Casual chic is a dress code for men that is elegant, but also comfortable and a little more chic than smart casual. It includes fine materials, a certain understatement and comfortable cuts.
Casual chic for men from MANILO
At manilo.ch offers casual chic for men in the form of embroidered men's shirts. The quality is outstanding, and men can also order personalized and printed shirts from MANILO. The casual shirts are designed and manufactured in Switzerland. MANILO sells the print shirts in Switzerland, and manilohemden.ch also delivers business and casual shirts to the Principality of Liechtenstein. "DESIGNED WITH LOVE" is MANILO's motto: the manufacturer combines its great passion for stylish clothing with a pronounced love of detail. Casual chic for men works, for example, with the button-down shirt in slim fit, if the gentleman is slim and attaches importance to the essential detail: With the button down shirt, the collar points are buttoned to the outer fabric. Printed shirts look more elegant in this way, giving men a casual chic look. Print shirts in a slim fit are worn by men who like to move around, show off their figure and wear sporty casual shirts made of high-quality materials for casual chic. If the print shirts are cut casually and the man combines them with elegant accessories, the result is a stylish everyday look that we identify as casual chic.
Casual chic look by DANIEL KAAY / ©MANILO
Which attributes belong to the casual chic dress code?
This style requires a certain balancing act. Simply putting on elegant casual shirts is not enough. This is how style experts describe casual chic for men:
- Elegant, but not overdressed
- Casual, but never sloppy
- Comfortable and yet more slim fit than loose fit
- Precise fit
- Fine fabrics, but with maximum comfort
Of course, MANILO does not only offer printed shirts in slim fit. If you are looking for purely casual shirts at manilohemden.ch, you will also find them in an extremely comfortable and loose fit, which we wear on the beach promenade or when strolling through town on vacation, for example. But this article is about the casual chic style that men wear in the office.
Occasions for casual chic
The most important occasion for this informal dress code is Casual Friday in the office. The workforce is thinking about the coming weekend and likes things a little more relaxed today, which is why the tie can stay in the wardrobe. The button-down shirt serves as a small reminder of its function, as the buttoned collar tips are typically used to keep the upper part of the tie in shape. manilohemden.ch also supplies print shirts in this form, making them the most important basic for casual chic. Incidentally, this can also be worn for a festive occasion, but then requires a very chic accessory, such as a valuable pin, which also fits on casual shirts, or a stud earring for men who like to wear them. Another extremely important detail in casual chic for men are clean and elegant shoes. They provide the counterpoint to the printed shirts, because the community looks at the shirt, thinks of leisure, but then looks at the shoes and notices the elegance: the man has style, this is the first thought. This is important in a company where men usually wear suits with ties, which can only be omitted on Casual Friday. It is just as important at a party where the guests are dressed elegantly or festively. The following applies here: the more upscale the audience, the more valuable the accessories for men's casual chic clothing can be. It could be a very good leather belt, jeans from the premium range, expensive leather shoes and a valuable watch. This creates an impressive contrast between the print shirts and high-quality overall appearance. This is exactly what characterizes casual chic.
Casual chic: avoid the no-go's
There are a few no-go's that should be strictly avoided with casual chic. For men, there are these:
- Neglected shaving (not the deliberately worn three-day beard)
- Frayed jeans, even if they are otherwise fashionable
- Worn, tattered or faded items of clothing
- Unpolished shoes
- Excessive contrasts in the overall combination (print shirts with an elegant suit jacket)
Casual chic thrives on cultivated elegance, even if printed shirts emphasize the casual character or rather the desire for leisure (on Casual Friday). It is therefore also important to wear a button-down shirt made of a really high-quality (and therefore not cheap) material. MANILO offers such shirts. The material of the outerwear has a mysterious effect that is not only functional but also aesthetic. We see men in casual shirts and sense an incredible elegance that comes across as understatement. How does that work? Well, the shirts contain high-quality flame yarn, for example, which provides a sophisticated refraction of light and therefore creates this silky, shimmering effect.
Why does this style actually exist?
Well, there is a certain philosophy behind this. Everyone expects men who work in an office to look a certain way both inside and outside of work. In short: you shouldn't go to the bakery in sweatpants, but you shouldn't wear a suit and tie either (unless you're going to the office in the morning). From Monday to Thursday, a suit and tie is reserved for the office. During non-working hours, however, this elegant business look would appear overdressed: The man would look untrustworthy and, at worst, make a fool of himself. Nevertheless, for this professional and income group, a distinction between office outfits and purely casual clothing is desirable. Men wear the latter for family outings, shopping trips or barbecues. In addition, there are various occasions beyond Casual Friday for which casual chic simply fits best. Just imagine your in-laws are coming to visit or you are taking your wife to a better restaurant or an expensive jewelry store: these are occasions when you don't want to wear a suit, but also don't want to be too casual and leisurely. You then choose a button down shirt in a slim fit (if you can wear it), a pair of very neat shoes (sneakers if you like, but elegant) and your best jeans with a smart leather belt. This way you're not overdressed, still emphasizing the casual nature of the event, but looking mysteriously elegant. This is exactly what casual chic aims to achieve.
Casual chic as standard office wear
There are young, dynamic companies that have chosen casual chic as their standard office attire for the entire working week. This is not by chance and not because young men don't like wearing ties and suits. That's not true, they actually like wearing them. But some start-ups want to set themselves apart from other sectors. A biotech company that sees itself as very hip doesn't want to evoke any outward associations with representatives of the banking and insurance world. We don't want to comment on this, but for you as an employee of that hip start-up, the question arises as to how you realize everyday casual chic. It requires certain resources. Proceed as follows:
- Research your wardrobe for (or acquire) smart shoes and jeans. You need fewer pants than casual shirts. The ratio is about 1:5.
- Look for elegant accessories such as belts, pins, earrings, necklaces and rings if you want to wear them. Pins and belts always work.
- Combine the basics of printed shirts, shoes and jeans with different accessories every day. Remember what you last wore and what you wore a week ago. It's the variety that counts.
This way you are more varied in casual chic than in a suit.
Have we inspired you? Click here to the current MANILO collection.
Sources:
praxistipps.focus.de/dresscode
www.dresscode-guide.de/buerokleidung
You can also find more information about MANILO here.
