How to dress for work in a heatwave
Not everyone is on holiday, believe it or not, so here’s how to keep your cool in the office, says Stephen Doig
It’s telling that, in my role as The Telegraph’s men’s style editor, there are two queries from friends, colleagues and readers alike that crop up year-on-year: what to wear to weddings, and what on earth to wear to the office when the mercury rises. Because while women can wear breezy but corporate appropriate dresses and open-toed shoes, men struggle when heatwaves hit.
With African plumes set to send temperatures soaring this week, men across the country are eyeing up their trussed-up suit jacket and uncomfortably formal trousers with a sense of dread. There’s still a basic formula for men in most offices: proper shoes, smart trousers, shirt and jacket, a dress-by-numbers approach that is generally fail-safe, but comes up for critique in temperatures like this.
So, what tweaks can we make to our wardrobe to stand the heat and look pulled-together?
Shorts
The finance desk on this newspaper was more forward-thinking than me when a colleague got in touch to ask about the politics of shorts in the office. It’s the prickliest issue in this debate; one industry stalwart steadfastly refuses to wear shorts anywhere but the beach. Obviously, if you work at a Magic Circle law firm, the regulations over baring your legs might be more stringent than at others, but if you’re considering shorts in the office, first be brutally honest about what you’re working with. As a Scotsman with skin – and legs – the shade of a newborn fish’s underbelly, they are not for me. If you live for leg day at the gym, flash those pins by all means. Secondly, form has to come with function. Off-duty holiday shorts are a different beast to office-appropriate shorts, so forgo any relaxed shapes (cargo shorts are an absolute no-go) in favour of smart, sleek cuts that ape the shape of suit trousers; side fasteners will lend this affect. Stick to dark shades of navy or tan to maintain a more grown-up stance. 1 Seersucker shorts,
£16, burton.co.uk
Shoes
Relegate the Derby, Oxfords and brogues for now, and look at more lightweight and easy variants; darker-hued boat shoes and tan-toned loafers are your friends here. They have structure, but their make-up is less rigid and allows for more ease and airiness. And while you might have a blanket ban on the mankle – it’s worth exploring “sockless socks”; that is the tiny, just-fit-overthe-feet socks designed to sit hidden under the top-line. 2 Lloyd loafers, £245,
grenson.com 3 4 Pack of Cool Freshfeet shoe liners, £8, marksandspencer. com 4 Oceania boat shoes, £80,
boden.co.uk
Shirt
How swiftly a white shirt can go from pristine to sweat-patch strewn after one train commute. That said, a classic white shirt in 100 per cent natural fabric, preferably Sea Island Cotton for extra softness, is your best bet for a combination of lightness and formality. Open necked (by the collar and one more button, never more unless your work involves front-of-house at Café del Mar) is widely acceptable these days. If your workplace absolutely demands it, a linen or slub silk tie will be lighter than traditional silk. Consider, too, the collarless shirt; variants with a mandarin or grandad collar follow the smart stance of a shirt but are more breezy and contemporary. Likewise, a polo shirt; a silk knit is more polished than the tennisready cotton pique variety, and pleasingly Don Draper with a suit jacket. 5 Alfred shirt, £85,
officinegenerale.com 6 Sea Island cotton shirt, £255, turnbullandasser. co.uk 7 Payton polo shirt, £135, johnsmedley.com
Suit
A recent revelation has been seersucker: the puckered fabric sits away from the skin and allows for greater breathability, but it’s usually worn in costume-y candy stripes at the likes of Henley. However, a black or navy suit in seersucker is sleek, together and pleasingly refreshing. Consider, too, a half-canvas suit jacket. This simply means that the back lining is missing, so it’s much breezier, but with enough structure to give you presence.
8 Richard James Sheisen seersucker suit jacket, £298, and trousers, £98, mrporter.com 9 Half canvas blazer, £295, gievesandhawkes.com