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Style guides

How to style baggy cargo pants (guys)

Written by DJ from StyleUp ·

Baggy cargo pants are what most people picture when they think of streetwear, and I think they’re also one of the harder pieces to style in a baggy fit. This guide covers how to wear them, with the pieces we think work best for your next everyday fit.

Cargo pants are pants with big patch pockets on the sides of the legs. They started as military workwear, and the light, swishy parachute version blew up with 80s breakdancers and street dancers. In terms of styling them, the rule is simple: one big shape, and everything else stays out of its way.

The short answerHow to style baggy cargos in five steps
  1. Let the cargos be the shape. Keep the top boxy and around hip length.
  2. Use the ankle toggles. Gathered hems over your sneakers look styled. Dragging hems don’t.
  3. Keep colors simple. Black or olive cargos with black, gray or white on top.
  4. Wear clean sneakers. White low-tops are the easiest match.
  5. Add one detail. A chain, a cap or a few rings.

What are parachute cargo pants?

Parachute cargos are cargo pants in a lighter, thinner fabric than classic cotton cargos, often nylon. They’re wide, they move when you walk, and most have toggles at the ankle so you can pull the hem in. Both pairs on this site are parachute cargos, and I think that’s why both fits look loose but still have a clean finish at the bottom.

How should baggy cargo pants fit?

They should sit at your waist and be loose all the way down, with the waist being the only part that feels fitted. If they’re falling down, they’re too big, and the extra pockets make that easy to spot.

In terms of length, this is where the toggles come in. Pull them in so the hem gathers just above or on top of your sneakers, since that bit of bunching is what makes wide pants look intentional instead of sloppy.

What tops go with cargo pants?

I’d go with something boxy that stops around the hip. A long top covers the pockets, and the pockets are half the reason to wear cargos in the first place.

A heavyweight teeThe warm-weather default

A plain heavyweight tee in black or white is the easiest top for cargos. It’s boxy enough to match the pants and doesn’t cling. Tuck it in a little at the front if it’s covering the waist.

A hoodieFor when it's cold

Hoodies and cargos come from the same place, so they look right together. I’d keep the hoodie in a quiet color so the cargos stay the main thing. The hoodie outfits guide has more on how a hoodie should fit.

What shoes go with cargo pants?

Sneakers with some size to them, so the gathered hem has something to sit on. Clean white low-tops are the easiest, since white at the bottom breaks up dark or olive cargos and stops the fit from looking heavy. Skate shoes and chunkier sneakers work for the same reason.

Black cargos vs. olive

In my opinion black is the easier first pair. It goes with every top, and an all-black fit with white sneakers is hard to mess up. Olive or gray-green is closer to where cargos came from and gives the fit some color without being loud. With olive, keep the top neutral, like charcoal, black or white.

Two cargo fits to copy

Both fits use budget finds. Open one to see every piece and the job it does.

Gray-green cargos with a hoodie

Saturday, cold out, nowhere specific to be. The gray-green cargos are the big shape, and a washed charcoal hoodie, a black cap and white sneakers stay out of their way. A thin silver chain and two rings add detail up close.

Baggy cargo fit with a cap and silver chainSee all 6 pieces and what each one does
Illustration of the baggy cargo fit with a cap and silver chain

Illustration of the full fit. Open the full fit

All-black cargos with silver

Black tee, black parachute cargos and white sneakers, then silver on top: a Cuban chain, a pocket chain off the belt loop and a couple of rings. Mixing cotton, nylon and metal keeps the all-black from looking flat.

Monochrome cargo fit with silver chainsSee all 6 pieces and what each one does
Illustration of the monochrome cargo fit with silver chains

Illustration of the full fit. Open the full fit

Common cargo mistakesFive things that make cargos look off
  • Hems dragging on the ground. Use the toggles or cuff them.
  • A long top that covers the pockets.
  • Filling the pockets. Bulging pockets ruin the shape.
  • Too many loud pieces on top of already loud pants.
  • Sizing up the waist to get a wider leg.

Start with one pair

If you’re buying one pair, I’d get black. Wear them with a black tee and white sneakers first, which is basically the all-black fit above without the silver. Once that feels normal, one example of a next step would be the gray-green pair with a charcoal hoodie, and that’s the second fit.

From this guide

The fits

All fits