What we’ve learned about our summer style this year
This August will mark the fifth year in operation for Bespoke Edge. We’ve come a long way, for sure. One of the strengths that we’ve leveraged over these past years is the distinct style that each of us bring to the brand. This was apparent to me in a recent team photo shoot and I thought it would be fun to talk about summer style this year in the context of these images.
For a lot of guys, summer style is something entirely separate from work attire. It’s shorts and flip flops and tank tops. While that’s certainly true (in the appropriate setting!), one of the great things about summer is that it can lighten up your work attire and help you to stay comfortable.
What does this mean?
Well, fabrics become more breathable. Out goes the heavy woolen suits and in come the linen, cotton, and blended suiting. Full construction tends to go away too, leaving behind “unconstructed” summer jackets that are lightweight and casual. And colors tend to get lighter in nature too. Earth tones and light blues and grays are perfect for the warmer months of the season.
Some of the traditional details of menswear tend to drift away. Neckties are few and far between. Heavy leather shoes are left in the closet and dress shirts tend to go lighter in color, just as the jackets have done. It’s even OK to wear a short sleeve button-up dress shirt under your suit jacket or sportcoat in the summer.
Let’s take a look at what the three of us have each done.
Brett’s look
As always, Brett is showing us his casual sophistication. His herringbone woven jacket adds elegance to his go-to summer look. It’s also a very young and fitted cut. The jacket length is shorter than most and Brett’s body type fills up the coat perfectly. The result is a jacket that was undoubtedly made for him and him alone.
The open shirt collar is mandatory on warm summer days, but the thoughtful pocket square reminds us that he put some thought into this look. The takeaway? Dressing sharp is easier than you think. Start with a strong piece, in this case the jacket, dress other areas down if you like, but don’t skimp on the details (i.e the pocket square).
I also want to bring your attention to two notable details: His watch and his blue lapel button hole. These may seem to be mere subtitles, but they really add some visual weight to his look.
Ryan’s look
I tend to have a very relaxed yet sophisticated look, what I would call a Mediterranean style. For summer, that means a lightweight and unstructured sportcoat in a soft color (I have blue eyes so I tend to wear a lot of blues). I love white dress shirts in the summer for their simplicity, but always unbutton the top two buttons. And I’m never without a pocket square.
On the pants, during a hot summer day, I’ll go for something light like this grey. However, if I have a meeting that will spill over into dinner or happy hour, I’ll often wear dark navy pants which instantly dress up the whole outfit. The contrast it provides adds an sense of elegance. This coupled with the sock-less look gives me a very sophisticated and young look.
Ron’s look
Year after year, Ron tends to take a different approach with his summer style. From my perspective, he even tends to ignore many of the seasonal tactics I outline above!
First of all, Ron likes to wear a full suit. And although this may look overly warm, his fabrics are of a sufficiently high quality that he actually stays relatively cool. Of course, on exceptionally warm days, he will probably lose out to Brett and I with our unstructured coats, but he will be better dressed than either one of us combined, up until that point.
And Ron’s a traditional guy; he’s often wearing a necktie. In the summer, his necktie will go a little lighter in hue and I can guarantee you, he will always have his pocket square matching perfectly!
Wrap up
You see, we each have different styles that we bring to the table for our summer style this year. And yet each of us is always wearing something that makes us feel good. That’s the whole point, isn’t it? :).
More information
Our favorite summer pocket squares
Here’s one of our videos on what an unstructured suit jacket is:
And here are our favorite summer items.
