Casual Vintage Clothing: Men’s Fashion Guide

You’re on the hunt for casual vintage clothing. But there’s just one problem: you’re not sure if you can pull off the look you’re after. It’s not as difficult as you might think. All you need is a little know-how—and the ability to stave off two of the most common mistakes when it comes to wearing vintage pieces. This brief men’s fashion guide will help you look your best in great casual vintage clothing.

Casual Vintage Clothing: Mastering the Right Fit

Just about any clothing you wear will look good if it looks like it was designed for you. To achieve that look, you need a precise fit above all else. Let’s say you’re purchasing a pair of Military Twill pants. Just like all pairs of men’s pants, there’s no “small, medium, or large.” You actually need to know two numbers:

  • Waist: This is the first of two numbers you’ll see on your current pant labels. Find a pair that really fits you well to figure out your number. But be careful: some brands run larger or tighter than others.
  • Inseam: The length of the pant is just as important—too short and you expose socks or leg, too long and you look out of place. This is the second number on most trouser labels.

One quick word of advice: don’t necessarily take any brand’s word for it that their label is correct. For example, Vintage 1946 will always let you know when a product runs small in the waist. Other brands might not be so forthcoming about the fact that their clothes run bigger. Do a bit of online searching before you decide whether a label is really accurate.

Take Vintage Clothing to the Next Level With Patterns & Colors

If you have the right fit, then the second most common mistake men make is to purchase clashing colors. But this doesn’t mean you can’t have bright and vivid patterns when it comes to casual vintage clothing. In fact, our Plaids & Prints are a great example of what you can achieve. It simply means that you have to know what to do with them.

Take our Vintage Patch Short. It’s full of life—with different patterns making up the patches. But there’s still a clear color theme here: red and blue. If you remember that, picking the color for your top isn’t such a challenge after all.

You have a few options here:

  • “Mute” your louder patches and prints with a simple color like white. An oxford cloth button down shirt on top of the Vintage Patch Short will always look appropriate.
  • Stick to the color palette of your feature piece. If your “loudest” piece is a pair of shorts with red and blue, then staying in that same vicinity should be just fine. Look at Color-Hex.com to get an idea of what color palettes work the best.
  • Trial and error. After all, we can’t tell you what to wear—we don’t have access to your wardrobe. Don’t be afraid to take a chance once in a while. If an outfit doesn’t work, at least you’ll know it won’t work in the future. And you never know when you might stumble on something that gets you compliments.

Find the Best Casual Vintage Clothing

Finally, pulling off casual vintage clothing really isn’t so hard once you shop the right styles from Vintage 1946. With well-fitting pieces paired together, it’s hard to go wrong.