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For your casual wardrobe, try to avoid the traditional "khaki" color, which can look, what I call, a little too suburban. Instead, opt for gray (light or dark), blue (a bright blue is great), dark jeans and navy.
For dress trousers and suits, stick with a medium to dark gray and navy. A black suit will never go out of style, but a blue suit is a bit more modern and looks fabulous with white, red, yellow, orange, lavender... you name it, you can wear it with navy!
You hate wasting money, right? When it comes to buying clothes, we've all done it, but when you stick with the wardrobe basics, or assets, your life gets easier because these items always work (and easily mix 'n match with one another).
From dark jeans to a half-zip sweater, here are the items that make getting dressed a breeze.
And remember, the liabilities aren't wrong, they're just well, a lot harder to work with. (You can read the list for women here.)
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Half-zip sweater - I buy this for every client and while that might sound boring, the truth is, it's perfect for work, brunch, meeting the parents - basically whenever you want to look put together, but don't want to wear a sport coat.
A colored one is great, but try for something other than blue since most men have a ton of blue shirts -- opt for a color that plays off blue like orange, red, yellow or just pick a neutral (black, gray, off-white).
Turtleneck - I think Tom Brady is one of the only men who can pull this off; it's feminine, yet kind of GQ-like. So yeah, it's hard to pull off, so don't even save it for the slopes. Just donate and move on.
Navy sport coat - No surprise, but this is another wardrobe staple because it can be worn with jeans, dress pants and chinos. Plus, what man doesn't look good in navy? However, just say no to the brass/gold buttons, because, well, we are not at a country club circa 1992.
Bold patterned sport coat - If you going to buy bold anything, it should be a tie, pocket square, watch or a pair of shoes. A sport coat is a large purchase and doesn't create the most versatility if you can only wear it with a solid colored shirt.
Straight leg shorts - With a pair of shorts, try to stay right above the knee. Too long and they'll shorten you (and look sloppy), too short and they might look uncomfortable.
Cargo shorts - Trust me, four pockets are all you need, not 12.
White shirt - This is the cornerstone of any man's wardrobe because it goes with everything. Whether you opt for one with a texture or a plain white shirt, you can't go wrong with having this in your closet.
Blue shirt with white collar - This look is very "good old boys", but not in a high powered kind of way. Instead it just looks dated and nobody but slimy characters like Gordon Gekko (just Google 'Gordon Gekko' and a picture of him in this shirt will pop right up!), and Ryan Gosling's character in The Big Short, wear these anymore.
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Leather or canvas gym shoes - These are the happy medium between dress shoes and your work out shoes. They are the perfect shoe for the weekend and casual events. Something similar to these Ecco shoes shown above can be worn with jeans, chinos or shorts.
Brown boat shoes - I have nothing against the preppy look, but evvvvvverybody has these shoes. They're overdone. And tired. The above choice is much more modern and flattering.
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Slate blue, gray or olive chinos - The Europeans always look so great in their clothes. Not only are their clothes more tailored, but they don't opt for the same boring neutrals like khaki or black. When it comes to neutrals, think slate blue, gray and olive. These are just as versatile and don't make you look like every other corporate drone or guy at Costo on Saturday afternoons.
Stone-colored khakis - Mrs. Conehead - "Describe khakis."
Mr. Conehead - "A dull earthly garment designed to cover male extremities."
I love this line from the State Farm commercial because Mr. Conehead had the perfect explanation! Khakis are fine, but not the light-colored ones, which look very suburban (instead, opt for the slate blue, gray or olive).
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Leather or canvas belt - A braided belt is fine, but make sure it's not leather. Remember, you can break the rules with a casual belt since it doesn't have to match your casual shoes. Therefore, you can opt for a fun color like red or try a gray leather belt - looks great with jeans!
Braided belt - Braided canvas belts are okay, but the leather ones need to go. They're dated and usually only look good with pleated khaki, which are also a no.
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Printed t-shirt - It doesn't have to be a big pattern - maybe it's motorcycle, stripes or a contrasting trim on a pocket - whatever it is, a stylized t-shirt gives some thought to your casual wardrobe.
Free 5k t-shirt - Yes, some people laughed when they saw this on the list, but in all honesty, I see it all the time. Of course this is fine for yard work, but when out in public, I think we should leave the frebbies at home.
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Dark, straight leg jeans - Skinny styles come and go, but a nice dark, straight leg jean that falls straight down from the hip, will always be in style. We're not looking for skinny, we're looking for tailored.
Oversized jeans & frayed hems - There are mom jeans and there are dad jeans. Oversized jeans (the ones that swallow your legs), look sloppy and add pounds. If they make you look like you have stovepipe legs, then they need to go. And remember, jeans CAN and should be hemmed if they're scraping the ground.
* Notice the nice dark leather shoes in this picture -- much better than those boat shoes for a good casual jeans look. :)
Is there anything that should be added to the list? Let me know in the comments below!
It's NO COINCIDENCE that all of the items pictured above work with each other --- the dark gray chinos would look great with those Ecco gym shoes. I also love the white and navy tee with the casual belt, dark straight leg jeans and Ecco gym shoes.
Of course, the dark red half-zip sweater looks amazing with the dark gray chinos and the same tan Ecco gym shoes... dressing becomes easy when you have timeless pieces!
If you want more help with putting together a timeless and versatile wardrobe, then check out the How to Build A Wardrobe course. You don't need much to build a wardrobe that you love.
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