“Beverages with the bros has always been a quintessentially casual affair—and a stylistic minefield. Look too sharp, and you end up the punchline in an evening when you want to be dishing out good-natured abuse, not taking it. (They’re just jealous, but still…) Dress too sloppily and, well, you’re reading this so that’s probably not applicable. As always, we are here to help with a few pieces of hard-won advice:
1. Unless you’re arriving straight from work (in which case: stay tuned for our upcoming package on “How to Untie a Tie”) (note: that is a joke), skip the dress shirt and go with something more relaxed. By which we mean oxfordcloth or chambray, not an Aaron Rodgers jersey.
2. If you’re going to layer up, save the dressier V-neck for work and go with a crewneck in gray or dark burgundy.
3. An overcoat is a great way to class up a casual look, but an unpretentious waxed cotton field jacket or a knit baseball sweater is a better call. Especially if your friends are a) wiseacres and b) make less than you.
4. For similar reasons, ditch the dress shoes and go with a pair of Jack Purcells or dark leather boots—the kind of footwear you’re keen to break in and get dirty anyway.
5. Need a lid? While there’s nothing wrong with a ballcap, a wool knit cap gives you a bit of extra personality—and so do the colorful socks.
6. And, finally, differentiate yourself from your denim-clad pals with a pair of navy chinos or a slim take on classic cargo pants—i.e., not the kind modeled by shirtless adolescents at your local mall.”
(Spotted at Park & Bond)
