Style Scenario: Summer Wedding, Super Casual

What are you going to wear? Sometimes it’s good to look at a few suggestions then add your own tweaks and ideas. That’s what these are for. Dressing for summer weddings can be tough. It’s warm, you want to look good, but you don’t want to treat someone else’s big day as your own personal fashion show (it’s seriously bad form). We’ll tackle 3 warm weather wedding scenarios over the next few days. Today features the most casual scenario. The couple might go barefoot. The groom might skip a suit, and be in linen pants and an untucked shirt. This outfit respects the day, while still keeping it loose.

The Blazer: J. Crew Summerweight Cotton/Linen Sportcoat in Black/White Fine Stripe – $168. Not cheap, but worth it. Especially if you’re headed to a warm beach to watch some nuptials. For a super casual wedding, any sort of blazer or sportcoat might be too much. But y’know what? It’s super easy to take off if you feel overdressed once you get there.

The Watch: Timex Weekender Leather Strap Chrono – $59.95 ($79.95). The well-liked chrono addition to the Timex Weekender lineup. Strap is far from stellar, but it looks fine enough and works well with the outfit.

The Polo: UNIQLO Button Down Dry-Fabric – $19.90. Yes you can wear a polo with a sportcoat, and this is a perfect example of how to do just that. It’s an important event, but you don’t want to look anything but relaxed. So choose an unstructured sportcoat, and instead of a long sleeve shirt you’d have to tuck in, go with a polo with a nice collar in a bright white fabric. It stays untucked, and that increases air-flow, all while looking put together but not uncomfortably stiff.The UNIQLO option even has some shirting fabric on the underside of the collar to keep it crisp. Strongly consider sizing down if you’re on the slim side.

The Sunglasses: UNIQLO Foldable Wayfarers ‘ $9.95. Classic shape. Dirt cheap. Foldable which makes them perfect for weddings/other events where you could be moving in and out of doors.

The Belt: J. Crew Leather & Navy Stretch Cotton Web Belt – $39.95. Often on sale, not too clunky, still plenty casual and comfortable.

The Shoes: Nordstrom 1901 “Lancaster” Tassel Suede Loafers – $110. A deep, saturated shade of suede, good looking toe shape, and from one of Nordstrom’s dependable house brands. Laid back wedding = laces optional.

The Socks: Smartwool No-Shows – $13.95. Hooray for sockless and all, but sweaty feet + shoes that don’t fit perfect (which can often be the case with loafers) = some serious discomfort. Going with WOOL… not cotton… no show socks is insurance against hot-spots and blisters.

The Pants: J. Crew Factory Summerweight Chino – $35.50. JCF’s summerweight pants really are noticeably lighter than standard chinos. The pale blue adds some color to avoid a monochrome look. But if you like monochrome? Feel free to go with white pants here instead.

The Sweat/Skin Managers: Handkerchiefs – $9.99 | Titanium Dioxide Sunscreen – $10.24 | Foot Powder – $6.00. Stick a hankie or two in your pockets for brow wiping. They’ll also come in handy if you’re seated next to a particularly weepy guest. Why that specific forumla of sunscreen? Titanium Dioxide based sunscreens won’t stain your clothes if washed later on in hard water (some of the Avobenzone-type sunscreens can turn to rust in hard water). Foot powder = a good idea even if you are wearing the no-show socks.