Beach Formal Attire Men’s Must-Haves

Beach formal attire men or women, is split between two imperatives: official dress code and changing weather circumstances.

First of all, a beach formal attire is something that has the required decorum that you would see at an official celebration without going overboard. Something between a polo shirt with Bermuda pants and a tuxedo. I know, this is pretty wide but we’re going to get into details in a moment.

The general idea is to feel comfortable and therefore your outfit has to be adapted to outdoor elements.

Comfort: General Aspects to Keep in Mind

– Avoid wearing dark colors. If you do it has to be a small portion of your outfit;

– Choose breathable fabrics;

– Hats and sunglasses are allowed… and even prescribed!

Light Colors

When standing under a blazing sun, a good practice is to dress in white, beige, light gray or blue and keep darker elements for accessories. It’s a good way to keep cool by reflecting sun rays instead of absorbing them.

Also, dark suspenders, ties, and belt, to only mention those, will give a contrasting effect that will prevent you from looking incandescent to fellow guests 🙂

(That’s when sunglasses will come in handy!)

Breathable Summer Fabrics

Linen and cotton are natural fibers and make great summer fabrics. They’re both breathable and dry fast. They also keep the skin cool.

Click on the image for more colors and styles.

Blends for Hot Summer Days

However, using 100% natural fiber garment will make fold lines more visible on the back of your blazer or shirt due to humidity and sweating.

Contemporary clothing is often combining both natural and synthetic fibers. Such blend allows the fabric to dry fast without wrinkling easily.

Why it’s Best to Bring 2 Shirts Instead of Just 1

Men have fewer options to keep cool when dressing for a formal outdoor celebration than women. We can wear skirts and sleeveless dresses but men usually have to wear pants, long sleeves and worst of all, ties!

Fortunately, a beach celebration context allows some flexibility in your dress code.

Comfortable Band Collar Shirt

Chic and minimalist, it’s a must in a men’s wardrobe.


The band collar shirt is a lot more comfortable because your neck is exposed to the breeze and allows a better evacuation of perspiration.

This interesting alternative to the regular tie collar style is one that does look a bit more casual.

Not Enough of that Clean-Cut Appearance You Are Looking For?

This problem can easily be solved by wearing the right shirt at the right time.

In the next paragraph, I will explain the reason why your ceremony shirt may not serve you as well for the party.

Ceremony Shirt vs Celebration Shirt

If you’re having a formal ceremony, I would suggest wearing a traditional dress shirt with a bow or a tie.

You can wear this shirt style after the ceremony as well or decide to get rid of the bow tie.

In any case, bringing a spare shirt to a formal outdoor event is always a good idea. Especially if the ceremony is held at the beginning of the afternoon under a burning sun.

While you won’t need sunscreen (thanks to the long sleeves and formal high collar) you will definitely feel overheated and soaking wet.

Pretty sure you will feel relieved to have an alternative. In other words, no matter what collar or fabric you choose, make sure to bring a spare shirt.

Formal Beach Outfits That You’ll Enjoy Wearing

The sand beige color is a classic beach formal attire men’s choice. It complies with the comfort rules I mentioned at the beginning.

Also, it looks formal and elegant without being as austere as conventional dark-colored suits.

To give it a personal touch you can play with the blazer or sleeveless vest colors. Blue and gray are both interesting choices that work well with the beach theme.

Click on the image for more colors and styles.

Fabric blends that include linen are really the best choice for pants. As a matter of fact, linen absorbs moisture quickly and helps evacuate the excess of heat from the body.

That’s why linen pants are so popular among men in outdoor and beach formal celebrations.



Men’s Formal Hats and Accessories

Fedora hat has been around for more than a hundred years. Nevertheless, this hat design is still a must-have accessory worn by both men and women.

Today the hats are made with many different materials to make it cozier. In fact, this straw-woven Fedora is lightweight and lets the air flow better than other felt hats.

Click on the image for more colors and styles.

Beach Wedding Theme Fashion Details

Finally, cufflinks are a classic and sober adornment in a men’s attire.  The nautical designs add refinement to the outfit and are a small and discreet allusion to the sea and the beach.


Beach Nautical Low Sneaker

Shoes play an important part in any outfit. It’s obviously even more important on a special event like the wedding day.

On the other hand, a beach wedding by definition is messier than a wedding held in a grand hotel.

Since beach weddings are usually more forgiving on how formal you look, you may want to look at some alternatives to the fine leather wingtip type of shoe. After all, walking in the sand does imply having your shoes covered and filled with sand

Therefore wearing shoes that are comfortable and adapted to the context is just as important as any aesthetic considerations.

Choosing a cotton shoe with a rubber outsole will greatly improve your beach wedding experience. Moreover, you won’t need to worry about damaging your expensive leather shoes with sand and salt water.

Plus the thicker sole provides more stability and adherence to the ground than a formal oxford dress shoe.


Beach Formal Attire Men – Must-Haves to Enjoy the Day Even Under a Heat Wave!

Hope you liked these suggestions and would really like to read your comments and impressions. If you have personal tips and experience you want to share you can do so by leaving a comment below.


Also Read

6 Responses to “Beach Formal Attire Men’s Must-Haves

  • Midi Cox
    7 years ago

    Where can we buy the banded collar shirt?

    • Carolyn
      7 years ago

      Hi Midi,

      This shirt is available on Amazon.
      Simply click on the image you like on this post and it will take you to the product page on Amazon’s website.
      Hope this helps,

  • Hi Carolyn,

    I really like this site, firstly I am not the most fashionable and really need some tips. After reading over your post and looking at your images you have put together it honestly feels like you have personalized a style for if that makes sense? I never even knew Comfortable banded collar shirts existed until now! You know I have always associate looking smart with black but you have defiantly hanged my view on this! You have a good eye and I think you could make any man look good!
    Thanks for the great info!
    Freddy

    • Thanks for your kind words, Freddy! You can wear black if you want. It’s a classic. From a practical point of view you may feel really hot after a few minutes on the beach if standing under the sun 🙂

      Thanks for dropping by!

  • nice tips! I plan on going to a few formal (and informal) weddings later this year. I haven’t the slightest clue about fashion- let alone wedding fashion! lol

    These are good tips and i’ll try to follow them. My lack of knowledge in this area amazed me. Who could have though dressing could be so complex and artistic?

    Style is lost on me :S
    Anyway thanks for the post, I’ll try my best to practically use the information you’ve given me 🙂

    • Hi Koda, It doesn’t matter if you don’t know much about fashion. In fact, it’s probably better this way. I’ve seen too many people try to dress “correctly” and feel uncomfortable. These days there are so many eclectic fashions trends that you will for sure find an outfit that you will enjoy wearing.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *