Workwear, but Make It Spring · Primer

A navy chore coat, pink tee, and olive chinos walk into a bar. They get along great.

Flat lay of a mens spring outfit on a light gray background featuring a navy overshirt with flap chest pockets layered over a pale pink crew neck T shirt olive green pants a silver watch with a black leather strap a slim silver cuff bracelet a green beaded bracelet white low top sneakers a tan graphic tote bag and a single gray sock Five color swatches across the top show the palette navy blush pink olive green charcoal and light gray

I’ve always liked chore coats for spring. They solve that problem where a proper jacket is too much but just a tee leaves you underdressed the moment the temperature drops or you step inside somewhere with aggressive air conditioning. A navy one like this is especially versatile because it reads almost like a casual blazer from a distance, but it’s far more forgiving in terms of fit and fabric weight.

What I find interesting about this outfit is how colorful it feels despite being made up of fairly muted pieces. The pink tee is doing a lot of the heavy lifting there, but it’s not a saturated pink. It’s closer to something sun-bleached or washed out, which makes it much easier to wear than it sounds. I have a couple of tees in similar tones and they end up in rotation constantly because they pair so naturally with navy, olive, tan, grey, basically anything earthy.

The olive chinos here have a relaxed straight cut, which I think is key. It helps the whole outfit hang together visually.

The white AF1s and the canvas tote round things out nicely. White sneakers with olive and navy is one of those combinations I come back to constantly because the white gives the whole thing a lift. Without it, the palette could start to feel a bit heavy.

Chore Coat

Three solid options at very different price points. The Amazon Essentials version is hard to argue with at $42 if you just want to try the look, the Chef Works coat has a more authentic workwear weight and shape to it, and the Flint and Tinder from Huckberry splits the difference between a chore coat and a blazer if you want something that dresses up a bit easier.

T-shirt

Jerzees T-shirt, $9.59 / Madewell Garment-Dyed Allday Crewneck Tee, $29.99 ~~$40.00~~

A dusty pink tee is one of those things that sounds like a harder sell than it actually is. Once you try one you realize it goes with basically everything you already own. The Jerzees blank is a cheap way to find that out, and the Madewell garment-dyed version will have that broken-in feel right out of the bag if you want to skip the break-in period.

Relaxed fit olive chinos

Everlane Everyday Relaxed-Fit Chino, $83.00 ~~$118.00~~ / Gap Heavyweight Twill ’90s Loose Khakis, $47.97

The Everlane Everyday chino has a nice relaxed fit without going full wide-leg, and the Gap Heavyweight Twill ’90s Loose has a bit more room if you prefer that. Either way, olive chinos in a more relaxed cut are one of the most useful things you can own in spring. They work with practically any color on top, other than olive.

Knit sneakers

Nike Air Force 1 Flyknit 2.0 Shoes, $125.00 / Alt: Vans Authentic

The Flyknit version of the AF1 is a nice call for spring and summer because you get the same shape but it breathes so much better. If you want something even simpler, a white Vans Authentic does the same job in an outfit like this.