Style Scenario: The Final Dog Day(s) of Summer

What are you going to wear? Sometimes it’s good to look at a few suggestions then add your own tweaks and ideas. That’s what these are for. These are the days when Summer’s sweaty grasp is starting to loosen, but it’s still hot. Not quite dark denim season yet, but the light is changing, and it’s not quite as brutal. Think 10-20 degrees cooler than it was at the peak of the season’s heat.

 

The Blazer: J. Crew Factory Unlined Thompson – $111 w/ EXTRA25. As good as it gets for this time of year. More slate gray than navy. Lightweight, and barely lined. A little steep right now (it was just $81), but keep an eye on it. If you already snagged it, it’s not too early to break it out.

The Shirt: GAP “Clean” Dark Chambray Shirt – $35.97 w/ SURPRISE. A fall ready, darker colored chambray, but has a button down collar and standard pocket (as opposed to more work-wear looking details). If you want a bit more contrast, go with the sky-blue option. Working in a bit of denim-texture doesn’t mean you have to wear jeans. Always on sale. Code “Surprise” is good for 40% off today.

The Pants: J. Crew 1040 Slim-Straight Jean in “Rinsed Wheat” – $68.60 w/ SHOPSALE. Or, whatever white/off white pants you’ll probably stash away come October. Now’s the time to get that use out of them. These are in their slim-straight fit, and as of post time, they don’t appear to be final sale. All this is doing is flipping the usual jeans + blazer + light shirt, into light jeans + blazer + darker shirt. Looks a lot more summery this way, yet still nods towards fall.

The Belt: Everlane Made in the USA “Single Sided” Belt – $45. Not bad for Italian leather & made in San Francisco. Like the shape of the buckle as well. 1.25″ wide.

The Watch: Skagen “Strand” Square Wristwatch – $135. Interesting. Real-modern but still grounded in simplicity. Blue tipped second hand. Keeps this outfit leaning sharp instead of granola.

The Sunglasses: Warby Parker Polarized “Griffin” in Whiskey Tortoise – $95. Blue lenses surrounded by a new, dark, “whiskey tortoise” frame option. Yep.

The Bag: Frye “James” Zip work briefcase – $71.00 ($598). What the? Nice price Amazon. Usually pushing six bills at Zappos, Bloomingdales, etc… Says it’s made in China, but Frye leather is usually decent. And an all leather, soft-sided briefcase like this, in a nicely serious black (blacker than black… none more black) is both professional, but not stuffy. Big thanks to reader Jordan K. for sending in the style tip on this one. They’ve got a lighter brown “taupe” as well, for $117.50. UPDATE: Annnnd they’re gone. Jack Spade has a slick canvas/leather brief for $239 right now. Might be worth keeping an eye on for an extra 25% off code or something…

The Shoes: 1901 Prescott Buck in Ash – $99.95. A new arrival for Nordstrom’s house brand 1901. Real clean looking through the sides for a casual shoe (less stitching everywhere). Going to look dynamite with jeans, but should do well now too. Got a pair on the way for an in-person. UPDATE: These appeared to sell out, but are now “back”… while looking majorly different. The hell is that mess at the heel & toe? The previous shoe/pics (seen above in the scenario) had none of that blue mess at the toe and heel. Standby for the in-person. If they show up like that, yeesh. UPDATE II: Yeesh indeed. They just arrived (8/26) and they’ve got a ton of blue burnishing at the heel and toe. They look nothing like the previous color scheme that was on the Nordstrom site. They’re going back.