How to Style Cargo Pants

Cargo pants have become vastly popular in recent months, overtaking jeans as the top garment in everyday fashion amongst streetwear enthusiasts. The extremely versatile military inspired pant can be worn across multiple different outfit styles. In this article we will present some of the best things to wear with cargo pants

The History of Cargo Pants

The history of cargo pants dates back to the 1930s, where they were first worn by British and American soldiers during World War 2. These pants were designed to provide soldiers with storage space for carrying essential items such as ammunition and supplies, whilst still being comfortable to wear for long periods of time. After the war, cargo pants were adopted by the public and became popular for everyday wear in the 1980s and 90s, being seen as a practical and comfortable alternative to traditional pants.

Hip-Hop culture was also a huge influence in popularising cargo pants; fast forward to today, and they are still a staple in fashion and favoured for their functionality, versatility and comfort.

What to wear with cargo pants

Cargo pant are one of the more versatile pieces of clothing that you can add to your wardrobe. Traditionally lower on the scale of formality, they can be dressed up with an overshirt or dressed down with a hoodie. The style of cargo pants also comes into play here; more sports-focused styles like our 247 pants, crafted from technical fabrics such as nylon, are more likely to suit laid back looks such as with a hoodie. Meanwhile, more relaxed styles crafted from fabrics such as cotton are suitable for a wider range of fits. Read on to discover some of the best pieces to wear with cargo pants.

Best T-shirts to wear with Cargo Pants

The best style of t-shirt to style with cargo pants is an oversized t-shirt, the boxy fit and drop shoulder sleeves compliment the cargos very well. The best oversized t-shirts we have to offer is from our Blank range, our Blank t-shirts have made from a medium weight cotton which is softened and pre-washed for the ultimate vintage wash. The Blank t-shirt comes in multiple different colours that can be mixed and matched with various different cargo's. My favourite mix is a white t-shirt and our Stone Cargo pants.

Another great t-shirt style to wear with cargo pants is a graphic t-shirts. Our graphic tees are all hand designed in house, and perfect for elevating your fit.

Best Hoodies to wear with Cargo Pants

The easiest style of Hoodie to style with Cargos is again an oversized hoodie, similar to an oversized t-shirt, the boxy fit complements the cargos very well. The best oversized hoodie we have to compliment the cargos are our Blank hoodies, just like the Blank t-shirts they come in a wide range of colours to mix and match, and they come in a heavy weight cotton to ensure you are kept warm. The hoodies come in both a zipped style and and overhead, my personal favourite pair is the zip style hoodie in the Cream Marl colourway, and matching them with the Flat White Blank t-shirt and our Stone Cargo pants.

Best Jackets to wear with Cargo Pants

Theres are a few jackets that pair great with Cargo pants, the first one is our Puffer Gilet, the slightly cropped duck down filled gilet is very versatile just like the pants, and can be worn for multiple occasions, I would look to pair this with a pair of our 247 Pants in Black and a graphic t-shirt or cobalt blue hoodie.

Another jacket which goes well with cargos is one of our overshirts, the versatile piece can be worn in all seasons and can be dressed both up and down. Our Black overshirt would look great with our black cargos and an Owners Club t-shirt in Black also. Be sure to check out our full range of men's overshirts to pair with your cargos.

One of the best jackets to wear with cargo pants is a varsity jacket. Whether you choose to go for a more out there colour like cobalt blue or racing green, or try a more subdued tone such as black or maroon, our range of varsity jackets are great to be styled with any of our cargo silhouettes. Our bestselling iteration is our cobalt blue varsity jacket.

 

Best Shoes to wear with Cargo Pants

Your shoe choice may be the most important feature when choosing an outfit with Cargo Pants, a baggier cargo looks great with a pair of chunky sneakers, whilst a slimmer fitting cargo pant looks great with a more athletic silhouette.

The best sneaker we have to pair with baggier cargos is our Reptors, the chunky skate style sneaker features premium suedes and leathers and comes in multiple colourways. We would look at pairing our Reptors in a Flat White colourway with our Stone Cargo Pants.

Another highlight shoe to wear with cargo pants are our Apex sneakers. With a mixture of tumbled and flat leather, this sneaker takes vintage basketball shoe elements and combines them with a two tone skate-inspired sole unit. The chunky style allows cargo pants to sit perfectly upon the shoe, creating a great look for anyone to try.

The best sneaker for slimmer fitting cargos is our Harriers, the athletic looking sneaker features premium leathers, suedes and nylons and just like the reptors, feature multiple different colours to ensure you can pair them with different outfits. We would look to pair our 247 Pant with a pair of the Triple Black Harriers.

As you just read, there are multiple ways in which we can style Cargos and the versatility of them is wide, they look good with pretty much everything we have to offer! Be sure to check out our full range of our Cargo Pants. Narrow down your search by browsing our grey cargos. If you're looking for an alternative to a classic cargo style, then be sure to also explore our range of cargo jeans.

If you're reading this in the summer months and you're looking for a lighter style for warmer weather, then be sure to also explore our collection of men's cargo shorts. 

Check out more of our styling articles such as our piece on outfits for with black jeans, winter outfits for men or how to style varsity jackets.

You can now buy cargo pants through Klarna, Clearpay or any of the other payment methods we have on offer, so you can buy risk free. Customers in the UK get free returns on all products featured in this blog, so try out some of our cargo pants today.

With free shipping UK-wide and a variety of discounts elsewhere on the site, there's never been a better time to upgrade your streetwear. This is a great time to shop at Represent.