A well-dressed outfit for a hot summer evening.

Special thanks to Thursday Boot Co. for supporting Primer’s mission and sponsoring this post.

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Looking rakish and modern on a summer evening is a breeze, whether for a rooftop bar, live music, or outdoor cocktails on a first date.

This outfit makes use of several outfit-building strategies:

Monochromatic color palette

• Dark and simple colors are a staple of dressier and more refined styles like a suit or tuxedo. While we’re maintaining a casual and comfortable vibe, borrowing this reduced palette makes a shorts and sneakers look feel more evening-ready.
• Simply visualize this same outfit with a version of the shirt that has a vibrant pattern and colorful shorts to see how sophisticated the outfit becomes with this subdued approach.

Style is in the details

• The polo not only has a full button placket but also a substantial knit texture that loudly yells “this isn’t my golf shirt.” Similarly, the tank top isn’t just a white undershirt, this cream color lowers the contrast between it and the shirt, giving it a role in the style but in a more integrated way.
• The court sneakers are a modern and low profile take on tennis and basketball shoes from the 80s and 90s; the moc-toe-like stitching and perforated cap are hallmarks of athletic shoes, keep this choice casual and firmly in sneaker territory. But when paired with the minimalist, low profile design of the rest of the shoe, the overall effect feels almost like broguing on a wingtip.

Heat adaptations

• The loose knit on the 100% cotton shirt provides breathability and air flow, making up for its thicker-than-a-t-shirt weight.
• While it’s perfectly fine to wear more vibrant styles in the evening, using our monochrome palette helps balance the innately more casual feel of short sleeves and shorts, that are a necessity for comfort in many regions this time of year.

Court Shoe

Thursday Boot Co.

The right sneaker is the secret ingredient to easy and sharp summer style. The just-released Court sneaker from Thursday takes classic sneaker design cues and updates them for day-and-night smart casual style.

Made with Italian Nappa Leather with a Strobel construction and quality-of-life features like shock-absorbent footbeds, these premium sneakers are meant for heavy wear just as much as they are to look good. The Court is also available in a number of other colorways, I’m particularly partial to the Smoke and Clay styles.

Cotton Loose Knit Polo

J.Crew

This shirt is equally 1950s Palm Springs and 2020s New York. Leaning on a retro edge, is one of my go-to style tricks for dressing well in summer.

Unlike many cheaper options that are made entirely of less breathable synthetic materials, the 100% cotton construction offers breathability, maintenance, and durability of shape.

Buck Mason Pima Rib Tank

Buck Mason

Made of 100% Supima cotton with a 2×2 rib knit for stretch, this ain’t your high school Hanes undershirt.

Automatic Diver Watch

Dan Henry

Continuing on the “style is in the details” approach, I love how this small pop of orange, on an otherwise color-matching watch, contributes to the overall outfit. The green jasper stones of the ring similarly inject a blip of nuanced personality.

Dan Henry is a watch microbrand, started by the eponymous vintage watch collector, that offers era-themed designs of historically significant watches. The 1970 is a design that aesthetically and mechanically honors the dive watches of the decade.

Italian Stretch Chino Shorts

Bonobos

These are essentially dress chinos hemmed into shorts. Italian-milled cotton fabric with 2% stretch in a tailored fit and my go-to fav extended tab closure give these shorts a finish that clearly separates them from your casual heavy twill shorts.

Give your shirt a quick French tuck to show off that extended button tab, and combined with that necklace, ring, court sneakers and cream tank top, you’ve got a modern look still firmly rooted in enduring styles.