Chinos, Chukkas, Polo: Black and Tan and Olive

Chinos, Chukkas, and a Polo is our ongoing series out to prove the benefits of this simple combination. There’s a million ways to do it, the benefits are numerous and significant, and it can be executed at all levels of style budgets. Head here for a further explanation as to why chinos, chukkas, and a polo works. Click here for the growing archive. Got a suggestion for Chinos, Chukkas, & a Polo? Send those into joe@dappered.com.

The Polo: Target All in Motion Performance Polo – $15. Sharp. 007 looking. But… cheap. Fabric is a 57% Cotton, 38% Recycled Polyester, 5% Spandex blend. A lot of brands are doing this mixing of cotton with a healthy dose of engineered threads & stretchy spandex. The end result should (should) be something with a softer feel than an all poly tech polo, but also possesses some of the stretch and wicking of full tech. Cotton, even in blended form, can still hold onto moisture. So if you run warm, might be best to go with a full tech alternative. Care to splurge? Try the super smooth Bonobos 50% cotton / 50% drytex acrylic Jetsetter polo for $69. Same theory there, with the cotton and engineered fiber blend.

The Pants: Bonobos Performance Link 5-Pocket Pants in Wild Olive – $69 ($119). Moisture wicking, quick dry, and breathable. Perfect. Color is a green-leaning olive, which bridges the shade-gap between the lighter suede of the chukkas, and the black polo. Yes you can wear browns, tans, and other earth tones with black. Not all earth tones in all doses, but it’s a combination that can absolutely look great… depending on the ratio. The More Affordable Option: Old Navy Slim Built-In Flex Ultimate Tech Chino Pants for Men – $35ish

The Chukkas: Banana Republic Brendt Suede Chukka – $59.97 FINAL ($180). Full disclosure: These didn’t do so well when our shoe expert reviewed them. But… for sixty bucks? Ehhhhh? Final sale though. No returns. Chukkas shown at the very top of the post are the often-mentioned UK Made Sanders Hi-Top, this time in “dirty buck.” It’s tough to find those stateside, but $217 at Stuarts is an nicely fair price. Just know that returns would be a huge pain since you’re on the hook for international return shipping. Yet a size 9.5 UK fits my normally 10.5 D US perfectly. A full in person review can be found here.

The Sunglasses: Kent Wang Browline – $55. Just reviewed in our best sunglasses under $100 round up. Spring hinges are a nice feature at this price.

The Face Protection: Jack Black Double-Duty Face Moisturizer SPF 20 – $48 / 8.5 fl oz. Sun’s out guns face moisturizer with SPF out. If you want to age noticeably slower than your peers, do the following three things: drink plenty of water, get enough sleep, and protect your skin. Especially your face.

The Watch: Orient Ray Automatic – $135 w/ aftermarket Crown & Buckle Supreme “Vintage Bond” Nato – $34. The saying about accessories goes: Last things on, first things noticed. And this tan and burgundy “vintage bond” nato on a tried and true automatic diver says something like: The outfit may be simple, but that’s on purpose.

The Belt: Made in the USA Flint & Tinder 365 Belt 2.0 in Dark Brown – $85. Full grain bridle leather, made in the USA, and under a C-note? That’s a pretty reasonable price for an “investment” belt. Now that said, some guys are gonna be like “there’s no such thing as an investment belt that’s insane.” Fair enough. Go GAP then.

The Socks: Taylor Stitch Made in Italy Merino Blend Socks in Olive – $22.50 FINAL. Getting the rec until they sell out. Medium weight = great cushioning. Still breathes and wicks and keeps your feet as comfortable as possible in warm weather. Machine wash and dry helps too.

Want more of these Chinos/Chukkas/Polos outfits? Head here for the archive. We’ll be rebooting this series as the warm weather rolls on with currently available items. But this is the archive if you want it.