Style Scenario: 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. First we did a more casual look. Here we’re going dressed up, but still keeping some “ease” in the outfit. 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 Blazer in Irish cotton-linen blend – $248. J. Crew’s totally unconstructed, Irish cotton-linen sportcoats are perfect for warm weather. They’re light and airy, and this one in particular brings some eye-catching pattern, while still staying very far away from a loud madras “wacky Uncle” style of jacket.

The Polo: BR Factory Pique Button Down Collar Polo – $18.70 ($22): Nicely affordable, and the button down collar means you’ll avoid any “Saturday Night Fever”/1970s style splaying of the collar over your lapels. The Splurge-y alternative: Rhone Delta Pique Hidden Button Down Collar Polo – $61.60 ($88)

The Pants: Target All in Motion Performance 5 Pockets – $40. The legendary, inexpensive alternatives to lululemon ABCs. Lightweight, plenty of stretch, and comfortable in the heat.

The Sunglasses: Huckberry Sunseekers Sunglasses in Tahoe Tortoise/Midnight – $45. Inexpensive, polarized sunglasses from Huckberry. Big fan of the darker tortoise/midnight lenses combination.

The Watch: Timex Marlin Chronograph – $179. Vintage good looks, chronograph movement, sub $200 price. 40mm case diameter should be wearable by most.

The Shoes: Nordstrom Knox Flexible Penny Loafers – $99.95. “I’d like to try sleek suede loafers this summer, but I don’t want to spend a zillion bucks because I don’t know if I’m really a ‘loafer guy.'” … Understood. Here’s your loafers. They even ship and return for free since it’s Nordstrom.

The Socks: Darn Tough Solid No Show Hidden Lightweight Lifestyle Socks – $16. Many will go sockless, but for those who have their hearts set on socks to wick away some foot sweat, these will perform much, much better than cheap/bargain cotton no-show socks.