Style Scenario: Kentucky Derby 2023 (NO seersucker edition)

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. The Derby is coming up, and it’s as good a reason as any to get together with friends and knock back a mint julep or some bourbon over ice. The guys get dressed up, the gals wear dresses and big hats, and it can end up being a complete blast. Here’s how to look the part while avoiding investing in a seersucker suit or blazer. For those that don’t live in the south, having seersucker might be fun in the moment, but you might not get much use out of it the rest of the year. (Top Photo Credit)

The Sportcoat: J. Crew Ludlow Slim-fit Unstructured Jacket in Irish Cotton-Linen Blend – $248. Light, airy, unstructured helps keep you cool. Glen-plaid pattern gives a little visual interest while remaining subtle.

The Pants: Target All in Motion Golf Pants – $40. Maybe the steal of the spring. The closest thing you’ll get to Lululemon’s ABC pants while remaining a third of the price. No gusseted crotch with these, but they’re lightweight, they move great, and they breathe. And they DON’T make the “Swish Swish” sound lots of other cheap tech pants make. In person fit shots with a pair in gray can be found here (scroll to the bottom). Color above is called “navy,” although they’re not a deep dark navy. Color is relatively accurate on the Target website. They’re a desaturated grayish blue in person. Which is perfect.

The Sunglasses: Carfina Grey Tortoise Frame Polarized Sunglasses – $28. Stumbled across this brand on Amazon by accident. They get recommended a lot, in their various shades and frame styles, because they’re surprisingly nice for the price.

The Shirt: J. Crew Factory Poplin Button Down – $45. Or whatever your favorite white poplin (not heavy oxford) button down happens to be. Or if you’ve got the cash, the Rhone commuter would be a perfect, extremely comfortable choice here.

The Belt: J. Crew Italian Leather Madras Dress Belt – $69.50. Seersucker is a very summery fabric. So is madras. This is madras (and Italian leather).

The Watch: Timex Waterbury Traditional Day-Date 39mm – $104.25 w/ SAVEMORE ($139). A simple dress watch that’s not the standard silver dial. Currently 25% off with the SAVEMORE code.

The Shoes: Jack Erwin Edward Unlined Penny Loafer in Brown Suede – $228. Not your Grandfather’s clunky penny loafers. Sleek, unlined, and blake stitched in Portugal from rich suede. The more affordable option: Jack Erwin Decker Driving Loafers – $158

The Beverage Alternative: Liquid Death Mountain Water, 8-pack 19.2 oz King Size Cans – $12.99. “It’s just water in a can. That’s stupid.” So is watching horses run around in a circle. And the (plastic) bottled water industry. And hangovers.