Style Scenario: Late Summer Business Casual – Nothing Over $100

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. Time’s running out on summer. Kids will be back in school soon, new fall arrivals will be hitting stores, and a lot of us will switch from lighter colors and fabrics to our deeper and darker options for fall and winter. Here’s one affordable way to make one last slightly-dressy go of the breeziness and more casual nature summer can bring, even when one is dressed up a bit.

The Sportcoat: J. Crew Factory Slim-fit Thompson Linen Blazer- $75.99 FINAL w/ EXTRA60 ($189.99). Lightweight, well reviewed, and has some pattern to it to keep things interesting. An extra 60% off (sixty!) as it’s clearance, but that also means it’s final sale and can’t be returned or exchanged.

The Pocket Square: J. Crew Baird McNutt Irish Cotton-Linen Blend Pocket Square – $26.50 ($45). Same fabric they use for their popular “unsuits.”

The Shirt: Banana Republic Factory Slim Fit Core Temp Dress Shirt – $51. Cotton/poly/elastane blend engineered to help keep you cool. Or at least cooler. Keeping cool can be hard this time of year. Button down collar keeps things crisp looking all day long.

The Pants: J. Crew Straight or Slim Fit Cotton-blend “Tech” Pants – $49.50 ($98). Not a pure performance trouser like lululemon, but one of J. Crew’s bestsellers all the same. Straight or slim fit. Just about half off and not final sale yet.

The Sunglasses: Carfia Polarized Acetate Sunglasses – $31. Affordable, looks and feels higher quality than the asking price, and ships fast and free via Amazon.

The Belt: Banana Republic FACTORY Gray Suede Belt – $11.98 ($23.97). On super mega clearance. Twelve bucks. Neutral gray should go with lots. May not be the highest quality feeling belt, but again… twelve bucks!

The Watch: Timex 40mm Midtown Chronograph – $89.59 w/ EXTRA20 ($159). Dressy champagne dial, smooth rubber strap that won’t soak up sweat. Sort of the perfect mix for this dressy but still summer-cool outfit. Case height is listed at 10mm. Looks thicker in that image at the top of the post, but watches are tricky to photograph and often look bigger and bulkier than they are in real life.

The Socks: Made in Italy Taylor Stitch The Merino Sock in Olive – $22.50. Midweight instead of paperweight/lightweight, so could feel a touch thick for late summer, but they’re not boot socks or anything. And they’ll be perfect for fall.

The Shoes: Allen Edmonds Bone Suede Strand Oxford Sneakers – $69.98 FINAL ($298). Historically the Editorial Board at Dappered has not been a real big fan of these sneaker/dress shoe hybrids. Because often they can look way too forced. But a bone suede cap toe brogue like the Strand… for summer… for under seventy bucks? Yeah okay, that could do. Not for the original MSRP of $298 or anything near there. No sir no ma’am no thank you. But seventy bucks is a far cry from the original asking price. Final sale though. No returns or exchanges.