The denim jacket may be a classic look and everyone seems to have one but lots of men have been getting in touch with me asking me the best way to wear a denim jacket. As I’ve said previously, men should keep it simple sartorially (KISS!) and stick to classic denim styles and plain colors. The simple blue or black denim jacket looks great on any man.
Most of the time you’re going to be wearing it as a casual jacket anyway. The only rule to remember, particularly for men, is to avoid the matching denim on denim look; the dreaded and derided “Texas tuxedo”. Having said that, I firmly believe that a denim jacket can be worn with non-matching jeans, that is jeans that are either a different color or a sufficiently different shade of blue or black that they are obviously not meant to be matching. However, there is a lot to be said for wearing a jeans jacket with a completely different pair of casual pants. Chinos, combats, cords, or cargo pants are all good. Even sweat pants can work for a very casual look. While blue and black do go with nearly everything, subdued colors are going to look best with them on a guy.
For a simple classic look it’s hard to beat a plain t-shirt under a denim jacket. Whether ice white or your favorite college tee it’s going to look good. In reality, most simple men’s tops will look fine this way. Simple shirts, sweat shirts and sweaters are all ideal and can be chosen to suit the rest of your outfit or according to the weather.
While primarily a casual jacket, denim jackets for men can be worn in smarter styles for when you want to look relaxed but neither too casual nor under-dressed. Darker and richer colors work better this way so choose either jet black or really dark indigo blue denim. Ideally, the jacket should be smart and new, or at least not too worn. Match a black denim jacket with black pants and a black turtleneck for a bit of European chic or try a smart take on blue and white with pressed khaki pants, a sharp white shirt and a deep blue jacket.
Really though, it’s possible to think too much about how to wear a denim jacket. Men in particular want a style that looks cool and easy. Most men are trying to avoid looking like they put too much time or effort in to dressing. So just try and find combinations of clothes you like that work well together. If you have a favorite jacket that you can’t match then decide what sort of look you would like and go out and search for the matching items.
This is where the internet comes into its own. You can use it to look for pictures of your favorite sartorial role models and see what they are wearing that might look good on you. You can then go and find the styles you like online. In fact, with some careful shopping around you may be able to find bargain priced versions of the same looks.