Style Scenario: The First Day it Feels like Summer – Dressed up (but no suit)

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. Here comes the sun. Yesterday we did a more casual look. Here we’re going dressed up, but not quite to suit level. It’s an outfit you could wear to a warm weather wedding, rehearsal dinner, a fancy-schmancy open air cocktail hour, etc. Here’s to a warm but not sweaty summer ahead.

The Sportcoat: J. Crew Ludlow Slim-fit unstructured suit jacket in Irish cotton-linen – $198. One of the best warm-weather items J. Crew makes. Light and crisp Irish cotton-linen fabric, totally unlined back, and a very summer-appropriate shade of cream. Get it in, get it tailored, and wear the heck out of it until Labor Day. And maybe beyond.

The Shirt: Charles Tyrwhitt Washed Fine Twill Shirt in Navy – $39.95 w/ CTAFF35 ($99). Usually guys wear dark jackets and light shirts. Flipping that script here. It’s a pretty dashing look. Just make sure you pick a shirt that’s not a heavy oxford. A couple other options would be this tech dress shirt from Bonobos, the (famous) Rhone Commuter in Navy (if you can find one in your size), this seersucker option from Brooks Brothers, or you could stick with J. Crew and get one of their all linen Baird McNutt shirts.

The Sunglasses: Raen Optics Myles – 53 – $150. RICH. Both in how they look, materials-wise, and price tag. There’s always Huckberry’s in-house line of sunglasses for something cheaper.

The Pants: Amazon Goodthreads Slim-Fit or Athletic Fit Washed Comfort Stretch Chino Pant – $34. Go with either a true white or a very pale gray. (Other options: J. Crew Factory or Target). Mixing shades of blue works. Mixing shades of gray works. Mixing shades of cream/khaki/beige often leaves you looking like an extra on Animal Planet. Thus… white pants.

The Watch: Dan Henry 1937 Mecha-Quartz Chronograph – $270. Or whatever your favorite slim dress watch happens to be. This one happens to be a chrono, which for some reason looks extra good with the above outfit. Shown on an extra “coffee” brown strap. Straps have those quick change pins too, so swapping them out is easy.

The Socks: Bombas Men’s Merino Wool Dress Socks – $20. Or go sockless/no-shows if that’s what you prefer. But a lot of us like to wear socks with slip-on shoes since… they’re slip on shoes. No laces = more risk of slip between your foot and the lining of the shoe. And that can lead to hotspots/blisters in a hurry. The navy color produces a subtle color blocking look up against the pants + matching up with the shirt, while their merino blend material will wick and keep your feet comfortable. Just check to make sure whatever pants you end up with aren’t translucent. Depending on skin tone, you could end up with some weird lines halfway up your calves where the socks run out.

The Shoes: Grant Stone Traveler Penny Loafer in Storm Suede – $275. Be still our shoe expert Adam’s heart. Grant Stone took their excellent Traveler Penny loafer, and made it out of a versatile but still interesting shade of gray suede. Looks to be a perfect 3 season casual shoe. Especially now that we’ve hit the bright sunshine, and smooth leather can sometimes give off too much of a glare during the hotter months. The Less Expensive Option: Try these from Nordstrom for $100.