3 Casual Outfit Ideas That Will Elevate Your Confidence

Importance of Casual Style

If you read my most recent post you would know that my style in high school was nonexistent. College wasn't much better, but at least I'd discovered button-ups by then.

I wish I'd learned back then what I know now. Great style doesn't have to be expensive, complex, or dressed up, it just requires developing an artistic eye and combining that with the pieces that make you feel most confident. It doesn't have to be a suit and tie or a Gucci belt and blazer. Developing a sense of comfortable, casual, and personalized style will work wonders.

Finding Casual Outfit Ideas for Men

What follows is three simple, stylish casual outfit ideas for men that I'd wear and can get you started on your journey to discovering your personal style. I tried to make these real combinations you can build from the clothes you likely already own, with room to swap pieces in as you figure out what you like.

Outfit Idea 1: Classic Tee and Jeans

This basic fit can be mixed and matched to match any casual attire level. A simple swap of the tee or shoes you wear changes your vibe, and you'll feel great either way. It is truly one of the best outfits for men, especially those learning more about their personal style, of all options listed here.

Choose the Right Tee-shirt

I could write all day about fit, but for me, it comes down to 3 basic choices: Baggy, Loose, and well-fit. You should always avoid tight. I don't care how ripped you are - it won't look good.

Choosing a t-shirt with a baggy fit: Baggy tees can make you look stylish or outdated. Use them carefully. Baggy fit tees generally extend further down your body and arms. While lighter fabrics like silk and cotton can work here, a heavier fabric generally works better to structure your silhouette. Baggy fit tees are generally only appropriate for a dressed down attire approach. When was the last time you saw a skater at the Met?

Choosing a t-shirt with a loose fit: If you're a man working to improve your style, this is most likely the most common kind of t-shirt that you own. It fits comfortably across the upper body and midsection while giving your arms breathing room. Ignore logos and promotional tees in this category, as it will rarely function as a centerpiece of your outfit. This is where color, structure, and fabric really matter in the use of a given shirt.

Choosing a well-fit t-shirt: A well fit t-shirt is just that, a t-shirt that fits well. It should complement your chest, arms, and midsection by hugging slightly tighter than a loose tee. The structure of a well fit t-shirt will be different for every type of man.

Best Denim Options

Denim, like attire, is on a wide spectrum that expands both horizontally and vertically. From a light acid wash to black raw denim, jeans come in an extremely wide variety of colors and styles. "Blue jeans" only touch the surface.

Light wash: A strong contender for casual outings and not much else. These can be used to great effect with contrasting or soft-hue tees. Even stark graphic designs can stand out. Avoid wearing light wash jeans with dress shoes, not matter how casual.

Mid wash: The middle of the road and the pair that I wore like a plague. Despite the fairly basic nature of it, it can work well with a basic tee or structured tee, especially with a contrasting upper layer.

Dark wash: The most versatile jean in the category spanning the absolute widest attire spectrum. From downright casual to nearly semi-formal, dark wash jeans can get you there. Dark indigo can look like a trouser, chino, or even dress pant from a distance, which means it will pair extremely well with a high contrast tee.

Black Denim: Black denim is a dangerously versatile option that can make you look sleek and put together, or like you just jumped out of a Green Day cover band. Neither one is bad on its own, but can be bad in context. If you're just getting started on learning how to find a personal style, I'd suggest avoiding these altogether.

Cut adds another dimension worth considering. Slim, straight, tapered, relaxed, wide, etc. The right cut will depend more on your personal dimensions and style goals.

One last consideration for denim, avoid distressed jeans altogether until you are confident in their purpose in your overall closet. Ripped, cut, or faded jeans can look extremely juvenile if you aren't careful.

The best additions to simple tee-shirt and jeans outfit.

in most cases, one watch and a belt are more than enough to elevate the look.

Not sure which denim actually works for your build? That's the exact question our stylists answer every day. [Book a Bauhaüs styling session →]

Outfit Idea 2: Chino Shorts and Long Sleeves

Trust me. Even during a hot summer, this look works better than you think. In fact, it generally gives a strong sense of confidence to a look. It's also one of the fastest way to make shorts look intentional rather than a default, which tends to be the issue in hot weather.

Getting the Chino Shorts Right

Shorts, like jeans, and admittedly everything in styling, are more than just "shorts". There are a wide range of cuts, colors, impacts, etc. to a single pair of even chino shorts. These are the considerations you should take with you as your try new pieces:

Inseam: For most men, an inseam length of 5-7 inches is more than enough. Both shorter and longer inseams are ok to wear, but they should be avoided as a starting point. The hem should land a couple inches above your kneecap. Shorts that hit at or below the knee cut your leg will make you look short. Shorts that hit mid-thigh are a specific look you have to commit to on purpose.

Cut: Flat front, slight taper, and enough room that you're not pulling fabric off your thigh every time you stand up. If you have athletic legs, size for your thigh and get the waist taken in. Pulling down your shorts every time you stand up because it's cutting of your circulation is not a good look for anyone.

Color: Start with a few basic colors, and branch out as needed. Stone, tan, olive, navy, and a washed charcoal will cover most outfits fairly well.

Choosing Your Long Sleeve

This is stands out as a centerpiece of your outfit over shorts or shoes, and depending on the long sleeve you choose, can run the gambit from old-money to Chicago street style.

The long sleeve tee: Only wear this approach with a heavy cotton, well fit tee that is just slightly thinner than a sweater. Without holding its shape, this look will get frumpy fast. Feel free to leave the sleeves down or scrunch them up to add texture.

The henley: Generally a stronger pick for a more semi-casual tone The placket adds a vertical line and a little bit of texture at your chest, which balances the visual weight of your bare legs below. Leave the buttons undone for the most-part, and leave all undone alongside a pair of slip-ons for an old-money look.

The oxford button up: Wear over an open tee for casual looks, or buttoned 3 quarters for a more upscale look. Linen and linen-cotton blends breathe well enough that you wont get too warm, especially on a summer evening's dinner date (wink wink).

The lightweight layer: For late summer, early fall. A chore coat, soft flannel, or lightweight sweater worn over a tee gives you a layer you can shed or wear in perpetuity.

Footwear and Finishing

Low-profile sneakers in canvas, leather, or suede. Leather sandals if you're near water or the occasion is genuinely relaxed. Loafers with no-show socks if you want to push it up a notch. That combination is the easiest way to look like you know what you're doing.

Socks: no-show, or low-cut and dark. Crew socks with shorts is a real look with real practitioners, but it's a deliberate one, not a default one.

Add sunglasses that fit your face and one thing on your wrist. That's enough.

Outfit Idea 3: Tee Shirts and Trousers

You probably already own a t-shirt that you've chucked on with jeans many, many times. If you're sick of the same fit all of the time, try to find a nice pair of neutral trousers and reimagine it. The exact same tee with a proper pair of trousers, for most guys, will level up their approach and diversify their closet for the better

The best part - it spans attire and dress codes more than anything else with a simple shoe swap. It works at a coffee shop, a gallery, a bar, a nice dinner, and most creative offices, which makes it the most useful entry in this list of casual outfit ideas for men.

The difference between trousers and dress pants

Trousers are not always dress pants. They do not have to be worn the same way that you would wear an off rack item from Men's Wearhouse. What you really want is a pant with a combined structure of a chino and a dress pant.

Fabric: Wool blends, heavy cotton twill, linen blends in summer, corduroy in winter. What you're looking for is a fabric with some body, something that hangs off your hip instead of clinging to your thigh. My fellow big boys out there will absolutely appreciate this.

Pleats: A single forward pleat gives you room where you need it and creates a clean vertical line down the front of the pant.

Taper and length: Tapered through the leg, ending with either no break or one soft break at the shoe. A slight crop that shows a sliver of ankle works well in warm months and makes the whole thing look more deliberate.

Color: Charcoal, navy, olive, tan, and cream. Cream trousers in particular are wildly underrated. They look expensive, they photograph beautifully, and they cost the same as anything else.

Tees that work best with trousers.

Formal and informal tees can work with trousers with a few important rules. Do not over texture. If you're trousers have a pattern, that your shirt shouldn't. If your shoes have a pattern, neither the shirt or the pants. Secondly, if the shirt is dressed down, your shoes should do the same, if your shoes are dressed up, your shirt should do the same. No graphic tees and dress shoes.

Neckline: Select a crewneck that sits flat against your collarbone. If the collar has stretched into a wide oval, that shirt has retired and you should let it.

Fit: This is the one context where I'd steer you toward the well-fit version rather than the loose one. The trouser is clean and structured, so a tee that skims your torso keeps the proportions balanced. Baggy on top of tailored reads like two different outfits meeting in the middle.

Color: White, black, navy, olive, grey, and cream. Solid.

Tucking is optional and situational. A full tuck with a belt sharpens it considerably. A French tuck, just the front and just loosely, softens it. Untucked works if the hem falls at your hip rather than your thigh.

Start experimenting or skip to the good part.

I didn't wear garbage in high school and college because I was making a statement. I did it because i was too afraid to experiment with my personal style. Tying and getting it wrong meant that more money was out of my pocket than I started with. In hindsight, though, I was rarely ever wrong. I just didn't know how to make what I did try right.

If you'd rather not do the trial-and-error alone, that's what we're here for.

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