Dress Casual As An Adult [0:00:00]
So, the biggest problem with modern man’s casual style is that both children and men
are presented with the same clothing options.
I mean, think about it, how many times have you seen a father and son wearing pretty much
the same thing?
Now, when it comes to formal style, it seems like the line is cleaner.
But, when it comes to good casual style, that seems to be a lot more confusing.
So, rule number one, the great casual style is to understand it’s a chain.
What do I mean by that?
Well, a chain is only as strong as its weakest link, the same with your casual style.
You want to make sure you’re not making any obvious mistakes that are weakening that
are basically throwing your style off.
Examples I see all the time, guys wearing worn clothing, torn clothing, clothing with
stains, wearing the wrong styled items together.
A formal white dress shirt worn with casual light-colored jeans paired with black square
toed shoes.
Guys, this isn’t an outfit, this is an abomination.
Now, I’ve got entire videos dedicated to avoiding style mistakes like sock with sandals.
The point being is don’t shoot yourself in the foot and make an obvious style mistake.
That’s the first step dressing better casually.
The second rule to dressing better casually is to nail the fit.
First, pay attention to your body type and then, understand the trend, what’s going
on.
Right now, we’re seeing a lot more baggy clothing, but if you’re a thinner guy, understand
that this trend is not going to work for you.
Dress for your body type first.
Next up, simplify.
Avoid those graphic tees, instead go for a solid colored t-shirt, maybe in a V neck,
something that’s going to compliment your build.
Rule four introduced luxury materials.
We’re talking suede, we’re talking leathers, we’re talking wool.
These are the fabrics that men wear.
And bringing it all together, we’ve got practice.
You want to develop a signature look and you do that like you go to the gym.
You actually put in the reps.
Good style is something that’s learned that evolves over time.
So, find your uniform, your go-to image, the style that works for you.
And so, I got through those rules pretty darn quick because I want to get to the specifics.
How you upgrade your wardrobe item by item?
So, first up, let’s talk shirts.
One of the easiest upgrades a man can make in his wardrobe and for me, I know I like
to default to a collar.
This one change frames up the face and makes the shirt much more versatile.
It definitely is something that steps up your style and separates you from all the boys
out there.
Now, this shirt in particular, what I love about it is not only the strong placket, the
strong collar, but the strong pattern.
This right here worn with a sports jacket really pops and draws attention to the chest
area.
That being said, gents, you don’t have to get fancy with the pattern.
If you watched any of my videos, you guys know I like navy blue.
Solid, that’s my go-to color.
And right here, with this polo, same style, looks great right there.
There’s a changeup, though.
Notice, I no longer have the button down collar.
If you know your history, you know that button down collars come from the polo field.
The idea, keeping your collar down in place.
Now, with this shirt, I really don’t have to worry about it.
And in case you’re wondering, this is from today’s sponsor, Collars & Co.
I’ve talked about this company before and I absolutely love them for three main reasons.
Number one is just the shirts look great.
They’re freaking amazing.
The fabric, the drape is absolutely beautiful.
I was traveling, these are non-iron.
I mean, they came out the bag looking this good.
Just a beautiful drape.
Next up, the collars, and I mean this is the whole thing, Collars & Co.
Go check them out.
These are stiff strong collars, collars that will not going to fade or not going to fall
apart, are not going to wrinkle.
These collars are made to be strong and to be stiff, to actually stick up and to properly
frame the face.
And let’s talk about the plackets.
So, these have a four-button placket.
Most polos you’re going to see out there are going to have a three-button placket.
A four-button placket goes a little bit deeper and is a little bit more formal.
In addition, this is hard placket, so it maintains the look of a dress shirt.
Seriously, because of that muted color, I’m able to pair on a sports jacket that has a
little bit more pop, a little bit more bold of a pattern.
And during the summer you’ve got to dress up, what I love about these, again, they’re
incredibly breathable.
They have a four-way stretch with the material.
They are comfortable.
And, again, you can dress them up, you can dress them down.
They’re incredibly versatile.
And I also want to point out that Collars & Co. have a wide variety of colors, of patterns,
and collar styles.
So, when you go over there, you’re going to see that they’ve got four collar styles.
They’ve got the classic spread collar, the semi spread collar, the button down collar,
and their cutaway collar.
And, again, because of the strength of all of these collars, you can layer these.
You can wear these not only with sports jackets, but your favorite sweaters.
Now, when you’re upgrading your wardrobe, guys, the key here is to keep it simple.
So, if you’ve already got white shirts that you’re wearing, a white polo, but, you know,
the collar isn’t that nice, you don’t wear it very often because it doesn’t look
that good on you.
This is what the one you want to probably start with.
If you’re, you know, into navy shirts like I am, then grab a navy, but keep it simple
with the collar.
I would just go with, you know, one of the cutaway collars.
Again, go with a solid color.
And use the link down in the description of today’s video.
And I love it when you’ve got something that’s functional, something that is easy
to upgrade, again, in your wardrobe.
And this right here could be that one piece that all of a sudden is going to lift your
wardrobe up to the next level.
Check out Collars & Co.
Use that link in the description of today’s video, the best deal you’re going to find
on the web.
And an awesome company, proud to support them.
[0:04:58] Next clothing upgrade I want to talk about
is your jacket.
Now, denim jackets are great, but they’re ultra casual.
Can you step it up?
Boom.
As you can see right here, all of a sudden, I brought in a classic blouson style and it’s
very lightweight.
I know some of you guys are saying, “Jackets, I never wear jackets unless it’s cold.”
Those are known as coats.
Jackets are actually an accessory, very versatile accessory that I think is going to make most
men look better.
Seriously, unless you have the body of Adonis, and even then it can actually make you look
good.
Point being is jackets build up the shoulders, they slim up the waistline, and they’re
just a versatile piece that you should consider adding to your casual wardrobe.
And believe me, when you find the right jacket, it makes a difference.
This one, I have to admit, I like a lot more than that other gray one.
Something’s off about that shade mixed in with the blue.
But, this combination right here, this really pops.
It’s also got the double pockets, it’s got more of a military feel, but, again, a
very lightweight jacket.
Something I can wear, you know, 70 degrees outside, it’s evening, you know, make it
down into, you know, the 60s, this is a great jacket to be able to pull off.
Now, dark-colored clean leather jacket, this is always a great way to upgrade the casual
wardrobe.
But, if you want to really level it up, there are other options.
I mean, boom look at this right here, beautiful suede and in a unique color.
Guys, I talked about suede earlier as luxury materials, this is something that you don’t
give luxury materials to kids, so therefore, you don’t see them wearing it.
This is something a man would wear because it is going to be a bit more expensive.
It is something that sends the message this is unique.
You got to have confidence to pull this off.
But, again, practice wearing it and next thing you know, you’re just going to love wearing
this after you get compliments and let’s just say the ladies want to touch it.
All that being said, do not sleep on the power of a great looking casual sports jacket.
And all sports jacket by definition are casual, more formal is going to be the suit.
But, technically, you know, they’re not even semi-formal because there’s formal
to semi-formal, then there’s business casual.
Suits are business.
Semi-formal, that’s where we’re going to have black.
Tie formal going to have white tie, but, yeah, I’m not going to get into dress codes too
much.
But, I will say so many men could easily step up their style with a great looking sports
jackets, tons – tons of great options out there.
Now, gents, if you’re enjoying today’s video, do me a favor and smash that like button.
Seriously, every time you smash this like button, some guy out there realizes that square
toed shoes are not a good idea.
But, really, guys, what this does is lets the YouTube algorithm know that, hey, this
is a good video and it helps us more men find it who need this information, so that they
can dress better, yeah.
Next up, let’s talk about your shoes, your default shoes, the shoes that you go to.
I get it, they’re comfortable.
You love your running shoes.
But, guys, this right here is the link in the chain that is probably weakest for most
of you.
And the tough part here is when you think you’ve got a good option, I mean, you’re
like, hey, Antonio, these are made from leather, right?
Well, first up, these are old and worn and the style, yeah, is just it’s, yeah, you
can do better.
So, first up, if you want to stick with sneakers, I highly advice looking at leather sneakers.
Tons of options out there, but right here, keeping it white, making sure, again, that
they don’t look dirty, that you take care of them.
But, right here I know for a lot of guys, this is a great default options the one to
start with.
If the full-on white shoe is not your thing, I always think that gray is a great option.
Why?
Because gray is non-color, it’s pretty much going to match anything and it isn’t as
hard to wear for some guys as that straight up white, yet, you still got a very casual
very functional versatile shoes.
If you want something with a little bit more color, a little bit more pop, something that
is a bit more stylish, I love something in a coffee brown.
But, I know some of you guys love black.
Really, let me know down in the comments what your favorite sneaker is, I love hearing from
you guys.
But, moving on from sneakers, let’s talk about boots.
So, I’ve got entire videos dedicated to why the ladies love boots and why you should
too.
They’re incredibly functional, they are going to add a bit, you know, sometimes with
about an inch and a half on the heel.
They’re going to make you taller, they’re going to slim up your profile your silhouette.
Just, you know, just something about boots everybody loves.
And I think that these are great option, again, if you go with a classic style that has a
really nice build and you take care of them.
And if you’re traveler like me, one of my favorite styles of boots is going to be Chelsea
because they slip on, they slip off.
When you’re going through security, it’s so easy to be able to, yeah, just to deal
with things.
And you get a lot of the same features and I love the minimalist design of Chelseas in
general.
And, on a side note, look at that beautiful suede.
We talked about the materials, I, yeah, I just love suede.
Something that so many guys are afraid to wear, but this right here, this material can
really upgrade your look.
And just because it’s a dress shoe does not mean that you have to wear it with a suit.
Right here, we’ve got a classic loafer.
A more casual dress shoe that you could actually wear with a jeans, you can wear it with a
wide variety of different trousers.
You can even wear this with shorts.
I love just a good classic penny loafer that pretty much goes with anything.
If you really want to up your casual style, look at brogues.
A lot of people, again, confuse this with dress shoes, they’re not.
They’re more of a casual shoe that because of the perforations in the leather.
This right here is actually you could still wear it with a casual suit, but you wouldn’t
wear this with a formal suit and you could wear this with a wide variety of casual clothing
and it’s really just going to level up your style.
Yeah, a great option.
[0:10:03] Now, this next one is going to trigger some
of you guys, and that is quit defaulting to shorts and jeans.
I know they’re easy, I know they’re all over the place.
I know a lot of guys wear this, but could you actually find some trousers that are more,
you know, during the summer, tropical weight wool, there is tons of options out there made
from linen, made from cotton, chinos that just look great.
Maybe bring in some fun colors during the winter.
There is things like, you know, gray flannel trousers.
There’s cavalry twill.
It’s going to be a heavier rougher wearing those moleskin if you look around.
Or if you’re going to stick with jeans, find a pair that actually fits you, again,
getting back to that basic rule, maybe with a darker color, maybe even look to upgrade.
I know that you love your Levi’s, great brand.
But, is there something, go look at maybe some AGs, look for something especially if
you’re an older guy, there are maybe styles that work for you.
That being said, again, if you want to stick with the particular brand, just make sure
that maybe you’re wearing something that’s not worn out.
Again, don’t violate those basic rules.
Get them adjusted to fit you.
Jeans can be adjusted.
So, you know, you see a lot of guys wearing jeans that are way too big and literally the
back part of that jean, they’ve got – it’s all frayed because they were too long.
Guys, there’s nothing wrong with getting your casual clothing adjusted to fit your
body.
And just to be clear, I’ve got nothing against shorts, I just think that if this is your
default choice that you have other options and you should look for them.
In fact, look throughout Latin America, you’ll see that in really hot climates, a lot of
guys do not wear shorts.
They’ve got other options.
And they look better, they look more stylish.
For exercise, for certain – if you’re going swimming, yes, shorts are awesome, but
if they’re – your default, what I’m saying is maybe look to break things up and
go for something that looks better on you.
Now, what about accessories?
We’re talking sunglasses, watches, backpacks, hats.
Well, with each of these, again, you want to look is there a way that I can upgrade
this because am I currently wearing something like that worn out baseball cap you still
have since college.
I know, you love that thing, but let’s retire it.
Let’s may be go – you like the baseball cap, I get it, you’re not going to switch
over to a trilby or a style like that.
Then, go for a baseball cap that is fitted that is may be solid in color and that is
really a bit more muted.
It functionally gets the job done, but it doesn’t look as worn as that old one you’ve
got.
With your watches, I get it, you got into watches and I got into watches because of
fashion watches.
But, is there a better option out there?
Seiko makes a wide variety of great styles.
Or maybe you want to spend a bit more money, you pick up a Tudor or pick up, you know,
a brand that, you know, I mean, Rolex right now is out of the - yeah, I wouldn’t pick
up one of those because they’re overpriced at this point.
But, there are tons of great options out there.
Again, gents, it’s all about upgrading, it’s all about reconsidering what you’re
wearing and is this going to suit me now.
When you were 17 visiting Hawaii, you bought that shark tooth necklace.
I mean, you didn’t even find this thing and you’re still wearing it, you’re 20
years old.
Is – maybe you want to change things up.
And, actually, wearing necklace that has meaning or maybe ditch it and actually spend a little
bit more money on a ring that actually has meaning for you.
Or upgrade your backpack.
You’re wearing that canvas backpack, you’re now 25, you’re working for a consulting
company, maybe you should look at a leather briefcase.
The next tip to upgrade your casual style is to cheat on your barber.
So, you’re traveling you’re in Chicago for the weekend, how about you find a stylist
that’s highly regarded and, yes, you’re going to spend three times more than what
you normally would on your barber back home in Iowa.
But, here’s the thing is you may find a style, you may find a look that just actually
transforms your look that you’ve never thought of.
And this is really what you’re paying for when you go to a high end stylist is they’re
going to shampoo, they’re going to look at your head shape.
If they’re really good, they’re actually going to be able to present to you a few options
of what, yeah, what you could do.
Now, if that isn’t an option for you, you don’t have the money for it, well, simply
when you get out of the shower, have fun combing your hair in a different way.
If you do a comb over like I do, maybe go the other direction, maybe go straight back.
Use a different hair product.
You’re always going for that textured fiber, but maybe try a pomade, go for a little bit
of sheen right there on the hair and see what that looks like.
Experiment, try something new with your hair.
All right, gents, so what video to watch next?
How about how to dress like an Italian?
Why?
Because those Italians got style, sprezzatura is what I’m talking about.
Now, I know I probably mispronounced that, but you guys hopefully know what I’m talking
about.
And if you don’t know what about sprezzatura, then you click on this video right here and
find out more about effortless style.
Oh, yeah.
[0:14:18] End of audio