the National Socialist Party.

Honestly, I'd look elsewhere regardless. Would you wear a shirt with a monogram of someone else's initials?


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## momsdoc (Sep 19, 2013)

Fading Fast said:


> In the beige family, I have over 15 pairs of khakis - and have sworn off buying any more 'till end-of-summer sales (like I'll really need more then).


Thank God I don't have a problem then, only 14 pair in beige. But if we count navy, black and grey its 21, besides the other half dozen casual cottons. I can sleep well knowing it's just a minor character defect and not a full blown addiction. I guess that means I also have plenty of latitude in buying more cords and moleskins.......and cav twillls................and flannel...............and tweed............................gaberdine......................Dear God HELP ME.


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## zzdocxx (Sep 26, 2011)

MaxBuck said:


> I'd look elsewhere if the emblem is for the National Socialist Party.


How did you know, did you see it on ebay too ?

Well I bought them anyway,

1. I like the Peter Millar khakis, fit, fabric, and construction are great for me
2. Haven't see them on sale
3. The Notre Dame Fighting Irish guy is just small and over the back pocket
4. I can wear it them on St. Patrick's Day and not get pinched (it is green)
5. Could possibly even remove it, (pants are NWT so not bleached over)
6. Could pretend I am an alumnus (?) of that illustrious university, chicks will dig it.
7. Little Irish guy is babe magnet
8. Can pretend to be Irish on St. Paddy's, get free drinks and kisses, possibly.
9. These were ~$81 including shipping, would have set me back closer to $135 new, and that is the clincher.
10. Because spending too much on clothes lately.

















What does this little guy say ?

"Aye, put up yehr dukes, ye skinnamalink!"

Or something like that, sorry it is the best I could come up with on the spur.

_What say ye all, yea or nay ? ? ? _


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## zzdocxx (Sep 26, 2011)




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## zzdocxx (Sep 26, 2011)




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## zzdocxx (Sep 26, 2011)




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## bobelmore (Jan 26, 2014)

I built an extra closet in the basement, for out of season and overflow. Just a little framing, drywall and paint. Very functional.


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## zzdocxx (Sep 26, 2011)

I like the concept.


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