The denim-on-denim outfit has come a long way in contemporary menswear: The trick is knowing the right denim combinations to use so that you don’t look like a certain early-2000s boy band member and his pop star girlfriend.
With a little bit of help from our friends at AG Jeans, we’ve put together four double-denim outfits that'll help kick your summer style into high gear.
1| Elevate the Canadian tuxedo by sticking to darker washes.
Our advice for elevating the traditional Canadian tuxedo is to avoid the usual medium- and light-wash looks that conjure images of beer-swilling truck drivers. Instead, go with dark washes—like black jeans, a black trucker, and a striped tee with black Chelsea or Western boots. Or, for a more grunge-y street style vibe, pair super faded dark blue denim with a graphic tee and canvas sneakers or chucks.
2| Pair light wash denim with dark wash denim.
If you want to avoid kitschy double denim evening wear comparisons altogether, mix denim shades and go darker on top, lighter on the bottom (or vice versa). Try a light wash pair of jeans with a dark-wash denim shirt and light or white henley. Mix those with either classic canvas sneakers for a dialed-down look, or your favorite retro high-top sneakers—or even chunky designer dad sneakers—for something trendier.
3| Style a denim top with a denim jacket.
Double denim doesn’t necessarily mean jeans and a denim top. You can also do it entirely on the upper half of your body by mixing a dark denim trucker jacket or chore coat with a lighter denim shirt underneath. Complement that saturation of blue with a pair of khaki or olive chinos and brown leather boots. It’s great for a more rustic, workwear vibe. Just make sure to avoid mixing the same shades of blue denim up top.
4| Mix it up with multicolor denim.
One great thing about contemporary fashion is that denim now comes in a variety of colors, which means you can do a more subversive outfit in color that, from far away, doesn't even look like double denim. Just make sure to keep your color palette neutral so that you don’t look like a third grader whose parents let him dress himself. Try an olive green trucker jacket with dusty pink jeans, a white button-down, and chunky dad sneakers. For a more summery vibe, try white jeans with a dusty pink trucker jacket, a striped tee, and a pair of suede loafers. As long as you rein in the color, the sky’s pretty much the limit on this one.
In this story: Photography by Victoria Hely-Hutchinson, Styling by Nico Amarca, Grooming by Janera Rose.
This story originally appeared on Esquire.com. Minor edits have been made by the Esquiremag.ph editors.
