Stripes, Plaid, & Graphics: Casual Style That’s Anything but Boring

The key to a short sleeve sport shirt, so it doesn’t take on a dated quality, is ensuring a good fit. The contemporary fit of this John Varvatos Star USA shirt is the perfect pairing to the stylish indigo plaid to give you an updated look with jeans or shorts. It’s trim, but not tight, which is what you want – we even like that it doesn’t have any chest pockets to keep it sleek. Add stylish sneakers or canvas slip-on shoes to complete the outfit.

For a relaxed weekend day, Tommy Bahama always delivers, and this striped cotton cardigan is something special. It has an almost retro appeal, and you’re sure to wear it for seasons to come in its ageless appeal. The combination of the mesh stitch, washed colors, and uneven stripe is compiled for a simply awesome easy-fitting sweater to wear over a white or heather blue t-shirt and jeans, shorts, or cotton twill pants.

Stripes are always a surefire way for a gent to bring some pattern into his look. And J.Crew takes an interesting approach (and we mean that in the best way) by creating those stripes and color blocks with different stitch work in various shades of indigo blue. The result is a sporty cotton sweater in a modern fit that can be dressed up or down, and looks great on gents of various builds. The sweater has an athletic influence with solid sleeves that mix with the color block pattern of the body. We like it with a white or heather grey t-shirt underneath to show off the great color. If you’re worried about what bottoms to wear, jeans in any wash look great – they really pick up the blues in the sweater. But you can wear twill pants or shorts in any shade from neutral to pops of summer color, since this sweater does have a denim “go-with-everything” feel to it.

Yes, we’re going there. Gents wear clothes on the golf course that they may not wear elsewhere – it’s a place to have some preppy finesse. And Hugo Boss’ contemporary fitting BOSS Green sports line delivers with some seriously good-looking fashion fun for the golf course. The deep colors of this floral print have a richness of color – and a slight sheen to the cotton fabric with a touch of stretch for comfort – that give these pants a clearly distinctive look. They are so sophisticated, you’ll wear them with a white, dark navy or black polo…and complete confidence. Let’s hope your game holds up as well as these pants will.

A camp shirt with a fun print is an easy weekend solution. The diamond and pineapple printed cotton is Tommy Bahama at its best - providing a touch of “campy” fun, with a whole lot of relaxing comfort, ideal for a weekend by the lake or beach. Wear it with your neutral cotton shorts, dark wash jeans, or drawstring linen pants. Sneakers, sandals or boat shoes complete the look.

Pattern plays into all the athletic influences in our wardrobes these days. And as we touched on with the floral pants above, Hugo Boss’ BOSS Green line does it in style. This contemporary fit polo epitomizes the new look of a golf shirt. The fabric is a cotton/polyester/Elastane® blend that wicks away moisture to keep you comfortable on the course, while the color block panel insets and stripe tipping on the collar will have you looking sharp. We don’t guarantee it will improve your score but we can tell you it will improve your look.

Plaid pants can be super tricky, but plaid shorts? Well, they are just right for the weekends. Tommy Bahama’s blend of linen and Tencel® gives this easy fitting pair a rich texture and comfortably soft hand. The longer length is modern looking, with the comeback of the Bermuda short in fashion. The coral shade goes well with solid white, blue and tan polos and t-shirts and there’s an equally good-looking blue version through the ‘shop it’ button, as well. These are the perfect shorts for the golf course and a backyard party.

Summer is definitely the time to add some pop to your casual shoe picks. The stripe pattern of these Blu Kicks canvas slip-ons looks great with jeans, shorts and swim trunks. It’s just enough interest to make a statement, while not being bold or over-the-top. It has a removable insole for added comfort and a rubber, anti-slip boating sole. In addition to a great price for a well-made sneaker that can be machine washed (yes!), $1 for every pair sold goes to organizations that raise awareness of endangered environments and habitats. Pretty good for some great style.