B’s Summer Essentials

You guys know all of my summer essentials, but I thought it might be nice to hear from my other half — B for his summer essentials! As you might know, he’s a sharp dresser if I may say so myself with only the smallest bit of help from me. (Mainly when we end up matching and I have to tell him to change.) B happily obliged to share his favorite essentials for summer. So if you are looking for any guy in your life some essentials for summer, look no further. B’s got you covered. (PS: I’ve link a few different price points below each essential!)

Essential #1: Short Sleeve Button Down

It took me a while to come around to the short sleeve button down look, I’ll admit. I was so used to him wearing his normal button downs with his sleeves rolled (a look I love) so when he pulled a fast one on me the last few summers and started adding in these easy button downs, it took me a second to change my mind. But now I’m a fan and of course he is, too. Now his closet is filled with this look and he wears them loose with chinos (as above) or tucked into jeans or shirts. Rag & Bone is probably his favorite brand for button downs because they last and wear so well. Here are some more of his favorites!

B’s thoughts: “I love short sleeve button downs in the summer because you can look polished and feel a bit more cooler than a regular button down. Bonus: office (and happy hour) friendly.”

Essential #2: Lightweight chinos

Think of light colored chinos as a man’s version of white jeans. Not quite as bright and with a casual, summer vibe. It’s always nice to have a lighter look in summer and these pants work from office to date night. B’s favorite brand of chinos are AG, here are the ones he is wearing above! (They wash well and don’t shrink or stretch too bad. Always a bonus.) A few other of his favorite summer pants below:

B’s thoughts: “In the summer to keep that classic summer vibe, I like to cuff or roll the bottom of my pants, just to keep things casual.”

Essential #3: Summer shoes

If B had to get through summer with just three pairs of shoes, it would be a nice pair of loafers, some drivers to wear with shorts and a good pair of white sneakers. (I’ll let him have some sandals on the side, so those don’t count in this list 😉 ) He picked up this under $100 pair of loafers and loved them instantly. It’s nice to have a pair that you can dress up or down. I don’t even have to tell you about the white sneakers, it’s his favorite thing to wear. His favorite summer shoe options below!

B’s thoughts: “If you are looking for the just right pair of sneakers for the summer, go with Adidas Stan Smiths. You can’t go wrong with a pair of Stan Smiths.”

Essential #4: Favorite pair of denim

This sounds like a no-brainer but finding a good pair of denim is actually quite a feat for us women and as I’ve shopped with B, the same can be true for them too. Just as with any denim, fits can be so different and you truly don’t know a pair of denim until you’ve walked a mile in them and then washed them. That’s when you truly know if they are keepers. Of course by that time, they actually are keepers. 😉  B’s favorite brand of denim includes Rag & Bone (are you seeing a pattern here), Paige and Levi’s (especially their Made and Crafted line). Side note: As the number one laundress in our house, I find that with men’s denim if I was them on cold and hang them to dry the color and fit lasts forever. His favorite ever pair is this pair of Rag & Bone and a few others he loves below!

B’s thoughts: “This has been my favorite pair for years. Rag & Bone makes the best denim and it lasts throughout washes and wears.”

Essential #5: Sunglasses

It actually took me a couple of years to talk B into a good pair of sunglasses. Out of fear that he would lose them or break them, he just always stuck with cheap ones that guess what? He always lost or broke. For his birthday one year, I got him a pair of Ray-Bans Club Masters (he still loves and wears) and he was hooked. There is nothing like a nice pair of sunglasses and he found that because they were an investment, he wanted to take care of them. He wanted me to know he still has the original case for those Ray-Bans. Such a good kid, right?

I will say that while these are an essential for him, I am actually the purveyor of his sunglasses. I found him a couple of pair last Christmas from Raen brand and he has loved them. (That’s what he is wearing in this post!) His favorite sunglasses are below!

B’s thoughts: “I’m gonna be honest — I just let Kendi pick them out for me.”

Essential #6: A printed button down

You know what other trend I learned to love and now I’m obsessed with? Printed button downs. I’ve gone from ‘I don’t know about that…” to “LOOK AT THIS ONE WITH LEMONS ON IT.” (B draws the line for me on most prints, but I like to try. 😉 ) I think printed tops are a fun nod to summer — I mean when else can you get away with tiny printed whales? It brings a little bit of vacation to your everyday. If you like Pina coladas, and tiny whale printed shirts…

Here are some of B’s and mine (mine are the wild ones) printed tops for summer!

B’s thoughts: “If you are going to go with a print, try a smaller print and a neutral color at first. It takes the edge off if you are new to wearing bolder pieces. Also, who is taking bets that Kendi bought me that lemon shirt?“

Essential #7: Striped tee

I love a man in a striped shirt, specifically the man in these photos. It only makes sense that I’ve forced my love for stripes on to him as well and I will do the same with our child. Stripes are for everyone! One of my favorite summer looks from Bryan is when he will wear a nice knit tee and pair it with classic summer shorts. He just looks polished but classic summer. Bonus — this Todd Snyder top is lightweight, on sale and can easily move through the other seasons with him. Stripes are for every season, too. A few striped winners below!

B’s thoughts “Don’t listen to her, I’ve always liked stripes. PS: this brand runs a bit tight, so size up!”

Essential #8: Summer shorts

I saved the best — and probably most logical — for last: a good pair or two of summer shorts. B loves a classic look for summer shorts. No cargo and no jorts here. These Bonobos chino shorts are perfect in every color but B likes to keep it simple with a navy or a khaki pair. They go with most things in his closet and by most things I mean short sleeve button downs and forced striped tees. He also loved this linen pair from ONIA! Here are a few of his favorite brands of shorts below:

B’s thoughts: “I love the relaxed fit of these shorts. They work for my everyday or for vacation days. Done and done.”

 If you are looking for more men’s essentials, Nordstrom Men’s is the place for you. (Of course you already knew that didn’t you?) They have an incredible breadth of styles and price points for men, which is nice because sometimes you want to buy high quality (pants, shoes, denim) and other times you just want a fun affordable top. B is excellent at mixing high and low pieces to make just the right look. His very favorite brands right now from Nordstrom are:

Overall favorites :Rag & Bone / Saturdays NYC

For shirts: Culturata / Ted Baker / Calibrate

For shorts & pants: ONIA / Bonobos

For denim: Paige / APC / Levi’s Made & Crafted

*Special thank you to Nordstrom for inspiring and sponsoring this post! Thank you for supporting the brands that support this blog! And thanks to B for being such a great model. 😉