Come summer time BBQ season the world breaks into two camps, one that thinks Hawaiian shirts are acceptable, and one that doesn’t. The one that doesn’t is comprised of waaaaaay more sexy, powerful and interesting women and men. Being in that camp doesn’t mean you have to arrive at your grill fest as Blandville, population you. Here’s how to infuse color and relaxed festivity into your look without a trace of silliness; think Most Interesting Man in the World instead of Rodney Dangerfield. Let’s start at the top and work our way down.

Shirt: Your safest bet is to pick a light hue rather than a saturated bright color. Look for summer weight cottons and linens, they’ll keep you cooler than a regular dress shirt and probably have the right length for an untucked button down. Roll the cuff near or at your elbow. If you’re gonna wear it open with a T-shirt underneath don’t go Hanes or freebie, make the T shirt count.

Shorts: Don’t be afraid to leave your khakis at home, try a seersucker or linen with a subtle pattern. You don’t have to match the colors of your tops and bottoms or be afraid to wear more than one color, again keeping the hues light minimizes chances of clashing. Try multiples. Just like in other areas of life, threesomes win here too.

Shoes: We know you are not one to confuse athletic sneakers with real shoes. A boat shoe, driving moc, or other slip-on in charcoal or weathered tan will coordinate with any colors and solidify you as the coolest dude at the party.