While women’s casual wear can change wildly from year to year, men’s casual fashion tends to concentrate on just a few staples. So, if you’re a man and you’re attempting to revamp your casual look, don’t throw away your existing wardrobe just yet. Instead, by focusing on the main lynchpins of men’s casual wear, you’ll be able to retain some items and selectively buy new ones to enhance your look. Here are the top 5 casual clothes for men to bear in mind.
The most important casualwear item for men is, unsurprisingly, the t-shirt. T-shirts have a history that stretches back over 100 years, and were initially worn as underwear. However, they weren’t worn as casual wear until after the Second World War, and entered the mainstream in the 1950s. Since then, t-shirt style has had a few changes: now you can get round neck, scoop-neck, v-neck and even deep neck t-shirts that may be printed or plain. But their status as the ultimate casualwear item has changed very little. For the perfect array of t-shirts, make sure that you have a couple in white and one each in black, blue and a few pastel colours, like yellow.
Shirts are also an important casual wear item, though many men might not agree with this. That’s because, while t-shirts are great for every day wear, shirts are essential for a slightly smarter casual look. The number one rule when looking for casual shirts is: make sure they’re not white. White shirts are the essence of formality, so casual shirts should typically be a block colour, checked or striped. Short-sleeved shirts are great for a hot summer’s day, but long-sleeved shirts are a bit more sophisticated and look great worn over a t-shirt instead of a jacket.
A classic men’s casualwear item that has made a strong comeback in recent years is the cardigan. Cardigans are chic and casual, and look fantastic on men of all shapes and sizes. Their versatility also means that you can wear them buttoned up over a shirt to work, or loose over a t-shirt on a night out. If cardigans don’t appeal, then plump for a hoodie instead but beware that hoodies don’t quite fit the bill for a smart-casual event.
The last two men’s casual wear items to bear in mind are shorts and chinos. Shorts are a must-have in summer, and knee-length shorts are usually the most flattering cut for men. Block colour shorts are the most likely to last from season to season. But if you’re keen to wear patterned shorts, opt for checks rather than Hawaiian-print. Chinos, on the other hand, are typically loose cotton trousers that are traditionally white, beige or khaki in colour. But in the last few years, colourful chinos have become very popular, and bright blue and dark red look set to be in-vogue chino colours for 2012.
Jesse Wallace writes for a digital marketing agency. This article has been commissioned by a client of said agency. This article is not designed to promote, but should be considered professional content.
