When you go out to dinner, attend a party, or a formal event like a wedding or benefit dinner, you want to look and feel your best. If you don’t already have a favorite style, or you’re looking for new ideas, here are some formal and casual fashion ideas that will make you look stunning.
1. Wear a standard suit
Men’s suits are always in style, no matter what the cut, color, or designer, it’s hard for suits to go out of style. The only time a suit won’t work is when it doesn’t fit you properly.
If you attend a lot of formal events, having a nice, properly-fitting suit will carry you a long way. You probably won’t even need to buy multiple suits, although you can if you prefer variety. However, most people won’t really notice or care if you wear the same suit to multiple events, especially of those events are spaced out and not held on consecutive days.
2. Go with a button-down dress shirt and jeans
Of all the casual attire you could possibly wear, nothing will be as comfortable (or common) as wearing a button-down dress shirt with jeans. If you’re looking to blend in rather than stand out, this is your ideal fashion.
You can wear jeans and a button-down shirt just about anywhere, including restaurants, bars, and some clubs that allow jeans in their dress code. You might even be able to wear this outfit to a wedding if the guest dress code is casual. Just remember to tuck in your shirt to make sure you look neat.
3. Get themed casual attire
The general definition of casual is anything that’s comfortable as long as it’s appropriate for the event. By this definition, casual can take on many different looks, depending on the event. This is why it’s a good idea to have several different types of casual attire in your wardrobe.
For starters, get a couple pairs of Dickies work pants. They can be a little stiff at first, but they’re more comfortable than dress pants and they’re sturdier. They also look professional, but not too dressy. You can wear these pants with a polo shirt or button-down shirt.
Speaking of polo shirts, get a few different collared shirts in a variety of colors so you’ll always have an appropriate color when needed. Try starting with white, black, blue, and gray. Stay away from bright colors like red, orange, and yellow. You’ll probably never get a chance to wear those.
For button-down shirts, get some long sleeved and short sleeved shirts in at least white, black, and light blue. These are the most common colors for button-down shirts, and having them in long and short sleeved options will give you options for different weather.
4. Start a tie collection
Do you have a tie collection? If not, start creating a collection today. If you’re someone who only has one or two suits, or you just don’t like the idea of getting more suits and having them tailored to fit you perfectly, you can keep your look fresh by changing your tie. Your suit – no matter what it looks like – will fade into the background when you’re wearing a bold, good-looking tie.
The best part is, you won’t need a bunch of suits to make yourself look different. Your entire look will change based on your tie. Change your tie, change your look. It’s that simple. Best of all, ties are cheaper than suits. You can even get some nice ties for under $20.
With ties come bow-ties, so don’t forget these awesome additions to your tie collection. Bow-ties can be both formal or casual, depending on the style and event.
5. Get at least one formal outfit
Do you get invited to formal events, but never show up because you don’t have the right attire? If you’ve ever wanted to go to a formal event, now is a great time to get prepared for the next invitation.
Even if it’s been a while since your last invitation, it’s a good idea to have at least one formal outfit just in case you get invited to another formal event in the near future.
Be ready to dress to impress
Now that you have some fresh ideas for attire, start creating your wardrobe with the options that you feel call to you. With a decent wardrobe, you’ll be ready to impress whether you’re heading out to a casual or formal event.
