Style Scenario: The 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. One day it’s spring, the next day it’s the Sahara or a steamy swamp. So goes the unpredictability of early Summer. Here’s one way to avoid a forgettable chinos and dress shirt, or suit and tie look, all while keeping it comfortable and sharp when it heats up.

The Sportcoat: Banana Republic Slim Linen-Blend Blazer – $120ish ($198). Was just $99. Lined just in the sleeves and shoulders. Is an alternative from Spier and Mackay or Bonobos or Suitsupply going to superior quality? You bet. But this one goes for about a third of those.  

The Shirt: Spier and Mackay Sky Blue Fine Twill – $68. Or whatever your favorite light blue dress shirt happens to be. This one is from Spier’s purple label. Not dirt cheap, but a lot of quality for the cash. You don’t want some hyper-cheap scratchy thing when the weather heats up.

The Sunglasses: Kent Wang Browline Sunglasses – $55. Speaking of bang for the buck, that’s precisely what Kent Wang seems to specialize in. Also available in tortoise shell if that’s more your thing.

The Pants: Goodthreads Slim-Fit Wrinkle-Free Comfort Stretch Dress Chino Pant – $35. Olive? Olive! Why not olive. Especially with that glen plaid pattern. 97% cotton and 3% elastane. Ships fast with Prime.

The Watch: Timex Milano – $99. Full review here. It’s pretty darn good looking. No the band doesn’t match the belt or shoes. So what. this whole outfit has a bit of a… I dunno, a “in my leisure I might drive an antique wood motor boat on a very fancy lake”… look to it. Or something like that. But you don’t need antique motorboat money here.

The Face Maintainer: Jack Black Double-Duty Face Moisturizer SPF 20 – $27.95. Keeps your face from looking like an old weathered belt. SPF 20 helps limit the damage of the sun’s rays. Smells good.

The Shoes: Nordstrom Kai Penny Loafer – $59.98 ($124.95). If now’s not the time to wear a pair of $60 blue suede loafers, I don’t know if such a time exists. There’s also a more standard tan/snuff suede option if that’s more your speed. Either is gonna pop nicely against the olive of the pants. Ships and returns for free.

The Belt: Suitsupply Woven Suede Belt – $59. Some smooth leather woven belts look a little… frumpy dad? Some. Not all. This one is suede, and thus, avoids that unfortunate look.

The Socks: None. *gasps* I know. We’re pretty pro socks around these parts. But now’s a good time to skip the socks. Unless your feet sweat quite a bit, and then by all means, the smartwools from the previous style scenario would work here.