Style Scenario: Modern Mod (black and gray smart 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. Less is, often, more. Going for a mod-like, monochrome look here, all while remaining contemporary and comfortable. This’d be a great way to reacclimate to dressing with a bit of intention, without going full suit and dress shirt. Y’know, if you’ve been on the sidelines for a bit in sweats/athleisure.

The Sweater: Jos. A. Bank 100% Extra Fine Merino Cardigan Sweater – $39 ($55). Nice price for a pretty smart looking cardigan. Sweater at the top of the post is actually the gray body/black tipped option from TheTieBar, which happens to be sold out (d’oh). If you want that tipped look, there’s this USA Made option on Amazon (albeit not nearly as subtle). If you’re good with a solid and don’t want to lean on Jos. A. Bank, there’s always the ol’ Goodthreads Standby.

The Pants: Bonobos Stretch Washed Chinos in “Asphalts” – $99. Or whatever your favorite pair of darker gray chinos happens to be. Fingers crossed Bonobos does a sale sometime soon. They’ve been VERY quiet in the promos/codes front lately. Kinda weird.

The Sunglasses: Ray-Ban RB4175 Oversized Clubmaster – $90. Sticking with the retro but still contemporary theme here, with a pair of sunglasses from Ray Ban that lean on their original clubmaster, but look more modern thanks to a sleeker frame and a larger overall size. These are a great option for guys with medium to larger faces who dwarf the smaller leaning original clubmaster.

The Watch: Invicta Men’s Pro Diver 40mm Stainless Steel Automatic Watch – $80. Or… whatever your favorite diver happens to be.

The Polo: Banana Republic Luxe Touch Polo in Black – $22 ($44.50). The Luxe Touch from BR works perfect here, thanks to the dressy smooth fabric and dark buttons. Buttoning the top button completes the look.

The Socks: Bombas Merino Wool Sock – $19. Bombas are legit. Their merino wool socks are high-quality, durable, breathable, and have just enough cushioning. Perfect for this style scenario.

The Shoes: Clarks Original Desert Boot in Dark Brown Suede – $130. There’s a misconception that gray and brown can’t go together. They 100% can. They don’t ALWAYS go together, but here, the matte texture of the suede goes GREAT with the dark charcoal of the chinos and the medium gray of the sweater. It all balances out. Now, does a dark charcoal suit go with a light tan dress shoe? No. Not really. But as you can see above, this isn’t that. This works.

The Belt: Gap Basic Leather Belt ‘ $27 ($39.95). Gets mentioned all the time… because it’s kinda the perfect casual to smart casual belt. Often on sale.