Men’s Summer Style Essentials: 5 Pieces to Buy

Men’s Summer Style Essentials: 5 Pieces to Buy

Your Easy Breezy Power Players
men's summer style 2022

By Gabi Meyers | Last Updated: Jan 16 2024 | 5 min read

Summer 2022. It’s so close.

Short weeks and long days. The warm weather season is almost upon us. Can you feel it?

At SG HQ, we’re more than ready to help you embrace the summer vibes.

And now is the perfect time to add a few men’s summer style essentials to your shopping list.

The fashion industry’s seasonal cycles are getting gradually less bizarre, but if you don’t start shopping now, you’ll miss your shot at the best summer styles. Before you know it, stores will be stocking fall boots and sturdy sweaters, and you’ll miss out on the best pieces to wear right now.

Below, check out the 5 men’s summer style essentials of 2022:

june picks, summer style, summer wardrobe, warm weather, winter clothes

Summer Style Essential #1

Wear-everywhere athleisure shorts

Olivers athleisure shorts
shop the shorts: Olivers Apparel

SG Says: If there was ever a time to lean into athleisure, this is it.

Performance shorts have been a thing for awhile now, but by summer 2022 they’ll have worked their way into your everyday, work (from home) wardrobe.

Even better? This new breed of tech shorts can take you from the gym to the pool to, well..everywhere else.

RELATED: The 5 Best 5-inch Shorts

Wear yours with a Dri-fit shirt to get in a few squats in the morning, sure. But also? Wear them with a button-front sport shirt when sitting down to a Zoom call with a client. Wear them on a hot girl walk or to a backyard barbecue.

Basically, treat all-day shorts like a pair of khaki chino shorts.

Wearing them with t-shirts, oxford button-ups, and long-sleeve knits are all fair game.

// Shop athleisure shorts //

Summer Style Essential #2 Stylish Sandals

Freedom Moses sandals
shop the sandals: Freedom Moses

SG Says: Note that “sandals” is not an umbrella term that includes flip flops.

Love a pool slide, hate a thong (ugh, that name even) sandal.

And yes, we love a man in Birkenstocks. Still. Check back next year and maybe we’ll be saying something different, but for now? So long as your toenails are in check, you’re good to go.

The easy-breezy style makes a great casual alternative to a boat shoe or sneaker and comes in so many colors and styles.

RELATED: How to wear summer prints and patterns

Pool optional, but encouraged.

// Shop Sandals //

Summer Style Essential # 3 Light wash Jeans

Madewell light wash jeans
shop the jeans: Madewell

SG Says: Here at SG HQ, we’ve always stressed the importance of owning a pair of slim or straight, dark denim jeans. And we stand by that!

But we just can’t deny the cool factor of a good pair of light wash denim in the summertime. The most stylish pairs have a slim leg, and minimal (if any) whiskering and fading.

READ MORE: 10 sneakers to wear with jeans right now

Wear them rolled up a little at the ankle with canvas sneakers or boat shoes to close out the summer in style.

// Shop Light Wash Jeans //

Summer Style Essential #4 Drawstring Pants

J.Crew Slim dock pant in stretch cotton-Cordura® nylon
shop the pants: J.Crew

SG Says: In addition to the athleisure, wear-everywhere shorts above, now’s the time to splurge on comfy-but-still-stylish drawstring shorts and pants in (slightly) more formal materials like twill and chambray.

RELATED: Shorts outfit ideas for summer

Yes, you’ll probably spend most of the summer in swim trunks, but there will still be occasions where *real* clothes are in order!

// Shop drawstring bottoms //

Summer Style Essential #5 A Grown-Up Camp Shirt

shop the shirt: Banks Journal

SG Says: If you’ve been holding off from trying a camp collar shirt because you don’t want to look like an extra from The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, we’ve got you.

Of course you can go all out with prints and patterns, but a shirt with a camp collar in a solid color can take you from a casual workplace to a hot date night.

// Shop camp shirts //

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Want help shopping for men’s summer style essentials?

Like what you see above, but don’t want to do the work of combing through each item to find what’s best for you? Let Team SG create a customized shopping plan based on your budget, body type, and style preferences!

Learn more here >

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Like a phoenix rising from the ashes, Gabi Meyers went from Team SG's first-ever intern to a trusted fashion editor and stylist. She currently lives in Chicago with a very cute dog.