Chinos, Chukkas, Polo: Get The Blues

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: J. Crew Slim Garment-dyed Slub Jersey Polo Shirt – $22.50 ($44.50). One of J. Crew’s bestsellers. Slub gives it some texture without making it look worn out or ratty. Chest pocket and deeper placket keeps it from looking like a basic, budget polo. On sale for half off through tomorrow in “sunfaded blue” and a few other colors.

The Watch: Invicta 1953 retro Pro Diver Automatic – $108.99. Full review coming soon. Standby for that. This is the new entry-level automatic diver champion. No goofy engraved branding on the side of the case, unlike its Sub-homage brother. Classic, brushed stainless steel, oyster style bracelet. 40mm diameter case is easily wearable by the vast majority of us. This one is clean, classic, and clearly retro-inspired thanks to the faux-tina color of the hands and indices, simple logo, and lollipop seconds hand. Powered by a Seiko automatic movement.

The Chinos: Old Navy Built-In Flex Rotation Chino Pants for Men – $35ish. 98% cotton / 2% spandex. Nicely affordable. Deep navy. Slim, athletic, or straight fit.

The Sunglasses: Kent Wang Browline – $55. Incredibly comfortable. Acetate and metal frames. 50mm lenses don’t wear overly small. Should fit most average to smaller sized heads. Featured in our Best Sunglasses Under $100 roundup. Not sure why the Kent Wang website makes them look flatter than they are in person. Seems like their image scaling might be wonky on that particular product page. They’ve got classic clubmaster proportions though. Nothing to be concerned about.

The Belt: Made in the USA Flint and Tinder 365 Belt 2.0 – $85. Finally restocked. For the “buy less buy better” crowd, or for those who like to splurge a bit on well made leather accessories. The last smart-casual/casual belt you’ll buy for a very, very, very long time. It’s nice. Quite nice. Full review here. Make sure you size up TWO from your usual pants size. These belts run a little short.

The Socks: Bombas Merino Blend Performance Golf Socks – $24. Far from cheap, but they’re the bee’s knees. Well cushioned without being bulky, good tension so they don’t slouch, and the bee on the instep is pretty cool. Wicks, breathes, the works. Fantastic all day socks.

The Shoes: Clarks Bushacre 3 in Sand Suede – $67. One of those downright cheap items in menswear that grossly outperforms its price. Full review here. The previous version (the aptly named Bushacre 2) was famous for being… uncomfortable. Clarks listened to those complaints and built their new Bushacre with a removable multi-density Ortholite insole and a more forgiving faux-crepe rubber sole. They’re squishy out of the box. Noticeably squishy. Suede is bizarrely plush for a sub $100 pair of chukkas. Laces are thick and substantial feeling. Fit is true to your brannock size. A 10.5 fit my normally 10.5 feet just fine.

Want more of these Chinos/Chukkas/Polos outfits? Head here for the archive.