Tips: How to dress in a casual chic style? (in 2024)

How to be well dressed without overdoing it?

Here is the challenge that casual chic chooses to take on. And rather brilliantly because it is now essential in the contemporary men's wardrobe.

This style guide was originally written in 2016 . We offer you here a complete update of this content, written in 2024.

A little reminder never hurts.

Casual chic means mixing elegant clothes with more casual ones in the same outfit.

For example :

• A blazer jacket (elegant) with a t-shirt and chinos (casual).
• A shirt (stylish) with jeans (casual)

Maybe you already dress like that sometimes, without necessarily realizing it. In which case: well done.

The goal of this guide is therefore to help you mix these two style registers well . Because not all casual clothes go with all dressy clothes. That would be too easy.

It's an easy style to get started with.

It represents a good entry point into men's style for newbies who don't really know where to start.

It is easy because it is based on fairly common clothing such as sweaters, shirts, jeans. You probably already have some of these pieces in your wardrobe. And for what you are missing, the offer on the market is very wide.

It is also an all-purpose style : this mix of elegance and relaxation is socially well accepted. You are not taking too many risks by dressing in such a way.

To go a little further, I would say that casual chic is a good stylistic foundation which then allows you to branch out towards more advanced, more cutting-edge styles.

After a while, depending on your stylistic path, you could drift towards a more workwear chic, soft tailoring or minimalist style for example, all of which have roots in common with casual chic.

The style of an era necessarily corresponds to the offering of that era .

Around 2015 - a period when casual chic style really took off - the men's fashion offering was more limited than today. There were fewer brands, less diversity in the shapes and volumes of clothing.

There were shirts and t-shirts, blazers and bombers. Jeans and chinos. Sneakers and ankle boots. The slim and skinny fit. I'm exaggerating a bit but you get the idea.

The silhouettes of these years are only a reflection of this offer, mixing these pieces and influences together.

The typical outfit was fitted jeans with a mismatched blazer and a shirt, it was the pinnacle of a style with just the right amount of chic, but not too much either, so as not to come across as “overdressed”.

It corresponds to a still tenacious heritage of the Slimane silhouette, itself inspired by rock silhouettes.

In 2024, things have logically changed. But what precisely?

Two big changes have taken place in recent years:

Where volumes were mostly fitted, recent years have seen the emergence of more generous cuts , both at the top and bottom.

Fullness is liberating : by exploring different widths and mixing loose and fitted styles in the same outfit, you open yourself up to new style possibilities.

So if you are used to wearing fitted volumes, our advice is the following: try slightly straighter volumes.

I'm not talking about going for super broad things. But just a little wider than you're used to. We are talking about all types of clothing here:

• Whether it's the pants, which you can choose a little looser at the thigh and calf. To give you an order of magnitude, fitted pants have a leg opening around 18cm, on a size M. To aim a little straighter, you can go around 20cm for example
• But this also concerns tops: take t-shirts, shirts and sweaters with a little more room at the shoulders and armpits

Not only will it be more comfortable, but it is possible that when you look in the mirror you will find the result visually interesting.

To get you started, for example, we talked about the benefits of straight cut pants in this article .

And in our Bonnegueule collection, we have been offering straighter and more comfortable pieces for some time:

The materials are now less thick and rigid .

Denim weights are more reasonable (goodbye 23oz thick giga jeans). More fluid materials find their place in the men's wardrobe. The return of velvet, a downy fabric with a rounder drape, also embodies this shift very well.

These softer fabrics, combined with slightly looser cuts, allow the garment to drape more and express itself around the wearer . Which contrasts quite a bit with the silhouettes of 5 or 10 years ago, which were much stiffer and structured.

Today's casual chic shows a quieter, more relaxed elegance. The casual chic of 10 years ago had a more structured, very clean side.

When we push the idea of ​​“cool” elegance to the limit, we arrive at a stylistic trend that has its own name: soft tailoring, which we dissected in this article.

A sure way to design a beautiful outfit is through coherence and harmony. Coherence brings fluidity and naturalness.

The advantage of dressing in a well-defined look (workwear, streetwear, tailoring, etc.) is that we have a natural coherence between the different pieces. For example, if you like the suit style, it's easy to have consistency: a suit goes naturally with a shirt, a tie and leather shoes.

And the risk of mixing several styles in the same outfit is losing this coherence. Sneakers don't go naturally with a suit, it's not something obvious.

The whole challenge of casual chic style is to find a good balance between these two worlds.

So here is the ultimate tip for mixing elegant and casual clothes in the same outfit , very well explained by Jordan:

This is the most important idea to take away from this article: take the formal and make it more casual, and vice versa.

This is how you harmonize two distant styles: by bringing them together.

With this idea in mind, we understand why Nike Dunks don't go with an office suit. It's not so much that a suit and sneakers aren't compatible: it's more that this type of sneaker is not compatible with this type of costume.

“And if we still wanted to wear Dunks with a suit, what would we do?”

This association is not in my favor, but if we wanted to do it, here is how I would do it:

1. Wear them in a resolutely streetwear aesthetic

With a colorful, loose, flexible suit, a hoodie, a printed t-shirt, jewelry/accessories.

2. Wear them with a more traditional suit and wear a striking contrast

We are talking about an approach where we no longer necessarily seek to respect harmony in the outfit. Yes, the shoes will contrast strongly with the rest, and we can find that very good that way.

We are going to be very concrete: I offer you a checklist of the essential points to take into account to gauge the level of relaxation or elegance of the main men's clothing.

I noted for each item of clothing whether it is basically more formal or casual.

From a casual chic perspective, the idea is to wear more casual versions of formal clothes, and vice versa.

Click on each link to access an analysis by clothing typology. :)

• Shirt
• The blazer (or suit jacket)
• The jacket and the jacket
• The t-shirt and sweater
• Jeans
• Chinos
• Sneakers
• City shoes

Casual chic is a spectrum.

You can aim for looks right between chic and casual (50/50).

But we can also consider casual chic silhouettes which tend more towards elegance (for example 80% chic, 20% casual) or more towards relaxation (80% casual, 20% chic).

This idea is useful if you have very dressy or very casual clothes that are difficult to get out of their register.

With cotton jogging pants (very casual clothing), you will not be able to create an elegant outfit with a shirt and a blazer. On the other hand, you can work on a very casual silhouette but with a touch of chic and flair.

On the other hand, it is not necessarily easy to wear certain very formal clothes in a casual manner. Typically, a very formal suit jacket won't really go with sneakers. The contrast in style is a bit strong between the two.

In this case, make a casual chic outfit that leans more towards chic.

Let's talk about the importance of silhouette, cuts, proportions.

As we said a little above: a successful silhouette is a harmonious silhouette.

This harmony can be achieved on width: that is to say having clothes whose width is consistent for you (not too tight, not too wide), but also between them (not having two clothes whose cut is very different).

There is also harmony along the length (or even lengths) that Jordan describes very well in this article :

To improve the harmony of your silhouettes, start by undressing . Yes yes. In order to understand your body and what clothing can do to enhance it.

Next, I advise you to take a critical look at your outfits. To do this, don't hesitate to look at yourself in front of the mirror, take a photo of yourself or even share your looks with other enthusiasts who can give you feedback.

Here are two examples of outfits that I think lack harmony, with my tips for improving them.

Interesting composition , with quality clothing. The colors are well chosen. The pants are quite rich in details, which gives consistency to the whole.

On the other hand, the proportions ring false. The bust appears very elongated and the legs very short . This is because the pants are worn low on the hips and short (rolled up). Taking the photo, slightly from above, doesn't help either.

To balance the silhouette, I think it would be good to wear the pants higher on the hips and to wear them longer . We could thus approach this type of rendering:

Not casual chic here but rather formal, but the teaching is interesting.

The outfit works overall, except for what we see at the bottom of the pants: the calf is tight and appears very small compared to the feet , which on the contrary seem very imposing. This effect is accentuated by the rest of the outfit: the jacket is long with a wide lapel. The shirt collar and tie are also quite wide. Only the calf appears shrunken in this set.

Here, you should choose pants with a larger leg opening , which provides more coverage for the foot. Shoes with a less elongated, more rounded shape could also reduce this “big feet” effect. Like this for example:

The color palette is simple: white, navy blue, olive green, brown . Remember that these colors always work together, so overuse them.

The volumes are well controlled : neither too narrow nor too wide.

The polo collar that sticks out brings a little light to this ensemble.

Pleated cotton pants fit perfectly here. You should have one: it's a piece that strikes a perfect balance between elegance and relaxation.

Discreet leather dress shoes finish it off. In suede leather like here, it's very good.

Blue jeans, a beige overshirt: the base is very simple.

Brown hiking shoes add character. But derbies would go very well too.

Note that the pants have fullness to go with the rather imposing shape of the shoes. Slim pants would make less sense.

The green hat works well as an extension of the beige and brown.

Rings are optional!

This is what a casual chic outfit looks like mastered with a blazer and jeans.

Above: a shirt and a blazer, in casual mode. The shirt is made of oxford with a button-down collar and is worn slightly open. The blazer is quite light in color and has patch pockets.

Bottom: Lightly faded jeans and brown suede tassel loafers. Don't like moccasins? Wear derbies, the outfit will work just the same.

Note also the beautiful harmony of colors : white, sand, faded blue and brown.

The Oxford shirt is still there. Blue jeans too.

Originality lies in this Harrington jacket, in a beautiful green. A way to bring a little sporty/ Ivy League side to your style. Sober brown derbies finish it off.

White, ecru, gray, black: here is an outfit in shades of gray that is very pleasing to the eye.

The sweatshirt, denim jacket and white socks bring casualness, while the white shirt, pleated wool pants and velvet slippers are more elegant.

The balance of volumes is also very successful : look at the length of the pants or the jacket for example.

The colors are quite sober here (white, blue, beige).

This look is distinguished by more original clothing shapes and volumes. We can note the pants, with a loose cut and a cargo pocket placed on the front of the left thigh. There is also the jacket, whose hybrid form takes its inspiration from both the blazer and the work jacket. Finally, you have the tassel loafers, which you don't see that often on the street.

A sweater, a blazer, jeans, loafers: fairly simple clothes. You notice the yellow of the sweater , which fits well with the rest of the outfit (gray and blue). Also note the white socks with red stripes , which denote what we are used to seeing.

Adding punchy and colorful pieces is a good way to spice up fairly classic silhouettes.

The casual chic style can also tend towards other worlds. Here you have the combination of dress pants with a shirt and leather shoes, but we feel that there is something else behind it.

So, this outfit leans towards the workwear style with pants in a fairly rustic material (it looks like tweed), the beige shirt (which changes from white and blue) and the faded denim jacket. Everything has character , we appreciate it.

The clothes are also perfectly cut: the fairly short jacket still covers the waistband of the pants because they are quite high.

Take a look at British brand Drake's lookbooks to discover inspiring and more stylish looks.

Here, we have a clever slalom between casual and more dressy.

The cap and cardigan are rather casual. Beige chinos too, despite their central pleat which gives some structure to the leg line. The braided belt too, but it remains in leather and matches the moccasins.

The shirt, tie and blazer are dressier but not too much because they are colorful or patterned. We are not looking for a very formal “suit and tie”.

Note the superposition of several layers at the top , with patterned pieces (jacket, shirt, tie) framed by other plain and sober ones (cardigan, coat).

If you were wondering if it is possible to mix two identical patterns in an outfit, the answer is yes. To do it well, vary their scale (large stripe / fine stripe).

Shuhei Nishiguchi masters his subject like no one else . His outfits are always rich in lessons.

Here, an outfit constructed in a harmonious monochrome ranging from white to brown.

Each piece has a little story to tell. The pants for their impeccable cut. Shoes for their unique appearance (exotic leather?). The t-shirt for its high collar which protrudes from the melted diamond pattern sweater. The blazer for its fluffy appearance. The jacket for its military side (evidenced by the beige color, the shoulder pads and the pockets). Even the necklace and its pendant fit into the shades.

An impeccable outfit where everything works perfectly together: the different shades of beige/brown/sand complement each other wonderfully.

A more advanced outfit, made up of specific clothing that is not found on every street corner.

Indeed, it is a vision of casual chic where each item of clothing is improved , boosted.

No simple t-shirt but a striped sweater (which I suspect is short-sleeved) and well textured with an openwork knit stitch. No classic straight blazer but a double-breasted jacket with a shawl collar, inspired by tuxedo jackets. And pants with a distinct style: high waisted and loose.

Beautiful shapes, beautiful textures, beautiful plays of volumes and a beautiful monochrome palette of neutral colors make this look different.

We end with a look that's deliberately a little provocative.

I don't recommend dressing like this every day. It's more to show you that with confidence, experience and daring, you can push your style quite far.

It's technically a casual chic look because you have:

• Dressier clothes at the top , with the embroidered white shirt, bow tie and black double-breasted tuxedo jacket
• And others more casual at the bottom , with faded jeans with raw edges (the threads of which hang at the bottom) and leopard mules (yes yes). Oh yes, there's a cap too, while we're at it.

While there isn't much cohesiveness about it (that's clearly not the point of the outfit), you'll notice that each item of clothing fits impeccably well. It helps to make some sense of it all.

Dressing up also means having fun, trying things out . Pair a tuxedo jacket with jeans, for example.

Casual chic is a rich, multifaceted style. It is simple to understand but difficult to master.

To create harmonious casual chic outfits, remember the following points:

• Understand the records of the clothes you wear,
• Think about the overall harmony of your silhouettes ,
• Get inspired , again and again. Binge yourself with inspiring looks, whether on Instagram, Pinterest or elsewhere. Try to understand why exactly these outfits appeal to you.
• To go further and make your casual chic outfits even richer, inject other influences : preppy, workwear, streetwear, etc.

Now it's up to you!

Questions, comments? Tell us everything in the comments, we'll answer you.