Why “Elevated Casual” Is The Style You’ve Been Looking For (And How To Pull It Off)

A while back I wrote an article about the Perfect Business Casual Uniform.

My goal with that article was to shed some light on a common dress code that can often be interpreted many different ways. In that article I talk about how most menswear articles on dress codes give readers too much choice.

An article ostensibly trying to clearly explain something like “business casual” isn’t helpful if it contains 30 different outfits. That much choice just confuses people.

I am going to attempt to do something similar with this article, namely, give very specific advice for pulling off another somewhat nebulous dress code: “elevated casual”.

Now, “elevated casual” isn’t really a real dress code. But it’s arguably the one we encounter most often.

Family outings, school pickups, parent-teacher conferences, visits with the in-laws, and yes, even appearances at the office (because “business casual” is actually kind of an off-shoot of “elevated casual”). Basically, just any time we want to look good without drawing too much attention to ourselves.

“Elevated casual” is supposed to kind of fade into the background. You want people to notice you’re put-together without really being able to put their finger on it.

It’s a manner of dressing that let’s others know that you’re the adult in the room. I actually touched on this a bit when I wrote my most recent “Style Icons” article.

When I was younger (with no real idea of how to dress), my mom would refer to what I am coining “elevated casual” as “nice casual” if we were going to a restaurant or something. And I had no idea what the heck that meant!

Now I get it.

Now, the beauty of “elevated casual” is that it’s VERY easy to execute and there are a couple helpful tips to keep in mind.

The good news is that, if you’re a super casual guy, you can still keep your jeans (provided they aren’t ripped or anything like that), since I know jeans are sometimes hard to let go of for many guys.

To pull off “elevated casual” keep these two things in your mind… collared shirt and leather shoes.

Start with swapping out your t-shirt for something like a polo shirt, linen button-up, or oxford shirt. Yes, you can still wear your jeans. If the shirt hem is a little long, tuck it in.

When the weather gets cold, toss a wool, crew-neck sweater over it. The chunkier it is, the more casual it is.

When it comes to footwear, sure you could wear sneakers all the time, but there’s nothing cool about plastic and glue and foam. Instead, wear some leather boots. If you want to get fancy, slip on some loafers. There’s sex appeal to leather. You don’t get that with sneakers.

So, by simply wearing a collared shirt and leather shoes, you immediately up your style game.

Honestly, if you walk into a room wearing jeans, an oxford shirt, a sweater, and some boots, no one is going to go “Woah! Why are you so dressed up?!”

They’ll just think you look good.

Be careful though, as there is something very important to consider… don’t confuse “elevated casual” with “elevating the ordinary”. I wrote about that a while back, too, but it’s worth mentioning again in this context.

“Elevating the ordinary” means getting fancy, luxe versions of your everyday items. Think cashmere hoodies and $100 t-shirts.

But that’s NOT “elevated casual”. “Elevated casual” doesn’t have to be expensive or luxury. The vast majority of my wardrobe is from low-cost or mid-tier retailers like Lands’ End and Brooks Brothers and I almost always get things on sale.

With “elevated casual”, you’ll look mature and put-together. With “elevating the ordinary” you’ll still look like a schlub in a hoodie, regardless of how much you paid for it.

I feel like elevated casual is the sweet spot most men are shooting for when they get dressed.

Look, I like to wear a jacket and tie as much as the next internet menswear weirdo, but I realize that the vast majority of guys out there aren’t into clothing the way I am. Most guys view clothes as means to an end.

They’re going out to dinner with their wives and they need to look nice. Or they’re attending their company holiday party. Or they’re getting coffee with someone new.

They want to look responsible and capable. They want their wives to be pleased with what they put on.

What they really want is to just look good enough that no one will give them any crap for looking too fancy or for looking too much like… crap.

That precious middle-ground is what most guys are after. They’re thinking, “How can I dress that makes me just look good?”

Well, “elevated casual” is their answer.

I like to think about “elevated casual” as swapping out the low-quality or childish aspects of my wardrobe. And that means getting rid of the sneakers and the t-shirts.

But there are shades of grey within that.

Do I think that clean, minimalistic sneakers can work with “elevated casual”? Yes, of course. Do I think that a white t-shirt under a leather jacket can work with “elevated casual”? Again, yes.

The gist of the “collared shirt and leather shoes” thing is to get you thinking about how you can easily upgrade how you dress.

If you usually wear jeans, a hoodie, and sneakers, then an “elevated casual” version of that might look like jeans, a cable-knit sweater, and brown boots. If you want to ratchet up the “niceness” a little, you might wear khakis instead of jeans, a v-neck sweater over an oxford shirt instead of a cable-knit sweater, and loafers over brown boots. Go a little further and you’re now in sport-coat-and-flannel-trouser territory.

My point with all of this is that “elevated casual” is easy. A lot of menswear can feel intimidating, but “elevated casual” doesn’t have to be.

And I think you’ll find that once you start dabbling in “elevated casual”, you’ll start dressing that way without even thinking about it!

I don’t think I have worn a t-shirt in public in years! Sure, I’m still super casual most days, as I love flannel shirts and jeans, but my daily standard has risen with time. I began with “elevated casual” and then that kind of became my everyday wardrobe.

So, if you are looking for that perfect middle-ground between casual and “too dressed up”, I think “elevated casual” is for you.