What to wear with cargo trousers

Cargo trousers, with their patch pockets and roomy cut, are a utilitarian piece with a lot of volume. It is precisely this volume that drives the pairing logic: to avoid looking swamped, you balance the wide bottom with a more fitted or shorter top. A tucked top, a close-fitting tee or a fine, nipped-in knit gives the waist back and prevents a shapeless effect. Conversely, an oversized top over roomy cargos creates a volume-on-volume that weighs down the whole silhouette. On colour, cargos come mostly in neutral, earthy tones, khaki, beige, chocolate, black, which makes them an easy base. Khaki, a cool, muted colour, warms up with ecru, camel or an orange accent, while black or beige cargos take almost anything. Since cargos read workwear, the choice of shoes steers the whole register: white sneakers keep them casual and urban, loafers or a sleek boot dress them up and break their military side. By playing on the fit of the top and the neatness of the shoes, cargo trousers move from a street look to controlled smart casual.