Style Scenario: It Got Hot (Dressy 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. Summer is here, and while it’s totally understandable to revert back to the elastic waists of 2020 in the hot hot heat of 2021, throwing a “I dressed up for the hell of it” twist in a few times a week (or, I dunno, once?) can do wonders for your self-confidence. Here’s one contemporary way to keep it somewhat casual, but still have elements of being dressed up.

The Polo: Abercrombie Pattern Stretch Polo – $22 ($55). Look Ma, no Moose (logo)! Abercrombie & Fitch has come a long way since their early aughts assault on our visual and olfactory senses (the logos! the cologne! The faux ripped baseball hats!). Mostly cotton here. If you perspire a lot (hi!), maybe invest in the Lululemon Metal Vent Tech polo? It doesn’t have a dot pattern, but there’s a slight variation in the fabric thanks to the strategic cooling perforations, and influx of stank-killing “Silverescent” threads in the material.

The Trousers: Spier and Mackay Light Gray Sondrio Stretch Cotton Dress Trousers – $98 ($118). These are dressy. Not a pair of beat up washed chinos (although you could probably swap those in too without too much trouble). Want to go with tropical wool for an ultimate cooling effect? They’ve got Italian Tropical Wool trousers too for $128. Although sizes are pretty scarce in those.

The Shoes: Spier and Mackay Goodyear Welted Suede Wingtip – $198 ($248). Made in Portugal. Nice suede. And fifty bucks off through today along with the rest of their shoe collection. Want something cheaper? It’s not a wingtip, but these suede bluchers from Banana Republic should do the trick for around $100 when on sale.

The Sunglasses: Persol 52mm Sunglasses – $99 ($260). On mega sale via Nordstrom Rack. Ships for free, but returns will cost you $5.95 for a pre paid label (in-store returns are free, but is has to be a Nordstrom Rack location, not a regular mainline Nordy store). A cheaper option would be something from Kent Wang. Those run $55.

The Watch: Dan Henry 1962 Racing Chronograph – $270. All the fun of a Tag Monaco, at a fraction of the cost. Mecha quartz movement here, so you get the reliability and cost-effectiveness of quartz, with the snappy feel of a mechanical chronograph. 39mm case diameter should please many. Dan Henry Watches are surprisingly good looking and well made. Head here for a review of another one of their chronos, and over here for another quick review of a dress chrono from them, buried within our annual Dads and Grads watches round up.

The Belt: Banana Republic Italian Leather Belt – $41 ($59.50). Not too casual. Not overly dressy. Just like the outfit.

The The No-Show Socks: Bombas Men’s Lightweight Merino Wool No Show Socks in Wine – $15. Merino is nature’s tech fabric. Perfect for the freaking hot as bleep dog days of summer. Going with a complimentary color here just in case they show a little. But they shouldn’t. They’re no-shows!