Styles Guide: Fashion Trend For Men’s Summer 2023

Summertime is supposed to be carefree, but when it comes to men’s summer fashion, there are a few stumbling blocks. The biggest difficulty is that guys are naturally heated, so if the weather is hot, we’re usually sweating. To make matters worse, it may be quite difficult to look macho and trendy when you’re only wearing two or three pieces of clothing at a time and can’t pile on traditionally male textiles like leather, wool, and tweed. The good news is that, while looking sharp, strong, and confident in the summer can be difficult, it is far from impossible. You can raise your summer style game and keep pit stains at bay by investing in a few smart, lightweight pieces and learning how to wear them correctly.

Teeanime have compiled a list of men’s summer fashion staples that will (literally) keep you looking and feeling cool all summer long.

Easy & Stylish Mens Summer Fashion

How to Nail Summer Shirts for Men:

The most critical component in making any garments appear attractive is finding the proper fit.

But there are a few more aspects to consider while choosing a summer shirt, whether it’s a tee, polo shirt, or button-down shirt.

Specifically, you should pay particular attention to the shirt’s fabric, color, and pattern/design.

Summer Shirt Fabric

Natural, lightweight, and breathable shirt materials, such as linen or chambray, or technological and sweat-wicking fabrics, such as rayon and spandex, are ideal for summer.

Both categories comprise lighter fabrics that will give you a more casual appearance and make you feel more comfortable in warmer weather, but they send distinct meanings.

Technical fabrics, such as the ones used by Public Rec in their Elevate Polo (a personal favorite), make you appear more athletic, making them ideal for barbecues when you might throw the football around or otherwise be active.

A chambray or linen shirt, on the other hand, will appear more casual and laid back, making it ideal for patios and hot nights out on the town.

Summer Shirt Colors

Summer is definitely a perfect time to wear lighter hues such as baby blue, white, and even pink.

However, one of the best summer shirt colors is also one of the most counterintuitive:

Black.

Why? Because, while bright colors are appealing, they also make it difficult to conceal when you begin to sweat.

Dark hues, such as black and blue, on the other hand, are far better at hiding sweat stains.

On especially humid days, I rely on shirts like Public Rec’s moisture-wicking Go To Crew, which is, in my opinion, the perfect summer shirt.

When you choose one in black (or navy), you have the benefits of wearing dark colors as well as two sweat-wicking fabrics, tencel and spandex, which keep you dry and looking cool.

Summer Shirt Patterns & Design

Summer is the most relaxed season of the year, so have some fun with your shirt patterns.

If you generally wear a single solid color, try a graphic tee to change things up.

Try mixing in a color-blocked shirt or one with a modest pattern, such as a stripe or polka dot, with your button-downs.

If you currently wear polka dots and other patterns, seek for ones with pineapples, flowers, birds, or other amusing icons instead of plain dots.

However, there is one word of caution:

As a general rule, I only wear patterns if the shirt is thin fit, especially if it’s a strong design like a Hawaiian shirt.

Wearing a patterned shirt in a relaxed fit feels less GQ and more Tommy Bahama to me, which is not the look you should go for.

How to Nail Men’s Summer Shorts:

The length of shorts is the single most crucial aspect.

Your shorts should never reach your knees, regardless of whether they are made of lightweight linen, denim, chino, or another fabric.

This issue was brought home to me one day on Twitter when I came across a person named

While I don’t quite agree with her – there’s more to being pretty than the shorts you wear – I definitely agree with the concept.

However, I would add two caveats.

To begin, while 5′′ shorts are ideal, 7′′ and even 9′′ shorts also work well, depending on your height and body type.

The idea is that your shorts should hit around mid-thigh, not near your knee, and the appropriate shorts for that will obviously vary based on your height.

Second, while the length of your shorts is important, consider the width as well.

You want a pair of shorts that are fairly small and that match your body color rather than flowing out from your hips.

How to Nail Summer Pants for Men:

The first and most obvious aspect to consider when wearing pants in the heat is weight.

Because summer is a more active season, you’ll want pants that are lightweight, breathable, and preferably stretchy, because you’ll be moving around more.

Color Yourself Impressed 

However, while the weight and breathability of the cloth should be your primary priority, color should be your second.

Summer is the ideal season to wear light, carefree colors that would look out of place in the dead of winter.

Everything from lighter hues of khaki to full-on don’t-wear-’em-after-Labor-Day white chinos works well in the summer.

Pastel colors and lighter shades of common trousers colors, such as blues and greens, also work well.

Get on a Roll 

Aside from fabric and color, another important factor to consider when shopping for summer pants is fit.

During the summer, not only is the living easy, but so are the rules.

While we normally recommend measuring your inseam to ensure you get the correct length of trousers, you don’t have to worry about your pants fitting a little long in the summer.

Rolling up your pant cuffs and exposing a little more ankle (you’re going sockless, or at the very least wearing no-show socks, right?) is a fantastic, laid-back appearance that is ideal for summer.

It’s a simple technique to make an otherwise dressed-up outfit appear more casual and relaxed (aka “summerfy” it).

Men’s Summer Shoes

When it comes to shoes, guys confront a quandary in the summer.

The thick leather boots we generally pair with jeans and wear all fall are some of the most elegant and macho sneakers.

Heavy, bulky shoes, on the other hand, appear and feel out of place during the warmer months. (And, before you ask, no, big leather sandals are not the solution.)

To help with that, we compiled a comprehensive list of the best men’s shoes for summer, including suede loafers, boat shoes, driving shoes, and more.

Rather than getting into too much detail here, I’ll (lame shoe pun alert!) direct you to that post if you want to learn more.

If you don’t want to go into detail, here are a few fast selections that are perfect for summer.

Mens Summer Suits

A good suit is the one piece of menswear that makes a man look sharper, more distinguished, and overall more handsome.

In the summer, however, there is no piece of menswear that makes a man feel more suffocated or, let’s be honest, sweaty.

Fortunately, there is a terrific strategy to avoid becoming a sweaty mess at weddings and other formal summer events:

By mastering the three summer suit keys.

Summer Suit Material

One of the most common mistakes men make when it comes to summer clothes is wearing the same suit they would wear in January.

Leave the bulky wool suits in the closet for the summer and opt for a breezy fabric like chino or linen.

(As you can probably tell by now, linen is a terrific summer fabric for practically any sort of menswear.)

This generally means that your summer suit will have more wrinkles than your fall outfit, which is also OK.

Remember, it’s summer, and life is simple.

Unstructured

Another thing to look for in a summer suit jacket is an unstructured suit jacket.

Unstructured jackets lack a lot of lining or canvas on the inside, which contributes to conventional jackets feeling weighty and warm.

However, when I say “unstructured,” I also mean the shoulders of a garment.

An unstructured jacket will have thinner shoulder pads (if any), giving it a less formal appearance while also making it feel lighter.

Summer Suit Colors

Finally, wearing a summer suit helps you to break free from the monotony of grey/navy/black that most guys are stuck in.

If you don’t want to go too far from classic shapes and colors, a khaki suit is usually a wonderful option for summer, and the beige color family is broad enough to offer a fairly diverse range of possibilities.

If you’re feeling brave, you may try some of the pastel colors and lighter tints I suggested above in reference to summer jeans.

The disadvantage of choosing a vividly colored summer suit is that you will most likely not wear it outside of summer.

However, it will help you stand out from the crowd at weddings and other events where most guys play it safe.

In a sea of navy, a pale blue suit like the one shown above will make you stand out.

Mens Lightweight Summer Jackets

Jackets aren’t typically associated with summer, when most of us are more concerned with shedding layers than gaining them.

However, in most parts of the world, summer evenings can still be rather cold, especially near the conclusion of the season as fall gradually but steadily begins to appear.

Don’t get me wrong: I’m not suggesting that you wear a trench coat over your shorts and t-shirt.

However, you never know when it will rain, so carrying a lightweight jacket in your weekender can be a lifesaver.

Moisture-Wicking and Wrinkle-Free

When it comes to selecting the best summer jacket, the goal is to choose something that is not only stylish and light, but also travels well and will keep you dry in an emergency.

Linen, which is ideal for summer suits or a summer-weight blazer, wrinkles too easily to be put in a bag, so it isn’t ideal for summer jackets that aren’t blazers or suit jackets.

Instead, seek for synthetic fabrics that wick moisture and keep you dry, as well as being wrinkle resistant and easy to roll up.

Mens Summer Sunglasses

As with summer shoes, I’ve written extensively on sunglasses in the past, so I won’t go into detail here.

If you’re not sure what style of sunglasses to buy, check out my list of the seven most classic men’s sunglass styles, which should inspire you and help you choose your favorite frames.

But, in order to keep this post-summer focused, I’ll say this:

Just as your clothes should have a different look and feel in the summer, so should your sunglasses.

When it comes to summer sunglasses, I prefer slimmer frames rather than the big plastic frames that look wonderful in other seasons.

For example, I swear by my Ray-Ban Wayfarers and wear them all winter.

But come summer, I’ll be reaching for the Aviators or a more streamlined plastic frame like Warby Parker’s Durands.

Mens Summer Hats

The same guideline applies to summer hats as it does to summer suits, shirts, and pants:

You can wear many of the same caps, but in lighter colors and fabrics.

So, if you’re the type of guy who wears a felt fedora all fall (and if you do, thank you—you’re doing God’s work), locate the same hat in a lighter weight material like straw for summer.

If you’re not a hat person but want to keep the heat off your face and neck this summer, here are a couple of the most elegant men’s summer hats:

Straw Fedora

The fedora was the favoured style of real-life style icons such as Frank Sinatra and fictional (but no less stylish) ones such as Don Draper.

Fedoras are significantly less widespread today than they formerly were, and they tend to look fairly formal.

However, straw hats, such as the one seen above, are intrinsically more casual, so you don’t have to worry about looking too “dressy.”

Panama Hats

This is my particular favorite style of men’s summer hat.

Panama hats are similar to fedoras but have a larger brim to keep the sun off your face and neck. They are made in (you guessed it) Panama.

That is, they were created expressly to help men seem dashing in hot, humid climes.

Bucket Hats

Everything old has become new again.

The same hat that LL Cool J wore in 1985 and the New Radicals wore in the video for You Only Get What You Give in 1998 has become a fashionable summer staple of the 2020s.

Bucket hats are soft enough to easily tuck in a purse or jacket pocket, and they’re cheap enough that you can pick up a multipack so you have a few color options on hand.

Pulling it Altogether: Men’s Summer Outfits

While the knowledge provided above will assist you in nailing each individual piece of your summer wardrobe, let’s face it:

Words on a screen only take you so far.

Style is a visual medium, and sometimes seeing a summer ensemble is necessary to truly comprehend what works and what doesn’t.

So, at the risk of sounding like your mother the year she became obsessed with needlepoint, I created a Pinterest board.

Check it out for a plethora of dashing summer men’s clothing that will show you how to look hot in the heat.