Men’s summer style can be difficult for many guys to get right. Casual wear will likely be your most worn style throughout the summer period and despite this, most men poorly co-ordinated their outfits, wear clothes more suitable for another season, or choose outfits that lack style altogether. This summer casual guide for men will help you to improve your wardrobe and find a casual style this summer that’s right for you.
What is Casual Style?
Casual style means different thing to different people. However, it is often the dress style that you would be spending most of you casual time in – hence casual wear. More importantly is that casual wear is about comfort and individuality but style should be a leading factor too. Finding a balance between all three is key to getting casual dress style right.
Keep It Neutral
If you are unsure keep it neutral. Light and neutral colours are better suited for the summer season and instantly gives you the bright summer vibe with very little effort. Also, a style rule that you need to know is that the lighter in tone a garment is the more casual it tends to be.
Where to begin? We recommend that you pick up a few white tee’s and white shirts for the summer ahead, it makes for effortless style and they are highly versatile, meaning you can combine with many trouser or short styles with ease.
A simple summer casual outfit that looks great on almost any man is the combination of light-wash denim jeans, plain white tee shirt, plain white trainers and of course a pair of shades. Minimising the colour and keeping the outfit simple is something a lot of men just don’t follow. Doing so will almost guarantee that an outfit will look good. No more will you be one of those guys who struggle to put an outfit together or pick out a colour that complements them.
There is a couple of really good variation of the neutral look above that we laid out below. The first on the left is a switch from light-wash jeans to light-wash denim shorts. On the hotter days, the shorts will probably be a relief. Sticking with the same white trainers but this time switch the white tee for a casual white shirt with rolled-up sleeves to make it a little more cool and casual.
The second outfit above (above/right) is classically summer in style. Staying to the light and the neutral rule is what makes this outfit such an on-point look. Again, this outfit consists of a casual white shirt, this one is linen, however, a perfect fabric for the summer and a little more casual than your cotton thread shirt. Pairing the shirt with a light and neutral pair of tapered khaki chinos gives this look a little more put-together or preppy edge. And finishing the look off with a pair of smart tan leather sandals only adds to this. This look is perfect for any occasion, both day and evening. This outfit is perfect for your summer travels abroad, dining alfresco, or looking on point on a casual sunny day in town.
Vertical Striped Shirts
A great summer casual style trend this season is the vertical striped shirt. This one is here to stay. Vertical striped shirts have slimming qualities, drawing the eye up and down and making you appear taller. What to look for is striped shirts? Look for the thick stripes, similar to those often found on deckchairs. Keep it summery with a button or two undone or leave it unbuttoned completely and throw on a plain white T-shirt underneath. You can also find wider vertical line shirts, as seen below (bottom/right). These can often vary widely in colour and can be found in alternating wide and narrow lines.
How to make the perfect outfit with the striped shirt? Simply combine your striped shirt with a pair of casual denim jeans or chinos and a pair of trainers.
Checked and Denim Shirts
Checked and denim shirts are always great staples. The checked shirt can be worn in so many styles, from that lumberjack look to the hipster, to something somewhat smarter. And with some many styles and colours to choose from the print is versatile, to say the least. Now, as it is summer, material matters. Go for a thin cotton material that is breathable and won’t leave you sweating all day long in the blistering heat. Worn with a button or two undone will give you a more casual look whilst keeping you a little cooler at the same time. Alternatively, checked shirts can look great thrown over a short sleeved t-shirt, the safest option is a plain white tee. Shorts sleeves would be an obvious choice for the season but a cool look to keep in mind is a long sleeve checked shirt with the sleeves rolled up.
The denim shirt is one of the most versatile shirts you could own this year. A lightweight slim-fit shirt will best be suited for the summer month to keep you nice and cool, however, it is also a great trans-season style, which can be added with layers when the temperature dips. The general rule for denim above the waist is to stick to lighter hues or a faded wash, which will coordinate better with the rest of your wardrobe than darker hues.
What pants can you wear with a denim shirt? Chinos are perhaps the easiest to pair with denim shirts. If you are opting for a lighter or faded denim shirt then go for a light tan or cream chino, if its a darker denim shirt, then look at the darker chino styles.
Jean trouser can be a little tricky. If you are not a fan of the double denim look, then go for black denim jeans and blue denim shirt.
Shorts and denim shirts make for the perfect match. Denim shirts can be paired with almost any shorts, it’s easy to style. Denim shirts and shorts should definitely be one of your essential outfits for the summer.
The Perfect Summer Shorts
Shorts will be a summer staple. We suggest to keep the style simple and avoid vulgar patterns. Shorts should not fall below the knee and with this, we say avoid cargo shorts at all costs, they do nothing for your style. What you want to be looking for is a pair of shorts that are nicely fitting, where it should fall somewhere between the top of the knee and mid-way between the upper leg and knee.
Check out the two outfits below. You should notice how the outfit on the left is much smarter than the one of the right. The summer outfit on the right is darker, therefore, it is smarter in appearance. There are also less distinct patterns discernible compared to the summer outfit on the right.
