Simple Summer Style Mistakes You Don’t Know You’re Making
Words: Alex Woodhall
Style is a minefield, there’s no doubt about it. One misstep and your sartorial effort is blown to smithereens. The summer season only serves to heighten the unwritten rules and regulations to get dressed by. Flaws are far more easily exposed when ensembles are pared-back to accommodate a rising mercury, and the margin for error is far less forgiving.
These are the solutions to the problems you’ve yet to flag when it comes to looking good through the balmiest of periods…
THE LENGTH OF YOUR SHORTS
Too long and you venture into three-quarter territory, crops on a man are never a good look, even less so on a gentleman. Too short however, and the danger of indecent exposure becomes a fairly tangible risk and no-one’s best summers are spent in a cell. Shorts should hit an inch or so above the knee, tailored straight and never denim or cargo.
Feel free to go a little shorter with your swimwear, although unless you’re name begins with Daniel and ends with Craig, steer clear of the budgie smugglers.
Club Monaco Striped Cotton Shorts, £75.00 from The Gentleman’s Journal Shop
SUNGLASSES SHAPE
A great pair of sunglasses can elevate you to the upper echelons of cool, joining the pantheons of McQueen and Newman. Go for the wrong pair however, and you end up looking like a tourist or worse, a toddler. Ensure you’re getting it right with our all-encompassing guide, which you can find here.
In short, if your face is oval you’re good to go on pretty much whatever. Square? Opt for round styles to counterbalance larger features and if your head is more circular, angle it out with a squarer pair.
Above all ditch the shutter shades, knock offs and cheap plastic tinted styles for good, there’s no coming back from any of them.
Persol Tortoiseshell Sunglasses, £230.00 from The Gentleman’s Journal Shop
TOO MUCH COLOGNE
An easy mistake to make as we all want to smell good but as the adage goes, everything in moderation. An extra spritz may be acceptable in the summer but as your body temperature rises in the heat, it’ll become that bit more potent to those around you.
A gentleman’s fragrance should be subtle. A whiff when you lean in or get close, not immediately recognisable on the approach. If you’re choking out everyone on the train with your scent, it may be time to dial it down.
Look for a lighter smelling cologne for the summer to match the season – you’ll find our season’s shortlist here.
Floris London No 89 Eau De Toilette, £55.00 from The Gentleman’s Journal Shop
TOO TIGHT T-SHIRTS
You think it’s accentuating muscles you didn’t know you had; in reality it’s holding together a most likely gelatinous upper body. Even if you’re a sculpted Adonis up top, that’s no reason to size down on the shirt or rock the Lycra outside of the gym confines.
A t-shirt should ideally skim and frame your body, not hug it. It shouldn’t go too far below your hips and it shouldn’t show off your abs (or lack thereof) the moment you move.
Finally, the sleeves should be slightly shorter to frame your biceps and triceps. If you’re lacking in this department and they’re tenting out, a fold or two will rectify the issue.
Uniqlo Crew Neck Short Sleeve T-Shirt, £9.90 from The Gentleman’s Journal Shop
UNSEASONAL SUITING
The suit. The cornerstone of the gentleman’s wardrobe, yet the place where so many mistakes take place.
The summer brings a new set of problems when dipping into formalwear, chief among them fabric. Like your choice of salad (and cologne), suit composition should change with the season.
Those worsted wools, mohairs and the like should be packed away until the winter inevitably arrives again. In their place break out the tropical weight wool and cotton and linen blends, for a cooler, in more ways than one, approach to tailoring.
Burberry London Slim-Fit Cotton Suit, £995 from The Gentleman’s Journal Shop
Top Image: Gant Rugger SS13
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