What is Casual Chic Dress for Men

From LoveToKnow Men's Fashion

To answer the question "What is casual chic dress for men?", realize that your response will greatly depend on your personal style as well as where you live. Men who live in large metropolitan cities will probably have a different view of casual chic compared to men in more rural areas. Having a go-to casual chic wardrobe makes it easy for you to put an outfit together in a hurry when you have someplace to go that requires more than a tee shirt and jeans.

Answer to What Is Casual Chic Dress for Men

So you need to go someplace where simply casual won't do. You need to up your fashion sense a little, but still be casual and comfortable. What would be acceptable casual chic dress?

Shirts: Tees are generally out when the key is "chic." You have quite a few options, such as V-neck dress shirts, button down shirts in fine materials and, in cool weather, cardigans and pullover sweaters.
Pants: While slacks seem the obvious choice, jeans can fit into the casual chic dress code, if done right. This means your denim shouldn't have tears or rips. Dark jeans look dressier than lighter colored jeans; a slim fit that mimics slacks is less casual.
Shoes: Leave the sneakers at home. Instead, try loafers, boat shoes, short boots or slip-ons. In the summer, a nice pair of dress sandals will also work, especially for garden parties or beach locales.
Accessories: Never underestimate the power of well-chosen accessories. This can be anything from a dress hat to a quality watch to a bold necklace. For men, where accessories are concerned, less is more. If you wear a thick gold bracelet, that should be the extent of your jewelry, with the exception of a wedding band. Choose one stand-out accessory and let that piece be the attention-getter. When you wear more than a couple of pieces of jewelry, plus a hat and dramatic belt, it's too much.

Putting a Casual Chic Wardrobe Together

A general rule of thumb that works when putting together a look that's dressy, but still casual, is to pair one dressier piece with a less dressy one.

If you wear jeans, your shirt should be dressier than that. Choose a long or short sleeve button down shirt. In warm weather, the material can be linen or brushed silk. In cooler weather, top it with a neutral cardigan or a V-neck pullover. If you choose to wear dressy slacks, a more casual top will still lend your outfit the chic look you're after. A polo shirt or V-neck sweater both work well with slacks without making you appear overdressed.

Having some basic items in your wardrobe eliminates the need to go out and get them anytime a dressy casual function comes up. Basic pieces to always have on hand include:

Dress shirts that aren't for the office
Dark jeans
Slacks
Sport coat
Smart accessories

Choose a neutral palette so that it's easy to mix and match, but it's also a good idea to have one colorful piece to add a splash of color. This can be in the form of a pocket square, scarf or sweater.

Looking for Inspiration?

If you just don't know how to pull off a casual chic look, peruse men's fashion magazines or websites. Check out looks that you feel you would be comfortable wearing. Even if you can't afford to buy expensive designer clothing, you can get valuable tips from how outfits are put together to help plan your wardrobe.

Once you find a look that works for you, stick to it. This doesn't mean you have to wear the same thing over and over. What it does mean is that if you know dark, slim cut jeans, short boots and V-neck dress shirts work for you, then play around with variations on this theme. If a shirt really maximizes your look, buy it in more than one color or stick to that basic cut when buying other shirts.

Once you have this basic formula down pat, you'll know what is casual chic dress for men and how to wear it to your best advantage.

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