Cargo pants. They started out as functional items for the British military in the 1930s but eventually wound up on civilians. They fell out of favor and remerged in the '90s as a staple of slacker culture. As menswear slimmed down and refined itself, cargoes were banished—only to return a few years later. No other item ping pongs back and forth quite like these pants.

But we're all for them. At least, for right now. The 2019 version of the cargo pant is tailored but relaxed. They're cut from a myriad of materials to suit your personal style—from classic washed wool and yarn-dyed Japanese twill to a performance nylon ready for action. The pockets have been streamlined. Sure, you can slip something into them, but you certainly don't need to. And they weren't built to be loaded up.

Instead, their function comes in their versatility. These are the kind of pants that will take you from a casual day date on Saturday to an outdoor adventure with your buddies on Sunday and straight into work on Monday. Again, you may not need to tote anything in those extra pockets, but the additional design elements and detailing add a shot of visual interest and separate you from the pack of guys wearing boring pants.