SUMMER’S OVER, SO LET’S START TO DRESS ACCORDINGLY
Ican’t be the only one who’s quietly elated at the slight suggestion of a nip in the air as summer draws to a close, surely?
I may be biased in this respect, because as a dour Scot I’m right at home with some dreich weather, but even objectively speaking, this summer has been a maelstrom many will be glad to see the back off.
A pandemic, a scorching heatwave and horrifying news cycles all led to a pressure cooker effect, so I’m buoyed by the prospect of cooler, calmer temperaments and temperatures (unless 2020 has some more tricks up its sleeve).
After months of wardrobe disarray – the effects of working at home as well as unbearable heat – there’s a security in dressing for a shift in seasons.
Mentally, it parks one period of the year and opens the door to a new chapter. We’re not at the russety crunch of autumn leaves yet, but it’s certainly no longer shorts-and-tshirts time.
So, what to wear in the strange inbetween? Boris Johnson clearly found it confusing on his controversial Scottish sojourn, donning a summery shirt with a winter ski hat and looking like he had been sneezed into being.
My stout Scottish granny – who firmly believed you wore your woolly Big Coat and jumper from the end of September to the end of February – would be horrified, but lightweight cover-ups have become my go-to. And in tech fabrics to boot; she’d be turning in her grave.
But they offer insulation while being light enough to peel off, and unprecious enough to stuff into a bag. And they’re less toxic to the environment than they were, too – Prada, reigning queen of all things nylon, has launched a pop-up enterprise within Selfridges to highlight its recycled “re-nylon” items. Another interim weather cover-up that Granny Doig would be proud of is my mid-30s discovery that the cardigan is a handy piece of knitwear.
I should have listened to my elders and betters before, because it comes into its own in times of transient weather, and sleek, fine-gauge versions don’t have the fusty connotations that the cardigan has been plagued by. Add a soft linen shirt, which is summery and breathable but tends to crease terribly – the cardigan will hide it. It’s also time to retire the free and easy summer footwear, too: I stand by the tenet that a man’s feet should be seen at the beach or the pool only.
It’s not quite time yet for solid boots and the serious clomp of your Oxford shoes either, though, which is why an “inbetween” shoe is an informed choice, something with more substance but not as heavy and onerous as formal footwear.
Deck shoes and car shoes are your friend here; they’re light, smart and provide more cover than a sandy pair of cotton espadrilles. We might just move on from the summer of our discontent, yet.
The seasons are shifting, and it’s time to rejoice, says Stephen Doig