THE BEST WAY TO S HOP F OR A N I NCLEMENT S UMMER
British men dressing for summer: it’s time for a reality check, says Stephen Doig
Oh, that I – or any British man – could somehow emulate the tropical climes attire that saunters raffishly down the catwalks this time of year. Italian playboys in pristine white, as if fresh off the yacht in Portofino, tropical prints and cinnamon tans (pitch perfect for Rio but less so in Richmond) and an abundance of short shorts, navel-slashed shirts and blousy kaftan tops.
All well and good – and a completely seductive ideal of masculinity during balmier months – but these aren’t the wardrobes saviours that will see you through a typical British summer. Five minutes in Gucci’s fresh white suiting and your average man strolling down the pier will have a 99 cone upended on his lapel.
From trying to work out the dress codes at the Port Eliot Festival in two weeks’ time, to bracing strolls on the Norfolk coastline, and a host of fêtes in between, summer style in Britain calls for very different regulations to our continental, crocodile loafer-clad brothers.
British summer is searing heat one minute and drizzle the next, with an assault course of muddy sank banks and grassscuffing picnics in between. So, how to negotiate the season?
In that fine British tradition of Enjoying The Outdoors Whatever The Weather, a solid windbreaker or waxed cotton jacket is your friend. Lightweight, breathable, easy to hurl in the beach bag should the weather – unlikely, I know – take a turn for the better, a sturdy piece of outerwear is your style wingman in this instance.
A wool-mix cotton option from Dunhill, a windbreaker from Moncler Gamme Bleu or a navy workwear-style jacket from Acne will help fend off inclement weather.
The question of casualwear is also a tricky one in summer temperatures. Men who spend their days in crisp suiting can feel curiously cast adrift when the mood calls for something more relaxed, which is why sticking to a shirt formula is the easiest tack. Downgrade the formality with a rustic, durable chambray fabric – this is something that denotes lunch over the quay, rather than time spent hunched over the keyboard – and opt for lightweight wool sweaters in sunny shades, as demonstrated by Brooks Brothers, or nautical Breton stripes with long sleeves.
Similarly, a rakish deck shoe or loafer is perfectly fitting for foreign sojourns, but the everyday squelch and slop of a British countryside romp calls for accessories that are considerably sturdier. Hunter has reinvented its wellingtons in a cropped style, and Just Cavalli neat leather trainers are currently the menswear elite’s insider secret.
Riviera dash can wait; these are the pieces for a British warm-weather reality.