I wasn’t planning on doing a full blog post today, but the fact that everyone looked great and that there was a garden in the park warranted a need for one!  Here, we show you some basic picnic styles on everyone!  Before, “American sportswear” was the term for clothes that were meant to be worn casually.  Now, you can literally wear anything everywhere.  So check out what everyone brought to the table!  Each person’s outfits really shows their personal style.

1.  “Just Out of Church” on Adam

There’s nothing wrong with mixing and matching casual with “formal”.  Here, Adam obviously wore this tank top under his button up at church and ditched it once we got to the park!  The nautical stripe is something so contagious, so don’t let it pass you by in your closet;  get a sweater, shirt, or tank with it!

If you don’t have dress pants or you want to look “casually formal” then dark jeans are the way to go.  Adam’s grey ones work for everything, whether paired with a blazer or his tank.

Adam pinrolled his jeans to transition them from formal to casual, to show off his great socks!  Also, note that he kept his wingtips on.  Dress shoes can always be dressed down.

To add some pop, Adam wears a nice red beanie.  It’s a bit too hot for it, but he threw it on for the picture.

I’m not sure about the etiquette of wearing beanies, but the label is pretty awesome.  Reminds me of the union labels found inside vintage suits!

2.  “Tall and Monochromatic” on Jaymie

Two tall people right after another; I need to gain some height!

This is what I call a “Sabbath Dress” mainly because it’s something not too formal yet casual enough to be at ease in!  I love how this is a kind of “two in one”, with the sheer patterned skirt over the black skirt on the inside.  I don’t know women’s terminology, but I like it a lot.  Textures and patterns are always a plus for me.

Here we get a closer look at this awesome pattern mixing.  Lace top and sheer checked skirt?  Masterful matching.  The black and white contrast helps as lot as well.

It’s also important to note that Jaymie’s cardigan is short sleeved!  Just like a quilted vest, this provides warmth to the body yet allows the arms to be cool!  Perfect for those bipolar weathered spring days.

3.  “Anchors Away” on Vincent

Meet the man who takes my pictures from time to time!  It’s nice to being able to finally post about him.  Thanks to our friendship, Vincent has really been stepping his style game up!

Lets first look at his shirt!  Apart from the nautical stripe, anchor print is a surefire preppy pattern.  Matched with the natural navy blue, this short-sleeved shirt is all kinds of awesome, from the button down collar to the fact it has wooden buttons!

Another thing to note is that the patterns on this shirt aren’t uniformly placed.  They’re sort of haphazardly printed on, with a few overlapping here and there.  It makes for an interesting shirt, so if you have a shirt like this, don’t try to mix or wear items on top; that’s a great way to create an eyesore.

Aw, look at him! He’s pinrolling and going sockless!  I’m so proud of him.  Both are great ways to keep your feet cool during the warmer days. Don’t worry; he’s got no-show socks on.  But lets look at those shoes!  Suede captoes?  They’re freakin’ awesome!  These badboys can be worn casually or with a suit!  Personally, I hope he wears it with a suit soon.

All in all, Vince has got great style and I hope to feature him more on the blog as a model!  He’s doing a great job, right?

4.  “The Sprightly Secretary” on Millie

My favourite outfit of the day for sure.  Millie goes with the classic black and white and sticks to no pattern mixing.  A bold choice to keep it standard, but she looks great.  Millie knows how to dress and her outfit shows mastery of the craft; she even matches her black belt to her black flats!

Button up shirts always look great on girls and she is no exception.  Almost exuding the menswear equivalent of a button-up and slacks, Millie’s ensemble is diverse enough to use anywhere.  That could mean a job interview, church, a date, or just having a solitary cup of coffee.  That’s the point of style:  wear what looks good on you so you can wear it anywhere you want.

Just like Adam’s red beanie, Millie’s got a pop in her outfit, although it’s much more subtle.  A pink rope bracelet with a heart charm is unique and most likely has special meaning to her.  I don’t know what it is, but it’s a great little secret to wear.  These small bonuses make dressing up fun, even if you’re the only one who gets to enjoy it.

I seriously can’t get over that wonderful smile!  Isn’t it contagious?

5.  “Classic California Sportswear” on Ethan

As I’ve said before, “sportswear” was a term back in the old days that referred to clothes that you would wear that wasn’t formal.  This encompassed even beltbacks and sportshirts!  Now here I’m wearing a true vintage beauty:  a polo style shirt!   A preppy essential, a polo shirt was worn even to play sports!  This particular version has “looped buttons” and a breast pocket!  See, even the 1930’s had casual wear.

Here’s a closer look at the awesome shirt.  It’s perfect for spring and summer due to the light, sheer material. The looped button’s and the epic collar set it apart from others of its kind.

Being a short fella, high-waisted pants really help elongate the legs and make you look much better proportioned.  The wide legged trousers though are a hard sell; you guys stick with tapered pants.

While it ended up being pretty hot, I felt too casual without a blazer!  I wear this awesome 1930’s peak lapeled suit jacket with the ensemble.  The brown matches perfectly with my spectators (two toned shoes) and gives it a more dressed up look.  However, back in the day this was still casual!  Guys wore jackets with their non-dress shirts all the time.

Being the shortest of the group, I consider Millie and I the winners of this shoot!

Overall, this was plenty of fun to photograph!  We really lucked out on this location!  I can foresee many future shoots happening at this park.

So which outfit was your favourite?  Do you like the vintage style or do you want to keep it modern?  Let us know below!

Always a pleasure,

Ethan W.

Street x Sprezza

Photography by Ethan W.