Style Scenario: What to Wear on a Summer Casual Date Night

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. It’s a summer night and you and your significant other want to let loose without getting fancy. This is the comfort zone for my wife and I – going out, without showing out. It’s a time to relax and refresh from a busy week, together. Maybe it includes dinner, maybe not. If it does, it’s somewhere laid back like a local bar-b-que joint, or for us a favorite sushi spot where it’s BYOB. This is a casual look that offers you some cool comfort and freedom to be spontaneous. One of our favorite summer date nights? The classic mini-golf and ice cream. Sixteen again, baby!

The Polo: BR Luxury Touch Slim Fit in Dark Grey – $25ish ($44.50) A standard, classic grey in a non-standard, gloriously soft cotton polo. Some of you have issues with shrinkage in the dryer. Simple solution for me: hang dry. Size shown above is a Large in slim fit on 5’7″ 175 pounds.

The Watch: Orient Kamasu Diver in Blue – $280. Classic styling with day/date functionality and sapphire makes this a no-brainer at the price. Included in our dads & grads watch roundup earlier this year.

The Sunglasses: Ray-Ban 54mm Polarized Wayfarer in Lite Havana – $80. No idea how these are still in stock at this price. An incredible bargain. Full price is $180, so if you’re on the hunt for new shades, jump on these while you still can. You will be hard pressed to find a better deal. 

The Pants: Bonobos Lightweight Chino in French Navy – $66.30 w/ SOLSTICE15 ($78). Formerly called their “summer weight” chinos, now known as the “stretch lightweight” chino – though the URL still reads as “summer weight.” Go figure. Either case, an extra-breezy version of the beloved Bonobos chino. These are a true lightweight, and the change in name seems to have brought a $20 price drop when at full retail. Was just 30% off during their big site-wide sale. Now 15% with that evergreen code.

The Socks: Calibrate Merino Blend Sock in Bright Blue – $12.50. Not for everyone, but I like to have fun with my socks. Especially in the summer, bright colors add a playful touch and pair well with the attitude of the pattern on the braided belt.

The Belt: The Tie Bar Braided Zig-Zag Belt in Navy/White – $25. I’m a huge fan of braided belts for the summer. They’re lightweight and have endless customization in size, while adding some flash with fun patterns and bright colors. I’ve had one from The Tie Bar for 4+ years, so unexpectedly durable, too. A great buy even at full price.

The Shoes: Adidas Continental 80 White/Navy/Scarlet – $60 ($80). In-person review coming shortly on these. Leather quality appears to be a slight step up from Adidas’ own Stan Smith, and a few more layers provides added visual interest. Also available in a nice off-white version direct from Adidas.