In the UK, we rarely experience hot summer weather, so when a few weeks of glorious sunshine arrive, it becomes a captivating topic of conversation. When the baking heat of the northern line, and the muggy weather of city life comes around, what do you wear when a suit is too much?
I don't follow trends; while many opt for suit trousers and a smart shirt over a full suit and tie, I stick to the latter as long as the weather permits. For me personally, and I am sure for a lot of tailoring enthusiasts out there, the chance to drop the tie and full suit, but still wanting to maintain an air of formality in your outfit, opens up a potentially daunting number of options. I for one enjoy greatly either using my suits as separates, pairing together perhaps a pair of blue suit trousers with a grey double-breasted jacket, or even a pair of tailored cotton trousers and a linen blazer.
That being said, dressing when the weather becomes hot can be a proverbial minefield, and hopefully this article may help you open your eyes to the ways in which you can still dress impeccably, whist injecting a lick of summer casualness into your day-to-day office attire.
With perfect summer tailoring, I believe the key is to break up a formal suit and skip the tie. I could name a plethora of menswear influencers who have got this down to a fine art, but the one name that springs to mind for me is Will, known as @thedonsclub on Instagram. Hailing from Germany, Will loves to experiment with tailoring, and certainly does not shy away from assembling business casual outfits that still give off an air of sophistication, whilst perfectly fitting in with warmer summer months.
This look is a simple outfit, and whilst it does lean towards the more casual end of the spectrum, is certainly still office appropriate. Here he has combined a pair of high-waisted off-white cotton trousers, a casual shirt, and a formal blazer. The brilliance of this outfit in my opinion is two-fold. The addition of the heavier woollen jacket is certainly the formal piece in this ensemble, and more than elevates the rest of the more casual outfit. The addition of the jumper is also a perfect addition, just in case the predictably changeable weather does just that! But for me where this outfit really shines, is that with a simple removal of the jacket, this becomes a perfectly effortless casual outfit. Think about leaving the office after a day of meetings, ditching the blazer, and you would blend right into the crowd for a few after work pints.
Another menswear aficionado, and constant style inspiration for me, is none-other than Matt Hranek.
Known by the handle@wmbrownproject on Instagram, I consider him one of the people at the forefront of the resurgence of my favourite cocktail, the Negroni. Outside of that, Matt's penchant for tailoring and menswear in general means that he has an incredibly keen eye for menswear, and I cannot even tell you amount of photos of him I have seen, which have instantly inspired me to copy his outfits.
This particular outfit, is a look that Matt has leans on heavily, of course with a myriad of different jacket, trouser and shirt options.
What I love about this one, is that whilst it is again more casual, it forms the perfect base for inspiration. Whilst Matt has favoured a beautiful long-sleeve polo and a more casual jacket, I have replicated a similar outfit with a spread-collar popover shirt, the more formal collar elevating the outfit a touch. Again, as with Will's outfit above, the key to dressing smartly in the hotter months is all about versatility. Ditching the jacket here would turn this from a smart outfit to a casual one, and being able to seamlessly alter the style of your overall look really is the skill in developing a smart summer wardrobe.
Now, it would be remiss of me to write an article about summer tailoring, and not feature a full suit being worn effortlessly in the summertime. To lean on another style inspiration of mine who I think adapts full suits to the hotter months is Nigel Cleaver @ignoreatyourperil on Instagram.
Nigel has one of the most enviable wardrobes I have come across on the internet, and like me, is a true menswear purist whatever the weather. What I love about this outfit, is that it still maintains an air of formality, a full suit and tie. But one of my best pieces of advice for summer tailoring is material choice. Wool suits might not be the best idea here, but as Nigel is sporting, seersucker certainly is! Much more breathable and light, this suit could be worn together, or the jacket could be worn with a pair of light wash jeans and trainers. This is certainly an outfit that could be worn in the hotter months and the addition of a pair of light brown lace-ups certainly contributes to the care-free summer look.
Ultimately, looking past the confides of a suit in summer is all about material choices. Ditching heavy wool or cotton for seersucker, cotton or linen, and perhaps substituting a pair of suit trousers for a pair of tailored linen trousers, can still achieve an air of smartness, without leaving you a sweaty and uncomfortable mess when it is time to leave the office.
Felix Arnold