The way I see it – for 80-90% of men – YES. This doesn’t mean that I am happy about everything that has been happening in the last few months. But I see the tendency or the vector as a Personal Stylist and want to help you adjust your wardrobe and style to the new changes.
Most men will be working from home now and the remaining others who are staying in the office full time, usually have company uniforms. There will be fewer formal face-to-face presentations and gatherings with many people attending. Those few men who might be in the office a couple of days a week, are already adopting more smart-casual style. And you should too, because it makes more sense.
Smart-Casual Wardrobe allows you to blend work and your personal lifestyle more seamlessly without changing your outfits during the day. A few top managers, CEOs or politicians may need to maintain some formal status attire, but even for many of them, this will not be required every day.
However, it is not all gloom and doom and definitely not what I am trying to convey here. There are many positives that all men should embrace, so you can adjust to the personal changes 2020 has brought to all of us.
HERE ARE MY FEW TIPS:
- Swap your formal pleated trousers for stretchy dark navy and blue chinos. Beige or camel colour can be a good 2nd or 3rd option. Choose lighter , not so dense fabrics for summer.
- For a modern cut you chinos should be slightly tapered or gradually narrowed towards your ankle. No straight leg please. 😉
- Swap your formal stripy shirts for more smart-casual geo(metric) patterns. Look for smart, masculine colours such as burgundy, maroon, dark navy or green (for brown eyes and olive complexion) and lighter blue and green (for blue/grey eyes and lighter skin tones).
- You can also combine for example 2 of these flattering colours plus white for some contrast in your geopattern shirts. Embrace florals as they are great for summer and tropical climates such as in Queensland. ( if you know how to choose them)
- Choose stretchy waistbands for your chinos and shorts as you won’t need belts then. One less thing to worry about.
- Wear your shirts out instead of tucking them in. Make sure the shirts are semi-fitted V-shape and not too baggy as they look smarter.
- Master the art of a plain fitted V-neck t-shirt in neutral or masculine colours. The t-shirts should also be fitted enough and go well with your chinos and shorts. If you work from home , you will be mostly wearing them plus your smart- casual shirts during the coming Australian summer 2020.
- Pick urban style shorts with side pockets over cargo style shorts. They are a little smarter and are handy if you need to pop into the office even briefly.
- Pick black, navy or tan loafers (or drivers) that have no laces and you can wear without socks or with invisible socks in summer.
- Making sure you have regular breaks from your home desk is vital to your health, sanity and positive mood. Move your body and stretch, go for a walk, play with your children or dog or go for a bike ride. Snatching time here and there to maintain a healthy lifestyle and bringing variety to your every day, should become a routine for you.
- Choosing stretchy fabrics for your shorts and chinos will allow you to do it effortlessly and without changing your outfits all the time. LULULEMON brand has good light stretchy chinos and shorts with zip pockets so you can even go for a bike ride or run and return to your work quickly. (TKMAXX often has good inexpensive options too).
Despite of many 2020 changes that are hard to embrace, enjoy having less formality in your personal style and wardrobe, not wearing a tie in the heat or not spending much time on travelling to work .
My best wishes,
Masha Bowran
Personal Stylist and Style Educator
For Smart-Casual Wear for Men E-BOOK , click here.
For the Shopping Trips in Brisbane to help you build a Smart- Casual wardrobe, book here.