Grey suit, blue/white striped shirt, navy tie and light brown accessories. Perfectly dressed for any workplace, destined to catch some funny looks from the colleagues showing up in cycling/ functional clothes made from shredded plastic bottles and Birkenstocks.
To stand out has some pros and cons to it, but if you own your style and have some good story on your why for dressing well the pros outweigh the negative aspects.
Keep it fun & don‘t take other people’s opinions to seriously!
..but not enough to go full charcoal. Suit is from Mango Tailored and I was quite stunned by the quality and the fit. Pants are not as narrow as Massimo Dutti or Hugo Boss and I got the suit with a 30% discount. Only the trousers needed length adjustment, length of the jackets arms is quite good, a bit too much padding in the shoulders, but that’s currently en-vogue I guess.
Maybe next time I will put it with black derbies, a black shirt and a charcoal tie. For the complete John Wick look I’m then only missing the hair.
Outfit of the day, shorts, white/blue striped shirt and loafers, plus a warm cardigan for the evening. Off to visit the German museum in Munich – Flugwerft and afterwards some good BBQ and maybe a Glas for wine or two..
Today‘s outfit for the chilly morning. Blue cotton suit with a blue turtleneck and loafers. I like this style when it‘s either cold outside or when I run out of freshly ironed shirts and am in a hurry. Or when I don’t feel like closing the buttons, or when I’m overly lazy.
In the afternoon the fit will be more functional, since we use the last vacation day for a bike tour.
Enjoy your day, have luck hunting for new perfect additions to your wardrobe!
The item in my wardrobe I love the 2nd most is the grey wool chino. It‘s just as versatile as the navy blazer and you can combine it to a infinite amount of different outfits and styles. Personally I ended up with two pretty similar ones, same shade of mid-grey and both wool. One is of a finer fabric and has white window-pane pattern, the other one is of a thicker twill like fabric without patterns. Originally I opted for either one of the grey ones and a tan/brown one in addition, but the fit of the brown and tan ones were really off for my bodytype and the trousers were 19€ a pair so I kept both grey ones. Don’t regret it.
Since I‘m pretty small but somewhat rugged, shopping for bottoms is quite difficult. Everything slim will not fit my quads and or calves unless it‘s 4 sizes to large around the waist and most stuff is far too long for me. But that‘s pretty easily handled by a good tailor for next to zero cost.
But we wanted to talk what outfits/ styles you can get out of grey chinos so let‘s start on the casual side and let‘s work our way up to outfits that a suitable if you mean business.
One the casual side, only thing you really have to do is slap on a plain white t-shirt and some white court sneakers and you already look stylish compared to most of your peers. If you find yourself in the colder months, just throw a plain or a cable-knit sweater over it. Or if you want to show the shirt, a cardigan or even a blazer.
Level up this simple style with swapping the t-shirt for a button-down or dress shirt. You can keep wearing the sneaker with that outfit or make I a bit more classy by going for some casual leather shoe, like loafers, boat shoes or monk straps. A black/ navy Chelsea or desert boot can also look quite amazing.
As for layering, the same stays true when wearing a shirt. Put a cardigan or knit sweater above and you look even more sophisticated, or like old money, as some would describe it. Wear a navy blazer or a grey/ blue/ brown sports coat and you are already dressed well enough for every office or for a date night in a really fancy location. Darker shirts like black, charcoal or navy keep it a bit more interesting and casual, white or light blue shirts will be more suitable for the working hours.
This is one of my staple outfits, personal uniform so to speak, grey chinos, light colored shirt, navy blazer. I tend to pair it with sneakers or loafers, but oxfords or derbies work just the same. Keep it interesting and varied by adding accessories like pocket squares, watches or bracelets, or, my favorite, a tie.
Bonus layering options that look dashing for the outdoors:
Enjoy your day! Enjoy hunting for good fitting, good quality pieces to expand your wardrobe, play around with different combinations and see how it impacts your mood and your self confidence!
Sebastian Strobl 