May 19, 2022

The New Business Casual: Performance Clothes that Work and Play

It looks like we’re finally on the other end of lockdowns (pardon me while I knock on wood), but that doesn’t mean that we’re all returning to the old days of office 9-5’s. Many of us are still splitting our time between the business office and the home office.

It's safe to say that most of our daily business-casual style is taking on a new form. Your dress shirts and pants have to function in mutiple settings, just like you. That usually means looking good enough for the office with the comfort of loundewear.

*Performance clothing has entered the chat.*

We’re giving you a guide to the new business casual style for men and how to incorporate performance clothing into your daily wear.

Perfromance clothes always feature stretchy, comfortable fabric

What is Performance Clothing?

To clarify, we’re not talking about wearing workout clothes under a blazer. Performance business casual clothing is much more elevated than that.

Sure, your clothes need to have the stretch of workout clothes, but they also have to be dressy enough for you to wear to the office.

Think of it as taking the elements you love about workout clothes and using them in clothes that you can wear every day. Clothes that can really perform!

Performance clothes are made for casual wear with the feel of athletic clothes

Performance Clothing Fabrics

The major difference between performance business casual clothes and your old pre-pandemic business casual clothes is going to be how they feel.

Performance clothing is generally made from stretchier fabric. That means there’s some type of elastane that is infused with the cotton fabrics to make them more flexible. (The material varies by brand and could be elastane, polyester, spandex, etc.)

Thus, you get more comfortable business casual clothing without the usual stiffness of office attire.

Usually, these sorts of materials also add to a garment's breathability. No more sweating through your dress shirt!

Overall, the idea is that you can take performance business casual clothing to the office without feeling like you’re stuck in your work clothes.

Our Jon pants are customer favorite because they look great in the office

Performance Clothes That Fit

Now, the problem with most performance clothes made by other brands is that they don’t come in shorter inseams or proportions for anyone under 5’10”. We understand more as much as anyone else how frustrating it can be to shop as a shorter man.

That's why we are your solution for performance clothes in shorter sizes and inseams. Check out our new Trident Tech Performance Pants and Performance Button-Downs. Our pants come down to a 25” inseam and shirts are cut to shorter proportions.

Our performance dress shirt is ultra stretchy - unlike stiff dress shirts of old

When to Wear Performance Clothes

You know those days where it feels like you have to run 100 errands? You have to drop some papers off at the office, meet a client for coffee, stop by the bar happy hour, and then make it home in time for dinner.

Those are the times you want to be in your most comfortable, work-appropriate clothes. These will now be known as your performance business casual clothes.

Outside of that, our recommendation would be to wear these anytime. The great part about performance clothing like this is that their minimal, modern, and functional design is going to look great regardless of where you’re taking them.

How to Style Performance Clothing

Because we get maximum versatility with performance clothes, you’ve got endless styling options here.

Performance Business Casual

Pair your performance shirt with the Jon or Trident performance pants and a blazer. You’ll look office appropriate and no one will know that you’re as comfortable as you were wearing no pants on those 2020 Zoom calls.

Top it off with a matching belt and dress shoes and you’re ready to go. You can also dress it up with a tie if you've got an important meeting.

See how nicely these Trident performance pants pair mimic a traditional pair of khakis.

Performance Happy Hour/Dinner

Take your performance button-down shirt for a spin with dark denim. Even though denim isn't technically performance clothing, our jeans have tons of stretch which makes them almost as comfortablel. Feel free to add a sport coat or blazer if you want to dress up a bit.

You can choose a nice pair of white sneakers or a brown belt and dress shoes to complete the look.

Our jeans are super stretchy and a dark wash color can totally work well in a business setting

Performance Casual Wear

One step before you hit actual gym clothes, you can untuck your performance shirt and wear it out with your tech pants.

Slip into your favorite sneakers and you have a clean look that’s appropriate for almost anything.

Think of your performance shirt as your new go-top button-down shirt 2.0.

Untucking a white shirt is an easy way to make your look more casual

Performance Button-Down and Trident Tech Performance Pants

I couldn’t sign off without highlighting our favorites again. Our performance dress shirt is made from an unbelievably stretchy twill fabric that is so comfortable that you won't even notice you're wearing a button-down.

This is that whole new go-to white button-down I was talking about. The best part is that it’s cut for shorter proportions.

You won’t have to deal with a long hem or sleeves. It’ll also sit right on your shoulders.

The Trident Pants feature a slim fit with a slightly tapered leg while offering a more relaxed fit than our chinos and denim. They have elastic panels on the sides that make for a comfortable fit.

Make sure to check these out and find your sizing!