Style Icons The Hot List Business Casual Smart Casual Black Tie How To Fold A Pocket Sqaure
MEN'S STYLE
6 Casual Dress Guidelines All Men Should
Abide By
Why the 'easiest' dress code is anything but no-effort
Image: Mango Man
BY CHARLIE THOMAS
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It’s not difficult to look good in a suit. If you’ve got the money and an experienced
tailor who knows what he or she is doing, then you can’t really fail. Simply hand 9 Classic Men’s
over your cash, listen to their sartorial know-how, and allow them to stitch you 1 Hairstyles That Will
Never Go Out of
something that’s made to flatter the contours of your body. All you have to do is tie
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your tie.
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But, things are not so easy with casual dress. A suit is a uniform that complements 2
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itself, but there is no such copout with casual dress – you have to mix and match
different garments on your own, and there is no tailor to hide behind. 9 Types Of Bag Every
3 Man Should Have On
For so long, the suit was the default attire for men. But now, with fewer people His Shoulder
having to wear them for work – one in ten people now wear one to work according to
one survey – they are focusing more time and spending more money on their casual What Shoes To Wear
4 With Every Style Of
clothing. But where to start? There are numerous business casual and smart casual Trousers
dressing guides out there, but what about looking good when dress codes don’t
apply? 9 Layering Pieces You
Need In Your
5
Wardrobe (And How
A History Of Keeping It Casual To Use Them)
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Casual dress for men can be traced back to that most stylish of decades, the 1950s. 6
Man Should Own
The war was over, and teenagers in the UK and America wanted a something
different, a life that contrasted with the austerity of conflict and the boredom of the
12 Modern Trouser
corporate world. So, suits and the stuffiness or formal clothing were out, and jeans, 7 Styles All Men Should
freedom and rock ’n’ roll were in. Own
Films such as Rebel Without A Cause and The Wild One had a significant impact, and Second-Hand Clothes:
music stars such as Elvis Presley and Little Richard only further cajoled the original 8 Where To Find The
Most Stylish Bargains
youthquake. The new mood was one of excitement and passion, rather than
suppression and rations, and the anti-establishment uniform of jeans, T-shirt and
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leather jacket best encapsulated this. 9
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The biggest style takeaway from this period, and one that will likely always
influence the way we dress is denim, and specifically denim jeans. While they were
invented as part of a uniform for gold miners on the west coast of America around
the turn of the 20th century, they were reborn in the ‘50s as a staple of casual, anti-
conformist dress. Since then, in every decade they’ve formed the backbone of casual
attire, whether bleached and flared in the ‘70s, high-waisted in the ‘80s, acid washed
in the ‘90s or skin tight in the ‘00s.
Jonathan Cheung, SVP of Levi’s Design believes this “happened because it was
adopted by biker gangs post World War II – young guys, back from the war who
started wearing Levi’s as part of biker culture. This spirit of freedom and rebellion
spread to the beginnings of rock ’n’ roll with Eddie Cochran and didn’t go unnoticed
by Hollywood – and Marlon Brando in particular.”
Today, jeans continue to rise – predicted global sales will soar another 8.40% by
2021 according to market research firm Techavio. So, while it’s hardly breaking
news, if you’re stuck for where to begin with your casual wardrobe, take a leaf out of
Dean and Brando’s book.
Levi’s Vintage Clothing
What Is Casual Dress Today?
The first rule of casual dress right now is that there are no rules. You can, quite
literally, wear what you want and be considered ‘casual’, but therein lies the
problem. There is no direction, no predefined set of rules. One answer for some men
is to follow the crowd. Next time you go to the pub on a Saturday night, spot the
gaggles of identikit drinkers all decked out in jeans and some form of untucked shirt.
There is nothing wrong with this, of course, but to stand out in casualwear,
conversely, takes a bit of effort.
Then there are the shifting goalposts of casual dress. With the demise of the suit’s
popularity, fashion brands have realised that casual clothing is where people are
spending the most money. This at least partly explains why Gucci, Dior, Prada, Louis
Vuitton et all – luxury fashion houses with over 400 years of combined history –
have essentially become ‘hype’ brands, reacting and collaborating with the highly
lucrative streetwear market currently dominating the industry.
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Up until a few years ago these brands didn’t stray too far from traditional tailoring
in their men’s collections, but now anything goes, from £400 sliders to
monogrammed LV X Supreme hoodies re-selling on eBay for eight grand. And that’s
before we get started on Balenciaga, or Vetements’ ‘DHL’ T-shirts. Is it possible to
dress well casually without buying into this ridiculousness? Well, yes. Yes, it is.
In actual fact, that is the beauty of casual clothing. Unlike with tailoring, where you
generally have to fork out a substantial amount to buy a fine suit, you can look ace
on very little budget. Just follow our pointers below if you’re stuck on where to start.
These ‘rules’ are not set in stone and are merely suggestions, but they are a good
place to start if you’re looking for casual style inspiration.
The 6 Rules Of Casual Dress
Pay Attention To Fit
As with tailoring, fit can make all the difference with casual attire. The difference is,
you don’t always have to look tailored. How should your clothing fit? This really
depends on the look you’re going for and your body type.
Traditionalists will say that a slim-but-not-restricting fit should be the ideal to aim
for, but there’s been a shift towards looser styles in reason seasons, with boxy shirts,
and outerwear, and wide-legged trousers proving popular amongst designers and
fashion-forward consumers. That said, there’s still an argument for slimmer fitting
clothing that flatters the wearer’s body shape.
The point is, fit is one of the most important aspects when it comes to clothing and
it should be considered above all else.
Know What You’re Comfortable In
There’s no use investing in hoards of the latest streetwear if you don’t feel
comfortable wearing it. Wear what feels right to you, because if you feel self-
conscious then this will show and it won’t matter how many hundreds you’ve
dropped.
Keep It Simple
Minimal style is not necessarily en vogue right now; rather, loud logos and oversized
statement pieces are where it’s at… for some. But simple, pared-back clothing will
never not be cool, so swerve the masses and combine easy, straightforward garments
together for an effortless take on casual style. Turn to A.P.C., AMI, and Whistles for
inspiration, or look to high street brands such as COS and Arket for well made takes
on unfussy clothing.
Details Are Key
Take a denim jean and T-shirt combination; it’s arguably the archetypal casual
ensemble, yet it still can be worn in numerous ways. Tuck, half-tuck or untuck the T-
shirt? Roll the sleeves or leave them be? Pinroll the jeans or have them tailored?
Slim or relaxed cut jeans? These are all subtle tweaks and variations, yet they make a
fairly substantial difference.
Find A Uniform
Many people find the idea of a ‘uniform’ stifling and restrictive, but for others it’s an
exercise in simplification and reduction. Find a way of dressing that’s easy and
effortless, not dissimilar from wearing a suit in the sense you can get up, throw it on
and head out the door. You’ll find yourself saving time during your morning routine
that you can spend on coffee, or sitting on the edge of your bed pondering the big
questions. Or looking at memes.
A casual uniform can be found in style – a rotation of navy trousers, white Oxford
shirts and white sneakers perhaps, or colour; a preference for black could mean that
black jeans and a leather jacket becomes a uniform for you. Google ‘Jeff Goldblum
leather jacket’ to see what we’re talking about.
Nod To Trends But Don’t Be Dominated By Them
Casual style is dominated by trends, from high street to high end. Whilst this is all
well and good, the very nature of trends ensures they will fall out of favour soon
enough. So, if you want to future-proof your wardrobe, it’s preferable to only dabble
in trends and instead spend big on pieces that will last – a solid bomber jacket,
rather than the aforementioned Vetements DHL T-shirt, for example.
A good rule of thumb is to utilise just one ‘trend’ item per outfit – a logo baseball
cap, perhaps – and keep the rest classic.
