Style Scenario: First Day it gets Hot (dressed up)

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. Seems like most of the hemisphere has jumped straight from late winter to summer this year. And if you are lucky enough to be experiencing some sort of extended spring, you probably have had at least one heat spike already. Here’s one way to dress (up) for that first day the mercury climbs oddly high.

The Sportcoat: Bonobos Unconstructed Italian Wool Sportcoat in Marshall Grey Plaid – $360 w/ ECLIPSE20 ($450). An investment, but hot damn do they nail it with these things. Barely there construction. Strong feeling, yet lightweight and breezy Italian hopsack wool. Plus a pattern that’ll work great with light chinos now, and dark jeans or navy wool trousers in the fall. Note that the sportcoat at the top of the page is NOT this Bonobos sportcoat. It’s an old, sold out Brooks Brothers sportcoat. Want something closer in pattern? Try the recently mentioned Todd Snyder Canadian Made plaid linen sportcoat instead.

The Watch: Citizen Titanium Eco Drive Chrono – $207.98. One of their flagships. Been in production forever, and you can’t blame em’. Looks good in almost all situations. Lighter in weight, so if you’re an automatic / mechanical guy it might feel a bit light on the wrist, but most non mechanical fellas appreciate that lighter weight feel. Tons of functions. You’ll be reading the instruction manual.

The Shirt: Nordstrom Tech-Smart Trim Fit Stretch Solid Dress Shirt – $69.50. Mostly cotton, but there’s 12% poly and 7% spandex woven in for quick-dry ability, good ventilation, and superior stretch. Ships and returns free since it’s Nordstrom.

The Sunglasses: J. Crew “Palma” Sunglasses – $59.50. Surprisingly nice for the price, and does go up for codes sporadically. Retro frames that aren’t too over the top, and the blue lenses are a nice touch.

The Briefcase: Filson Original in Navy – $325. A made in the USA, tough as nails, classic rugged brief.

The Shoes: Made in Italy Astorflex Patnoflex Loafer – $135. A bit of a risk here. They’re pretty casual as far as loafers, go, but they’re relatively inexpensive, made in Italy, and Astorflex knows how to make one hell of a comfy shoe. If they’re a bit too Bohemian/hippy looking for you, try the BR suede Waller wingtips.

The Belt: Jomers Made in the USA Macrame Cotton Belt – $20. A perfect warm weather belt at an absurd price.

The Pants: J. Crew Factory Driggs Slim-Fit Lightweight Chino – $23.60 w/ AMAZING. A standard weight chino might get hot. Real hot. So look for lighter weight chinos like these from JCF. Want a pure white pair of chinos as is shown in the top image? You’ll pay through the nose for em’, but the Bonobos summerweight chino in white will work. Use the code BLUEMOON for 20% off.