might seem at first alarming, be assured this season is
one of the most accessible yet. Even the most extreme
ideas this summer can be unpicked to your advantage.
For example, if you were to do nothing other than wear
a simple blue-striped shirt this summer you would be bang
on trend: the standard oice shirt — long banished from
fashion as the dusy, fusy counterpoint to the millennial
T-shirt — was given renewed allure by Louis Vuiton, Junya
Watanabe and Loewe. Just make sure it has long sleeves.
Likewise, with tailoring. Yes the bagy, oversized
blazers at Balenciaga were a litle outré, but at the base
of “dadcore” is a persuasive argument for relaxed tailoring
and the relevance of the summer suit. What’s wrong
with a summer suit? Absolutely nothing. Why would you
strugle with a silly slogan T-shirt, or hybrid sports pants,
as has been so much the syle of late, when a perfectly
sensible, smarter, age-appropriate solution is right there
in front of you instead.
Fendi’s “Sype” look — shirt and tie on the top half,
shorts down below — was conceived to maximise one’s
productiviy while working on a tan. I’m not sugesting
anyone should wear a tie with swimwear, but Silvia Fendi’s
relaxed take on the workplace-to-weekend look, with its
unmatched jackets and trousers, madras checks and easy
wearabiliy, had a grown-up nonchalance that looked
prety good. he same at Hermès, which featured the most
approachable palete in the world — rust, navy, khaki and
blue. Geting dressed this summer is a breeze.
So, wear a tie to sports day; dig out that ill-sized suit;
be bold in your boring oice blues. Hell, put on a tie clip.
Why not? Corporate syle has rarely been so fashionable.
And if anyone asks why you’re wearing shorts with
calf-high socks and your Chelsea boots, it’s not because
you’re a conservative scaredy-cat who can’t work out your
summer footwear, it’s because you saw it on the catwalk
at Dries Van Noten, and it’s really deadly cool.Gentlemen, what will you be wearing this
summer? A cursory glance at the catwalk
ofers all kind of propositions. You might want
to slip into a Prada boiler suit, for example.
Just the thing to make that post-work transition
to the pub. Or, perhaps, the jazzy, metallic jacket
is calling you — choose from gold and shiny
at Berluti or Dolce & Gabbana, or, at Armani,
burnished bronze. How about a fringed and
hooded quilt coat, as seen at Craig Green?
Too directional? Fatherly ypes will no doubt
be taken by Balenciaga’s triple-layered trousers,
a garment made in banded denim and leather,
to be worn belted nice and high on the waist.
What do you mean you’d rather not? Don’t
you realise that the whole collection, designed
by Demna Gvasalia, was inspired by dads,
just like you, seen playing with their kids in
the park?
It’s no surprise that ordinary men have
a collective nervous breakdown when it comes
to thoughts of seasonal fashionabiliy. Or just
go into flat denial. To the casual male observer,
men’s fashion seems like a cruel and arbitrary
riddle, teasing with its clues and impossible to
solve. Instead of trying to extrapolate the codes
of the season, to sort its simpler truths, many
just ignore it altogether.
But even while this summer’s fashionsTop let: oice shirt and loose grey summer
suit with (again) sandals at Louis Vuiton
Let: navy boxy-cut oversized blazer with
faded jeans and brogues at BalenciagaWe asked the fashion editor of
the FT what to wear this summer.^
And she said... a suit? By Jo Ellison
Wear a tie to sports
day; dig out that
ill-sized suit; be bold
in your boring oice
blues. Hell, put on
a tie clip...What smart guys are wearing this
summer: light khaki coton summerweight
suit sotened with a long-sleeved T-shirt
and open sandals, all by Hermés34 Style
Gety | See Stockists page for details