Have you been wearing T-shirts and shorts for what feels like weeks on end now? It’s a tried-and-tested combination, but just a slight shift in your usual fair-weather gear and a few wise purchases is all you need to break out of your comfort zone without breaking the bank.
Here are five ways to elevate your summer style.
Don’t reinvent the wheel, put new air in the tyres
Have you noticed that simply buying chino shorts and polos in different colours to mix and match still looks and feels exactly like chino shorts and a polo?
More good news – both chino shorts and polos are here to stay, which means you can absolutely stick with what you know and make only the smallest of tweaks. Now, I’m not suggesting we aim to emulate the men at the recent men’s fashion shows in Paris, but zone in here on the jazzier-than-beige shorts they’ve chosen and you’ll see it’s not the most enormous leap to consider how these could work for you.
From left: Striped chino shorts, £21 from M&S; chino shorts available in short, medium and long, £30 from M&S
These striped chino shorts from M&S give a hint of colour and pattern, but with enough subtlety that the change will register as entirely risk-free, or you could keep all else equal and simply choose a different length. It really is amazing how that one adjustment can transform a distinctly average outfit into “Tom Selleck in the best way possible”. M&S delivers once again with this option coming in short, medium, and long.
Navy shorts, £45 from David Gandy Wellwear
Alternatively, add a pleat (David Gandys Wellwear offers a great example), tuck your polo in, and see how your look goes from sloppy to sartorial. Another styling option? Throw a fine knit around your shoulders, a look that David Beckham enjoys.
From left: Open collar polo, £42 from David Gandy Wellwear; knitted polo, £45 from M&S
There’s nothing wrong with the basic cotton polo shirt archetype, in fact, David Gandy Wellwear does a splendid example with the minute twist of a stripe along the collar, but if you fancy broadening your horizons, a knitted number adds texture; and by nature of their construction, they tend to fit more snugly on your arms, making them look fuller. There is a beautiful example from Hawes & Curtis, or this olive option from M&S would make for a versatile wardrobe addition.
Less means more
In the absence of layering during high summer, your accessories will be doing a lot of the heavy lifting.
Sunglasses are the most obvious, and perhaps most effective way of saying something with little effort. It’s an approach with royal backing – the King, Prince William and Prince George have all brought personality to their summer tailoring in recent weeks with the addition of anything-but-boring shades (His Majesty’s chosen pair are Serengeti’s caramel-coloured Lenwood style).
The Performer sunglasses, from £99 via Bloobloom
Minimal, metallic frames suggest elegance or attention to detail, mirrored lenses are sporty, acetate like the Performer from Bloobloom (my go-to that I have in three different colour-ways) imply some form of art or creativity.
These are stereotypes, and of course there are exceptions to every rule, but stereotypes exist because of the undeniable truth that we love to categorise, so you might want to think about what category you wish to be viewed in.
Beyond sunglasses, consider also a dashing necktie, as seen on Ian Wright at a football match in June – a simple addition which elevated his otherwise pared-back look. Achieve a similar effect with this MaxMara suave bandana.
Mix up your footwear
This is presumptuous of me, but if polos and chinos are your comfort zone, I’m going to go out on a limb (the legs specifically) and advise you to step away from the white-soled plimsole-like trainers and walk a mile in some loafers. They slip on, work with or without socks, and are much more flexible than most think, just ask Stanley Tucci who wore a conker-brown pair at the Goodwood Festival of Speed.
From left: Brown textured loafers, £198 at Bobbies; flat sandals, £126 at Bobbies
For those willing to jump into loaferdom, this textured pair from Bobbies have summer written all over them. They’ll work with everything from shorts, jeans, chinos, linen or a full suit.
For off-duty, heatwave-tolerable footwear, Fisherman sandals, like these from Bobbies, are hot to trot and are surprisingly practical. They hardly ever go flip, I’ve never heard one go flop, they secure around the heel for sudden bursts of speed (as I discovered when my two-year-old decided to leg it), they give at least a little protection to your toes, and they’re breathable.
For styling inspiration, look to Richard E Grant, who is having a fisherman-sandal summer – he wore them with loose cream trousers at the Serpentine summer party and with blue tailoring at Wimbledon.
Smarter not harder
Co-ords are not tracksuits – it took me a long time to learn this. I always thought they were lazy and aimed at the style-challenged, but I’ve come to learn they are an excellent example of working smarter not harder. Matt Damon is the co-ord posterman of the summer. While his are not the relaxed shirts and shorts most of us will opt for, his new preference for colour matching looks shows how effortlessly cool you can appear, simply by wearing matching tops and bottoms.
The only decisions you need to make are what to wear on your feet and whether to add a vest under the shirt. An added bonus is that you can also mix and match the items with other bits in your wardrobe, giving you more bang for your buck.
I suggest avoiding big patterns, simply because the more of a statement a piece makes, the more conspicuous, and the less you can rewear it without it appearing like the only thing you own. I have this lovely towelling example from M&S because the texture adds depth (and is great for cleaning smears from your sunglasses), but it’s subtle.
Cotton towel shirt and shorts, £42 and £30 from M&S
Your iron will thank you
Yes, linen is lightweight and breathable, it’s great for summer weddings, floaty trousers, and flowy shirts, but it’s a nightmare to iron and it can feel like every man you look at has been copied and pasted.
If you want to stand apart, silk is also light as a feather and it drapes beautifully (in fact, the shirt I got married in, which remains one of my favourite items is a silk shirt from Turnball and Asser) but it’s expensive, fragile, and gives a very different aesthetic to linen.
My go-to linen substitute (actually, my preference over it), is seersucker. Equally breezy but naturally textured, it needs next to no ironing, makes a truly fantastic suit for those weddings (see the below example from Suit Supply) and casual items alike.
James Righton made the case handsomely in his striped suit at Wimbledon earlier this month. Most importantly for me, it’s a point of difference, and by choosing seersucker, you’re showing your world is wider than the linen everyone else is in.
From left: silk shirt, £525 from Turnball and Asser; dark brown Roma suit, £599 from Suit Supply