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A lot of the time, guys looking for fashion advice or ways to scale their personal style find that some recommendations lean either too casual or too formal for everyday wear.

Boxy Carhart jackets and impeccably tailored suits are each great in their own right, but sometimes you just want to know how to dress “better” without feeling particularly dressed up or down.

Enter, “smart casual.” While technically quite a large umbrella term used to refer to all manner of aesthetics and styles, the fundamental guiding principle behind smart casual attire is the perfect balance between presentability and versatility. Outfits that you can wear almost anywhere, at almost any time.

Smart Casual “Twist”

The most basic casual uniform for most guys usually consists of jeans and a t-shirt. Maybe shorts if it’s especially hot out. While this baseline can be done better than you’d expect, it will rarely transcend its casual limits. Unless you add a twist – but more on that in a bit.

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On the other end of the style spectrum, a dark navy or black worsted wool suit, worn with a white dress shirt, tie, and dress shoes is more or less the most formal most men will have to dress, unless you get invited to a lot of black or white tie events.

However, some mistakenly chalk up all suits as equal, that by virtue of being a suit alone, formality is at play. But in truth, tailoring can be worn casually as well. With a twist, once again.

This “twist” is understanding how to bridge casual pieces with more formal ones, either by utilizing the high-low dress theory or by simply refining the details of an existing casual ensemble.

There’s certainly more than one way to do smart casual, but the basic understanding of how clothing articles communicate with one another is what leads to successful outfits.

Sounds confusing? Don’t worry, by the end of this guide, you’ll have a sharp understanding of smart casual style philosophy, and you’ll undoubtedly come away with several outfit ideas you’ll want to recreate.

Wearing vs Styling

We weren’t kidding when we said a t-shirt and jeans can be elevated. The difference is in the details, or rather, “styling” an outfit instead of just “wearing” one.

Wearing a t-shirt and jeans means exactly just that. You’re wearing them. Not much thought went into them. You threw on the first pair of sneakers you could find and headed out the door.

But styling essentially means that you’ve considered everything from the ground-up. For starters, you’ll want to make sure that the t-shirt and jeans fit within certain parameters.

Go for a shirt that either has a tasteful crop, ending just around the waist. If it’s on the longer side, consider tucking it in. Many have an aversion to tucking in tees, and when done poorly, it can look quite silly. But trust us here. Trust the process.

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Pair your t-shirt with well-fitting jeans. This means they shouldn’t be strangling your legs. Go for a classic straight fit jean at the very least, but if you want to express a more distinctive silhouette, feel free to go looser.

Your jeans should also be at least mid-rise. High-rise jeans are even better. This might be a bit tricky at first, because a lot of jeans on the market today are low-rise. But once you find the right air, you’ll understand.

A higher rise visually elongates your legs and breaks up your proportions in a way that is flattering on most body types. Jeans that are too tight or too low will make your legs look spindly or shorter than they actually are.

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Once you have the right t-shirt and jeans combo, it’s time to style things up. You want to elevate this casual outfit. That means choosing the right finishing touches.

Consider loafers for your footwear, as they straddle the line between casual and formal perfectly. There’s hardly a more versatile shoe, and with a t-shirt and jeans, they still feel right at home.

For an ivy-inspired look, dare to wear them