KEEP YOUR COOL
Tips to pull off the summer business- casual look.
QUESTION: I’m always at odds as to how to look professional at the office and still keep my cool during the summer months. We’re business casual, but I’m in front of clients all the time and inevitably end up looking like a sweaty, dishevelled mess by 2 p. m. What are some summer staples that will hold up all day?
– Michael, Toronto
STYLE MASTER: Personally, I don’t sweat. I only glow. I do admit I used to progress into dishevelment as the day went on but only for the entertainment of my fellow workers. I was known to have a shirt hem lift out of the waistband and my sleeves would begin to roll up like those of a stevedore. I came across quite well: part absent- minded professor, a touch Woody Allen, windswept and sexy.
Of course, when I think about it, I don’t really have a day job any more. Did I mention, I glow? No matter, what you need to understand is unsightly perspiration and messiness are as much a state of mind as they are due to external factors. Looking and feeling cool, literally and figuratively, in the summer can often be one and the same thing. Here are few sartorial tips that will have an appropriate chilling effect:
1. TOUGHEN UP: Take the summer staple of the khaki. Its light colour can serve you well in warm weather but the trick is not to be such a prim stickler. Khakis were designed for combat and camp situations in jungles and deserts. In a pair of chinos ( that’s what Americans call them), one should expect the wearer to look wrinkled and broken in.
But don’t take my word for it. I turned to Christian Chensvold, the editor- in- chief of the influential preppy fashion blog Ivy- Style. com.
To your call for help, he responded, “Sounds like he needs an air conditioner. As for the trouser issue, yes, khakis are casual pants and I think they look off when they’re pressed or when you expect them to stay that way.”
Hear, hear. The fad of ironing sharp front creases into a pair is as backdated as those awful wedding pictures from the 1990s of groomsmen wearing blazers, pink ties, and double- pleated chinos while smoking cigars ( wait, those are my wedding pictures).
Anyhow, put down the iron and step away from the board. Instead take your work plain- front khakis out of the dryer when the cycle is done and hang them. They will be businesscasual rough and ready.
2. LINEN UP: Once you begin to accept wrinkles, linen or linen blends come into the picture. Banana Republic offers a plain utility linen pant to go with patterned shirts and a nice linen/ cotton herringbone to go with ones ( both $ 85). Plus here’s a bonus tip for summer cool: If coworkers point out your pants are really wrinkled, tell them it’s linen even if it’s not.
3. WHITEN UP: If beige is not your thing, consider white pants. Joe Fresh comes out every year with great slim summer whites ($ 59) that are so chill they need whipped cream and a cherry on top. What makes them unbeatable are their visual crispness plus, under strong seasonal light, they never show their wrinkles.
Joseph Mimran, creative director of Joe Fresh, says, “Pairing it with an appropriate top is key. A full- white ensemble may be appropriate for strolling the boulevards in Cannes, but perhaps not for a professional environment. I’ve always loved a navy sport jacket with a slim white pant.”
4. SADDLE UP: Polo shirts, with their traditional pique weave ( a crease resistant, wafflelike pattern), are made for hot, wrinkle-inducing activities like playing polo. And according to Victoria Kirk of Banana Republic, they’re “your classic go- to for everyday office wear but update it seasonally in some hot summer hues like pink, turquoise, apple green or mandarin orange ($ 50). White is classic, but a shot of colour with a neutral linen or chino pant can really refresh your summer wear to work wardrobe. The polo sweater ($ 68) is slightly dressier alternate to the cotton version and looks great in stripes.”
5. FIRE IT UP: The real trick to a sharp, hotweather look is to pair simplicity with one sparkling high note. Chensvold says, “Never underestimate the power of one great accessory, even when everything else is basic. I have a madras ( colourful, cotton, patchwork) belt, a faded nautical inspired rope belt, and an alligator with engraved engine- turned silver buckle.” Another grand option is the blazing blazer. The right half- lined jacket is a great thing to throw on when clients come through the door. Mimran says a colour “can play a great accent role in any ... business wardrobe.”
I would take a look at his neon orange jacket ($ 189) “grounded with slim dark denim.” Not only can it cover up a work day’s worth of untidiness, it also provides “a fun yet still professional look.”
6. TIGHTEN UP: All the above is for naught if it doesn’t fit well. One of the biggest reasons for summer sartorial disarray are oversized, loose clothes. This may sound counterintuitive but extra fabric around your legs or body will make you sweat more, produce more wrinkles and make you look messy. Keep comfortable by keeping the fit trim and neat.
7. FINALLY, WEAR SHORTS: No. No, don’t. I’m pulling your bare, hairy leg. Avoid them at work, unless your name is Scooter and you wear a beanie with a propeller. In which case, go ahead, as career is obviously not your goal.