Issue #29 | Summer Style
The summer style checklist
There comes a time in a man’s sartorial life when he starts to think of clothing in terms of seasons. Yes, we’ve always had summer staples: shorts, t-shirts, sandals, etc. But when you get serious about clothes, you start investing season-specific pieces.
For summer, that means items like linen shirts, lightweight trousers, polos, loose knit cotton sweaters, sandal-alternative footwear like huaraches and espadrilles, and, eventually, suits in a warm weather fabrics like wool fresco, seersucker, and linen. These are clothes you only wear in summer and let hibernate in winter.
Let’s be honest, it’s tough to dress really well in the summer. It’s hot, you sweat, you’re tired and don’t want to think about clothes. It’s tempting to just throw on whatever’s comfortable and cool. It can also be tough to pull the trigger on, say, a pair of summer dress pants that cost $400 which you’ll only wear for three or four months of the year.
But after you get a few key pieces, you’ll start to enjoy summer dressing. It’s nice when you get an invite to a rooftop cocktail party and you have just the right outfit—a gorgeous hopsack navy double breasted blazer, for example, with some ivory chinos and soft summer loafers. You thought ahead. You planned for this. People notice.
For years, I’ve been collecting photos on my phone in a folder called “Style.” For this issue of the newsletter, I dipped back into the archive to look for warm-weather inspiration for all occasions—work, play, beach, sport. Think of it as a summer style checklist. Remember, for summer dressing, less is more, and more is too much.
The Summer Style Checklist
Everything Jude Law wears in The Talented Mr. Ripley—check.
A baby blue two-pocket shirt with the sleeves rolled way, way up—check.
A killer outfit for the beach and beyond—check.
A loud short-sleeve shirt for late nights—check.
Linen color blocking—check.
Let’s be real: You have to be an all-time movie star to pulls this off… but slicked hair, shades, a pink shirt tied in a bow (what!), flared dress pants, and Clark’s Wallabees (what!!??)—an outfit that literally stops the music—check.
Perfect jeans, a perfect white T, no shoes, and a few accessories—check.
White on white with a lightweight navy cotton travel blazer—check.
An easy, ‘90s-inspired, incognito summer airport outfit—check.
Gucci short shorts and horse-bit loafers—check.
A summertime only brown seersucker suit and silk tie—check.
No shirt—check.
The Feature Well
A couple final items for the summer style checklist: Denim—yes, denim! during a match! at the U.S. Open!—tennis shorts and a ravishing mullet (with hairpiece)—check!
I’m sharing this because I recently started listening to the audiobook of Andre Agassi’s autobiography, Open. What a book. I started playing tennis a few years ago after I officially retired from men’s league basketball due to a terminal decline in my playing abilities. I really enjoy tennis, but I wouldn’t say I’ve become an obsessive like a lot of people do when they pick up the sport.
You don’t have to be a tennis fanatic to appreciate Open. It’s an incredibly honest, painful, hilarious, empathetic, melancholy, despairing, and, ultimately, hopeful book—a portrait of a tortured artist; his tyrannical, obsessive father; and the pure hatred inspired by one’s unasked for gifts. Agassi hates tennis, but he can’t quit it. I’m 15 years late to the game here, but Open is something like a masterpiece of autobiography.
Last but not least: What is summer dressing without a nice pair of classic khakis? I recently wrote a round-up for GQ about the best khakis on the market, from J. Crew’s Giant-Fit Chinos to $30 doozies from the old standard Docker’s to Noah’s wide-leg utility pants.
As always, hope you enjoy the issue, and have a great weekend.
Mitch
Question? Comment? Suggestion? Caught a typo? Email me at mitch.moxley@gmail.com