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10 Casual Style Rules Every Man Should Know

Dressing well casually is more difficult than looking good when you dress up.  Who can’t look good in a pair of dress shoes, a suit or a blazer? But when you dress casually, it’s easy to get it wrong. You can come across as juvenile or sloppy or even worse looking like you don’t know what you’re doing. Here are the 10 style rules to keep in mind to make sure you look good while looking relaxed and casual.

1. Fit is still king even when you’re dressing relaxed

We are sure we don’t have to convince you of how important the fit is when you’re dressed up. We all take our suits to get tailored, but what we want you to keep in mind when you dress casually is that it’s easy to get it wrong and come across sloppy. Clothing can be too big, too boxy or just unflattering. That’s why it’s just as important to pay attention to the fit when you’re dressed down. And here’s the key; to pay attention to; you’ll want your clothing to fit overall slim but not tight, close to the body but not constricting.

2. Quality shoes

Just like when you’re dressed up, your shoes are still the foundation of your look. When you’re dressed casually, people are still going to notice them, especially the women. When you’re dressed down, make sure your shoes are of good quality, clean and up-to-date. You don’t want some dad sneakers and we don’t mean ironic dad sneakers but actual dad sneakers.

Your best bet is a low profile minimal sneaker. If you want to step your casual looks up, invest in some nice loafers. You can even wear dress shoes with jeans and throw on a nice pair of boots. When it comes to dress shoes, invest in the best quality casual shoes you can reasonably afford.

3.  When you’re dressed casually, make sure you’re dressed like a grown-up

Here’s the thing, when you’re in your relaxed casual gear you still want people to be able to tell the difference between you and a teenager. Especially if you’re someone who has a teenager, you shouldn’t be dressed like your son. So when you dress casually, keep things simple and ease up on the graphic tees. No rips or tears in the jeans and when all else fails, stick to solid colors. This is going to work best for most guys out there. A lot of times when you dress casually, it gives you a youthful vibe. The thing is you want to look youthful not juvenile so make sure when you’re dressed, relaxed and you’re dressed like a grown-up.

4. Pay attention to trends

Piggybacking on that last point to make sure you’re dressed like a grown-up, don’t take it too far. We still want you to pay attention to trends. Pay attention to them, incorporate them but don’t be ruled by them. Once you built your casual wardrobe up with the classic basic essentials, throw in a trendy piece here and there, just don’t go too far. When we say pay attention to trends, take a look at what the hot colors or patterns might be for that particular season or pay attention to silhouettes. When you were younger, skinny jeans might have been in fashion.

5. Picking out trousers

When it comes to picking a pair of pants to wear when it’s time to dress casually, most of the time we’re going to default to our favorite pair of jeans. We want to make sure you have the right fit with your denim. Yes it’s great to feel cool, casual and relaxed in your jeans. But they have to fit well to make sure you don’t come across as sloppy. It’s a few easy rules to keep in mind to make sure you have the right fit.

First of all, you want them to fit well enough in your waist that you don’t necessarily have to wear a belt. You only wear one because you choose to. Now let’s talk about how they should fit in your legs. You want your jeans to drape nicely and closely to your legs without being constricting. Slim but not tight, and as we move down towards your shoes, the jeans should taper down towards the ankle.

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