Style Scenario: Warm Weather Cocktail Hour

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. Hey. Guess what? It’s hot. Time to make lemonade out of those lemons, and meet up with friends or a date after work for a quick beverage. Whether you’re outside on a patio, or moving as quickly as possible indoors to air conditioning, a light in weight and color outfit is appropriate for both in and out of doors this time of year. And yes, it is possible to look sharp & stay cool while wearing a jacket and collared shirt.

The Blazer: Bonobos Unconstructed Italian Wool in Beige – $340 w/ SOLSTICE15 ($400). The perfect warm weather sportcoat. Totally unlined in the back. Barely-there construction. Yet, the breezy, airy, hopsack wool still has some crispness and good feel to it. It’s not some wimpy, barely there fabric. Yet it still stays cool. Sold out in your size? Gray would work great here too, as would this Final Sale lightly lined suit jacket.

The Shirt: Buttoned Down Tailored Fit Dot & Stripe Shirt – $49. Throwing some pattern in here. Tailored fit, ships fast and free if you have Prime, and the button down collar ensures your points won’t be flying out from under your sportcoat lapels.

The Sunglasses: Suitsupply Dark Brown Square Sunglasses – $79. Classic but with a modern, angular twist. Can one twist in an angular fashion? Beats me. I didn’t major in geography.*

The Wallet: Mitchell Leather Money Clip Wallet in Horween Chestnut – $79. Made in the USA from Horween’s “Dublin” leather, which is cowhide that goes through the same recipe of oils that Cordovan goes through. The wallet provides easy access to cash, which bartenders & servers will appreciate. More info here.

The Watch: Timex Navi Ocean – $155. Part of the Timex “Archive” collection. On sale, and ships and returns for free via Huckberry.

The Shoes: DSW Blake McKay Double Monks – $109.99. Contemporary. Not flashy. Full review is right here. Sold out in your size? These suede double monks from Nordstrom would work too.

The Chinos: Amazon Goodthreads Men’s Straight-Fit Washed Chino Pant in White – $30. While a full blown summer suit is nice to have, it’s pretty easy to replicate the look with a lightweight & light-in-color blazer, and contrasting chinos. The sportcoat leans warmer in tone, while the pants are a true, bright white (yes, you can wear white chinos). That makes for just enough contrast, plus you can wear each item separately with other stuff.

The SPF & Mattifier:  Murad Oil-Control Mattifier SPF 15 – $33.99. Expensive, but works and lasts for a good long time. Also has SPF 15 in it so your face won’t turn into a boiled tomato.

The Belt: J. Crew Factory Washed Leather Roller Belt in Dark Brown – $23.50. On the slim side. Not some clunky, super heavy thing. Surprisingly versatile.

*Yes, that’s a joke.