Style Scenario: Fresh Air Deck Date

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. Spring is starting to show up. Some fresh air will do you and your Sweetie some good. Don’t have a deck? That’s fine. Do you have a fire escape? A patio slab? Can you pack a picnic and walk to a local park? If all else fails, open a damn window, drag a small table over to it, and sit down. Ta-Da. Spring air does ya good. Don’t have a Sweetie? That’s just fine too. Better smartly single than stupidly shacked up for the sake of companionship. Grab a book. Grab the cat. Grab the goldfish bowl and set it across from you. You’ll never be happy in a relationship if you can’t figure out how to be happy in solitude (or, solitude + goldfish &/or cat).  

The Sportcoat: Bonobos Unconstruced Italian Hopsack Sportcoat in Charcoal – $400. Yes, charcoal. You can 100% wear charcoal in the summer, as long as it starts to look a little less severe in sunlight. And that’s what hopsack will do for you, thanks to its mix of darker gray and white threads. The texture helps too. Too spendy? This $248 Wool/Cotton option from J. Crew should work too. Wanna go knit? Why not, we’re at home, right? Try this one from Nordstrom for $89.

The Shirt: Nordstrom Trim Fit SmartCare – $39.50. Or, whatever your favorite crisp white dress shirt happens to be. Got one for cheap during the big Nordstrom Sale? Even better!

The Pocket Square: TheTieBar White Linen + Navy Border – $12. A little bit of color. The slightly wider than “piped” navy border here is a great addition to any mainly monochromatic outfit. Does a great job loosening up/dressing down more conservative looks too.

The Sunglasses: Hugo Boss 51mm Sunglasses – $59.97. Classic keyhole bridge that’s not over-stylized. Handsome tortoise shell pattern that doesn’t try too hard. Very much on sale. Nordstrom Rack continues to be the place to go for sunglasses that aren’t trash, but aren’t priced into the stratosphere either.

The Belt: Suitsupply Suede Woven Belt – $59. Usually matching suedes can look a little too “matchy-match”. Not here though, thanks to the casual woven texture.

The Pants: Banana Republic Core Temp Chinos in Gray Stone – $60ish ($98). A perfect pair of pants, and a perfect play here. One of the new colors that’s not on super back-order. Plenty of contrast between it and the sportcoat, and this anchors your lower half in “hey, it’s spring” territory, without going full Mr. White Pants.

The Watch: Orient 2nd Gen. Bambino Ver. 2 – $110. Retro looks with blue hands. Or whatever your favorite dress watch happens to be. You could wear something more casual here too, just make sure it doesn’t clash with the overall aesthetic. Heck, I think a cheap Timex weekender would look just fine here.

The Shoes: Nordstrom Men’s Shop David Chelseas – $79.90 ($134.95). Or dark brown suede chukkas. Or bucks. Or whatever. The chelseas work great here because they’re sleek, almost certainly lighter weight, and that shorter ankle shaft looks just fine in the spring and summer. Just about sold out being that these have been part of the numerous Nordstrom sale events that they’ve been running.

The Music: The Essential Duke Ellington. Don’t bring the room (or in this case, the patio/deck/fire escape) down with some sad as hell navel-gazing nonsense. Keep it light and fun.

The Glassware: Marquis by Waterford Markham Double Old Fashioned Glasses, Set of 4 – $40ish ($100). Glassware is a lot like clothes. Use your good stuff. Don’t just let it sit in a closet or cupboard unused.

The Food: Tapas style… whatever you have on hand. Snacking seems more intentional when you cut the stuff up into smaller pieces. Like, don’t just throw a big turkey sandwich out there. Toast the bread. Cut it in quarters. Put some mayo and mustard in a ramekin. Cut up a bunch of fruit and vegetables and pickles and stack meats and cheeses on a platter or cutting board. Put some nuts in a bowl. Pour a carafe of water. Ice some bubbly if you have it. Grab a couple of tulips dandelions and put them in a small vase. Ta-da. It’s not your daily lunch, it’s fancy happy hour snacks!