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. Some of us don’t like summer. Some of us used to HATE summer, before we realized that all cotton or mostly cotton clothes are kinda a terrible idea in extreme weather (both hot AND cold). Here’s one outfit assembled to survive the hot, sticky weather, by leaning on tech wear engineered to breathe, wick, and dry fast.
The Polo: Lululemon Evolution Polo in Tonka Stripe – $88. Expensive. Really expensive. But the fit and fabric are terrific. Totally understand if $88 seems absurd for a polo. (Because it is.) Cheaper options would be this Old Navy Go-Dry polo, or heck… ditch the stripes and wear the well loved Target All in Motion golf polo in ice blue. Polo shown at the very top of the post is a sold out Bonobos golf polo.
The Watch: Seiko 5 Sports Automatic Silicone Strap Watch – $225. If there was ever a time of year for a rubber or silicone strap watch, it’s now. Plus, it’s a diver (or at least dive style) so you can just simply scrub it up with a little bit of dish soap and water when you get home. Just make sure the crown is in and secured.
The Sunglasses: Goodr Lightweight Non Slip Running Sunglasses – $25. Lightweight, non slip frames to stay on sweaty noses, and they actually look like timeless wayfarers! Except for the logo. But, for $25 I think we can all put up with that. If they would have made the logo less… goofy… they probably could charged quite a bit more.
The Pants: Banana Republic Core Temp Chino in Gray Stone – $50ish. When it’s miserably hot, lean on the tried and true. A cotton base, but enough engineering to them that they honestly do keep you cool and reasonably comfortable, even in extreme summer weather. More tech chino options can be found here.
The Water Bottle: Nalgene BPA Free 32 oz Tritan Wide Mouth Water Bottle – $11. Stay hydrated my friends. Dirt cheap, and a constant companion for yours truly, aka the Sentient Tumbleweed aka King Daddy Chukka aka Big Bag o’ Buttons aka Cougar bait Nate.
The Shoes: Made in Italy GREATS Royal Knit in white / gum – $119. Knit uppers AND they’re white with a gum sole? Get outta here. Made in Italy too. Run’s 1/2 a size large.
The Socks: Darn Tough No Show Tab Ultra Light Cushion Sock – $19. Been leaning on these for years. They aren’t true no-shows, but that’s fine. They don’t crawl down under your heel like others do. That, and the wool fabric is cushioning, cooling, and yes… tough.
The Belt: Amazon Maikun D-ring Navy Belt – $10. Because we’re in butt + lower back sweat season. And “Wet Leather” would be a great band name, but it honestly has no place in menswear.