24 Summer Outfits I’m Wearing This Year.

Summary

After 3 years of having a fashion YouTube channel, Michael finally figured out how he likes to dress in summer. This video presents 24+ summer outfit combinations revolving around signature pieces that can be mixed and matched. The key insight is a style discovery formula: instead of trying to figure out what to wear, look at who you are and what you do, then base your clothing choices on that identity.

The video covers versatile wardrobe staples including chambray shirts, Oxford shirts, linen pieces, nylon shorts, and Uniqlo suiting pants. Michael shares his personal style rules: don’t worry about clothes getting dirty, always have some edge, keep outfits simple (dress in 2 minutes), and prioritize high quality pieces that age well. The visual inspiration came from a William Ellery picture that made Michael realize his love of outdoors, durability, and old school aesthetics should directly inform his clothing choices.

Highlights

”I realized I was thinking about dressing all wrong”

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“I realized I was thinking about dressing all wrong. Essentially I was doing everything backwards - I was trying to figure out what I should wear instead of looking at who I am and what I do and basing what I wear off of that.” — Michael, 9:17

”Taylor’s Rule: Comfort Over Everything”

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“I have one rule: comfort over everything.” — Taylor, 1:30

”Why am I going to wear a shirt that says Arkansas on it?”

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“I tried to find a graphic t-shirt for so long that I like but they all felt disingenuous like why am I going to wear a t-shirt that says Arkansas on it - never been to Arkansas.” — Michael, 10:33

”I described linen as ‘horrible’”

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“Those of you that have seen certain videos on this channel, you probably know that the only word I would use to describe linen is ‘horrible.’ I don’t like linen because I just steamed this and it immediately is a wrinkled mess… But I like it - when I embraced the wrinkles I started to be like ‘oh yeah, this is cool.’” — Michael, 4:14

”I always feel like I look dumb no matter what I wear”

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“I do work in fashion and work around very stylish people at all times… the person that I’m always meeting with in the Garment District is just dressed always incredibly simply - just black slacks, white shirt or some very simple top. And I always feel like I look dumb no matter what I wear.” — Michael, 5:51

”If all else fails, jeans and a t-shirt”

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“If all else fails honestly just rock the absolute crap out of jeans, leather shoes, and a t-shirt. Jeans are a lot of fun to wear because the more you wear them the more beat up they get.” — Michael, 12:23

Key Points

• Style Discovery Formula (0:38) - Instead of figuring out what to wear, look at who you are and what you do, then dress based on that
• Michael’s Style Rules (1:06) - Don’t worry about clothes, have some edge, stay simple (2 min dressing), high quality that ages well
• Taylor’s Rule (1:30) - “Comfort over everything” - she also drank moldy coconut water yesterday
• Chambray Shirt Versatility (1:42) - The Buck Mason chambray works untucked, tucked, with jeans, shorts, or denim-on-denim
• Wrangler Cowboy Cut (1:50) - Michael’s favorite fitting jeans, bought four in different colors
• Steve McQueen Inspiration (2:33) - Denim-on-denim look inspired by McQueen eating cereal photo, with Sanders boots
• Breton Stripe Shirt (2:43) - Maritime striped shirt from Knickerbocker - feels like the guy who really likes coffee
• Oxford Shirt Revelation (3:23) - Michael’s been sleeping on oxfords - they’re not too formal and get softer with washing
• Linen Embrace (4:16) - Previously described linen as “horrible” due to wrinkling, but embracing wrinkles makes it work
• Work Life Dilemma (5:51) - Uniqlo plastic pants solve feeling underdressed in Garment District meetings
• Tim Dessaint Influence (6:26) - YouTube’s king of simple black slacks and white shirt style
• SEH Kelly Shirt (7:04) - Most polarizing shirt Michael owns - viewers either love or hate it
• Nylon Shorts Star (8:11) - Wearing bathing suits as shorts is casual, relaxed, perfect for summer
• Mesh Shorts Recommendation (8:32) - American Trench makes good ones; Elliot Dupri wore yellow Drake mesh shorts
• William Ellery Epiphany (9:17) - Photo made Michael realize he was thinking about dressing all wrong
• Backward Thinking Fix (9:52) - Stop asking “what should I wear” - start with who you are and what you like
• Authentic Graphic Tees (10:33) - Dehen 1920 shirts feel right vs wearing “Arkansas” on a shirt when you’ve never been
• Khaki Revelation (11:02) - Beat up khakis are a fresh look Michael overlooked in favor of fading jeans
• Kendrick Nike Cortez (11:56) - Inspired by Control verse lyric, though Nike sizes smaller than expected
• Ultimate Outfit (12:10) - Jeans, leather shoes, and t-shirt - the easiest, most reliable summer look

Mentions

Companies

• Buck Mason (1:46) - Chambray shirt and Diver nylon shorts
• Wrangler (1:50) - Cowboy Cut jeans, Michael’s favorite fit
• Knickerbocker (1:56) - Fracap collaboration shoes, striped shirt, button-down shirts
• Uniqlo (2:07) - Khaki shorts, suiting pants, linen shirts
• Sanders (2:42) - Boots worn in honor of Steve McQueen
• Taylor Stitch (3:41) - Oxford shirt, double cloth camp shirt
• IFL Watches (4:50) - Sponsor, hand-painted limited edition watches
• J. Crew (6:36) - Knit pullover for layering, dock shorts
• SEH Kelly (7:04) - Most polarizing shirt Michael owns
• American Trench (8:41) - Makes good mesh shorts
• Drake’s (8:38) - Yellow mesh shorts seen on Instagram
• Adidas (8:26) - Three stripe nylon shorts reference
• Ralph Lauren (11:09) - Khaki chinos with weird sizing
• Dehen 1920 (10:42) - Authentic graphic t-shirts that feel right
• Nike (11:56) - Cortez shoes inspired by Kendrick, sizes smaller
• PF Flyers (3:07) - White canvas sneakers option

Products & Technologies

• Chambray Shirt (1:42) - Versatile denim-like shirt that works in multiple outfit combinations
• Cowboy Cut Jeans (1:50) - Wrangler’s classic Western fit
• Oxford Shirt (3:23) - Wardrobe staple that gets softer with washing
• Breton/Maritime Stripe (2:43) - French-style horizontal striped shirt
• Linen Shirt (4:16) - Cool but wrinkly fabric for hot weather
• Nylon Shorts (8:11) - Bathing suit style shorts for everyday wear
• Mesh Shorts (8:32) - Athletic-inspired casual shorts
• Double Cloth Shirt (8:51) - Taylor Stitch camp shirt with tank top layer

People

• Taylor (1:30) - Michael’s girlfriend, “comfort over everything” rule, drank moldy coconut water
• Steve McQueen (2:33) - Style icon, denim-on-denim inspiration, khaki photo reference
• Paul Newman (3:18) - Reference for striped shirt look that Michael isn’t sure even works on Newman
• Tim Dessaint (6:26) - YouTuber known as king of simple minimalist style
• Elliot Dupri (8:38) - Instagram creator who wore yellow Drake mesh shorts
• William Ellery (9:17) - Photo that inspired Michael’s style revelation (name might not actually be William)
• Ellen DeGeneres (11:25) - Michael jokes he looks more like her than Steve McQueen in khaki outfit
• Kendrick Lamar (11:56) - Control verse mentions Nike Cortez that inspired Michael’s shoe purchase
• Drake (11:56) - Referenced in context of Kendrick/Drake beef while discussing shoes

Surprising Quotes

“I have a theory that everybody has some internal rules about the clothes that they wear which is important because there’s a lot lot of clothes out there so we need to narrow down what we like.” — 0:56

“I realized I was thinking about dressing all wrong. Essentially I was doing everything backwards - I was trying to figure out what I should wear instead of looking at who I am and what I do and basing what I wear off of that.” — 9:52

“I tried to find a graphic t-shirt for so long that I like but they all felt disingenuous like why am I going to wear a t-shirt that says Arkansas on it - never been to Arkansas.” — 10:33

“If all else fails honestly just rock the absolute crap out of jeans, leather shoes, and a t-shirt. Jeans are a lot of fun to wear because the more you wear them the more beat up they get.” — 12:23

Transcript

0:00 Today we have 26 summer outfits to see - 20 something, sometimes I get self-conscious and cut one out when I’m editing. 26 outfits each revolving around one signature piece so it’s easy to mix and match things and get a banger outfit, get out the door, stay simple. Some of the all-stars from the list are this Japanese chambray shirt, Uniqlo suiting pants, Wrangler Cowboy Cut jeans, nylon shorts.

0:24 But more importantly, I finally figured it out. After 3 years of having a YouTube channel about fashion, I know how I like to dress in the summer. I finally found a style that makes me feel nice, is simple, doesn’t make me feel like I’m wearing a costume. And most importantly, I figured out the formula to find your style, so I will also be sharing that with you today.

0:42 Our primary goal is to show off around 20-something outfits that I think you would like. Our secondary goal is to find out who you are as a person and to dress that way. And our tertiary goal is to have a little fun.

0:56 Before we jump into outfits, I have a theory that everybody has some internal rules about the clothes that they wear, which is important because there’s a lot of clothes out there so we need to narrow down what we like. Right off the bat, here are my rules. Number one: I don’t like to worry about my clothes - everything I do, I do worse if I’m worried about getting my clothes dirty. Number two: I want all of my outfits to have some sort of edge to them. Number three: outfits stay simple and I can get dressed in like 2 minutes. And number four: if you follow this channel, obviously the clothing has to be high quality and has to get better with age - that’s very important for me.

1:26 Quick special guest Taylor - what are your rules? “I have one rule: comfort over everything.” Nice. What are you drinking? “Coconut water.” That is not moldy? She drank moldy coconut water yesterday.

1:40 Okay, outfit number one - pretty simple. There are going to be variations in a second and I’ll talk this in in a second but this is just a chambray shirt I got this one from Buck Mason, not sponsored by anybody. These are Wrangler Cowboy Cut jeans, my favorite fitting jeans, so I just bought like four in four different colors. These are Knickerbocker Fracap collaboration shoes. Also a lot of the stuff is new cuz this is a new way I want to dress this summer so it’s not washed, broken in yet - that’s why the jeans look a little funky right now and they’re rolled up.

2:07 Then we could tuck it in - that’s look two. And then we could change the bottom - oh what’s the matter, you didn’t like the long pants? Well just switch it out for khaki shorts and you’re also fine. Your chambray shirt’s going to take care of you - nice and relaxed fit. In shorts I feel like I look like a sheared sheep, you know when you get a brand new haircut and you look like a sheep that just got shaven. Roll up the sleeves a little bit, before you know it you look like the coolest kid in town.

2:28 And then of course you could always do denim on denim. I wish my Iron Hearts were a little bit more faded and distressed, but Steve McQueen does it in that picture where he’s eating cereal or soup or something like that - worth a shot. I even got the Sanders on in honor of Steve McQueen. So that’s chambray everybody.

2:43 The next outfit revolves around the striped maritime shirt, the Breton. This is not that but it looks similar to that and I didn’t have the Breton at the time. I’ve had this shirt from Knickerbocker, it’s just cotton - you can get cotton linen blends that are better in the summer. Been trying to make it work for a very long time. I’m okay with the look but I’m not thrilled by it. I think it might look better if I put on white PF Flyers. I don’t know, maybe this outfit’s just a bust.

3:06 I feel like a specific type of man that I’ve seen before that has thin wire rim or no wire around the glasses - glasses, dresses like this and really, really, really likes to talk about coffee. I was trying to do something like this - that’s Paul Newman - but on second thought I don’t even know if it works on Paul Newman.

3:23 Speaking of Oxford shirts - oh speaking of Oxford shirts, I’ve been sleeping on these babies for a very long time. Oxford shirts are a staple of any wardrobe. I never wore them because for some reason they’re too formal - they’re not, they’re not that formal. The more you wash them they get softer, flexible, easygoing. This one’s a little more tailored, this is from Taylor Stitch - great name, pretty girl!

3:43 What have I been doing not wearing oxfords a lot more? I really, I’ve been thinking lately of wearing oxfords when I’m filming outside, which I’ll be outside next week by the way. It’s been like 96 here in New York and I feel like I was going to die if I went outside. But I would love to just start wearing oxfords regularly outside and get them beat up and kind of gross and stained and stuff like that just to see if I like that style.

4:05 This might be a little too warm day-to-day, so depending on the temperature what time you’re going out you may have to adjust accordingly, which we’ll do later. But Oxford shirts - can you believe it?

4:14 Those of you that have seen certain videos on this channel, you probably know that the only word I would use to describe linen is “horrible.” I don’t like linen because I just steamed this and it immediately is a wrinkled mess. I also wasn’t a fan of jorts for a while and you may hate this outfit - this is a very sloppy outfit, the shirt is very oversized. But I like it - when I embraced the wrinkles I started to be like “oh yeah, this is cool” and I feel better because this is more comfortable than an Oxford shirt when it’s 95 degrees outside and humid. You go linen. Look, it’s actively wrinkling up my leg as I talk.

4:50 This video is sponsored by IFL Watches. Hey you, yeah, check this out - new watch alert! Oh yeah nice watch, isn’t that far too big for your wrist? Check this out though - see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil. I relate to that. Hand painted - hand painted, like finger painting? No, not like finger painting, like with a brush in the hand of a very talented - well that’s obviously what I meant - like with your fingers? Of course not, don’t try to save yourself from the embarrassment, I got it on camera.

5:15 Say hello to America. If the artist is using their fingers why can’t we call - you can’t call it finger painting because it’s not done with their fingers, to a degree it’s done with a brush. IFL takes everyday reliable watches and they hand paint beautiful characters and motifs on them to make them uniquely yours, and everything’s a limited edition so once it’s gone it’s gone. You and 149 people - you’re an ex. That is cool! How do you suggest I check them out? Oh you want to check them out? You can just click on the link in Michael Christie’s description. Oh Michael Christie? He sucks!

5:45 Thank you IFL for sponsoring this video, you can check out the link to their website down below.

5:51 And then we get to my work life dilemma, and that is the fact that I do work in fashion and work around very stylish people at all times. So I had to buy something to make me feel like I actually belong. These are just some cheap plastic pants that I got from Uniqlo but they immediately do the trick because the person that I’m always meeting with in the Garment District, who requests not to be named, is just dressed always incredibly simply - just black slacks, white shirt or some very simple top, that’s it.

6:19 And I always feel like I look dumb no matter what I wear. They’re dressed so simply and calmly, they’re just like “hey Michael, how’s it going, great to see you, let’s get started.” And I really like that. Tim Dessaint on YouTube - he’s kind of the king of that style on YouTube, you probably know about him.

6:33 And then you could do some variations on this obviously, you know those transitions. I can toss on this knit pullover that I got from J. Crew, which is you know very oddly long so I’d probably get a shorter one next time around. Boom - date night with Taylor.

6:48 You could also go boom - short sleeve Oxford button down, which obviously was going to be what I was going to say before. If it’s too hot for a long sleeve Oxford button down, go short sleeve. This outfit I feel like, you know, maybe it’s a little too nerdy, too something or other. You could do this, or you could do this - you can go with the SEH Kelly shirt that is the most polarizing shirt I have. Every time I wear it some of you are like “that’s the stupidest shirt I’ve ever seen,” others of you really like it.

7:13 But these Uniqlo pants are great. That being said, they are plastic so I’m going to get ones out of wool, linen, cotton - probably all three. I never really try to suggest plastic pants because they make your legs smell bad and they’re not that good for a lot of things.

7:27 This next outfit isn’t really an outfit at all - that’s what’s so crazy about this YouTube channel - but button-down shirts in general. This is a button-down shirt from Knickerbocker, it’s 80% cotton 20% linen but it still wrinkles like it’s 100% linen. If you don’t really want to go crazy and mix and match and do things like that, get black pants or black shorts and just put on button-downs of different colors and different shades and you’ll be good.

7:48 This is what I like to call YouTube summer fashion video from a guy creator 101: big button-down shirt, shorts, white t-shirt, white shoes - boom, that’s done. Cue the minimalist lo-fi music.

8:01 I don’t think I’d ever wear simply because it’s too - if I’m wearing this it’s probably going to be too hot, so I’d have to do this, which on second thought looks kind of good. So maybe I would wear this if I rolled the sleeves up.

8:11 The real star of the show though is these nylon pants. I wanted a pair of nylon pants - they’re actually just a bathing suit - but there’s something about just wearing a bathing suit in the summer wherever you go. It’s casual, relaxed. This one does have a lining. My signature outfit when I’m just bopping around is just a t-shirt and these nylon shorts, that’s it. I also like the Adidas three stripes down - these are from Buck Mason, they also make green ones but they look a little bit more bathing suit-y.

8:32 I think everybody should have - and I don’t have what I’m saying - I think everybody should have mesh shorts. There’s these yellow ones that I really liked from Drake’s that I saw from some guy on Instagram - I’m so sorry I forget your name - Elliot Dupri! Hello Elliot, great videos. Mesh shorts in general that are kind of short - American Trench makes some sweet ones.

8:48 You could obviously also spice it up a little bit - you don’t have to do a shirt that looks like a beach umbrella. This is from Taylor Stitch, and a lot of people also will do a tank top under this instead of a t-shirt, which would feel better in the arms. But growing up I was a member of the people that wear t-shirts when they go swimming, and if you made a graph of people that wore t-shirts in the pool as a kid and people that wear tank tops in their adulthood, that Venn diagram would just be two circles.

9:15 And now the piece though - this is from home, which I actually I have to get the other part of it, I don’t - it’s just me copying that William Ellery picture that I was talking to you about before. That’s what did it for me. This video was like 4 weeks late because I couldn’t figure out - I don’t know how I like to dress - then I saw this picture of William Ellery. I don’t know if that’s William Ellery, I don’t know if that’s him, I don’t think it is. First off his name is not even William.

9:36 Either way, that picture made me realize something. Transformation complete - this is the outfit. Remind you of anything? Only thing is I virtually have - it’s just a bone, I don’t have anything on my leg so you know, looks a little toothpick.

9:52 The real point of that photo for me was I realized I was thinking about dressing all wrong. Essentially I was doing everything backwards - I was trying to figure out what I should wear instead of looking at who I am and what I do and basing what I wear off of that. Because you’re already covered with an aesthetic no matter what you like.

10:08 For example, me - I really love going outside, nature, walking, hiking, and old school things. So that means leather boots, leather shoes, whatever. I’m also a big fan of durability - things that last for a really long time, things that age well. So boom: denim, chambray, Oxford shirts. And then it’s a little too on the nose because I also am obsessed with clothing and making fabrics and stuff like that.

10:29 I can even get t-shirts that fit my exact aesthetic, and that feels right. I tried to find a graphic t-shirt for so long that I like, but they all felt disingenuous like why am I going to wear a t-shirt that says Arkansas on it - never been to Arkansas! But I do love supporting my local knits - Dehen 1920, great shirt. And it helps a lot and it makes me feel like I’m at home and not wearing a costume when I go out.

10:52 My outfit is not broken in enough for what I’m copying - this photo of Steve McQueen - so it looks kind of corny right now, but if it breaks in then it should hopefully match more closely to what I’m going for.

11:02 Khakis - for some reason I always just went for jeans, I think because they fade so that’s more exciting to me. But nice beat up pair of khakis - fresh look. These are from Ralph Lauren. I wish they were a little wider and longer, and this is the weirdest sizing I’ve ever seen in my life. This look from Steve McQueen kills it - obviously you have to be doing something a bit more calm. In his photo he’s like this with like a gun or something like that so little different. Right now I look more like Ellen DeGeneres than Steve McQueen.

11:29 This outfit, planning on the fly - pure white baby. And again, same thing as the last one - when it’s not broken in, like these pants still have crease lines from the package that they’re in, it’s going to look corny. The real feature of this outfit is just white jeans. Then you can do a little tuck in the front of your shirt so you show off how long your nice sexy legs are. Rule of thirds - boom, you look cool. The pants need to be broken in.

11:51 And then finally, the easiest outfit of this entire video, my personal favorite: jeans and a t-shirt. You don’t even need shoes, just walk out in your Nike socks and you’ll be fine. I was panicking that I didn’t have white socks for this video, so while I was picking up - hold on, there’s a lot of things I got to tell you now.

12:03 Listening to you know the whole Kendrick Drake beef, I was listening to the Control verse again from Kendrick and he says Nike Cortez he’s going to wear, and I was like those are pretty cool shoes. And I picked up socks on the way because I was panicking, but I forgot that Nike sizes their shoes smaller than you could ever imagine so these are too small for me.

12:23 But if all else fails, honestly just rock the absolute crap out of jeans, leather shoes, and a t-shirt. Jeans are a lot of fun to wear because the more you wear them the more beat up they get, and mine never get beat up because I review a different pair like every 2 weeks. But just stick to this outfit, you’ll look good.

12:39 Hopefully that made sense. I wonder how many outfits will be in the final cut. I will see you all next week - it’s t-shirts round two. I bought essentially every single one that you all told me that I missed, so we’ll be going through those.