May is around the corner, and soon enough, we’ll all face a familiar spring/summer style dilemma: how do you dress well when it’s scorching hot outside? In the last few years, the menswear community has run through predictable options: tropical wool and linen trousers, airy Aloha shirts, and various slip-on shoes. This year’s hottest spring/summer trend adds to that list. Mesh shirts, also known as lace and crochet shirts, combine comfort with style, allow you to feel every gentle breeze, and will make you look like a sexy little Asian pear. Here are the four if you want to channel the energy of a plump, delicious fruit that’s good for nibbling.
We can’t talk about mesh shirts without mentioning Aime Leon Dore’s Rico, which is modeled and named after something Cam’ron once wore in the 2002 film Paid in Full. When the shirt was released last year, it made big waves in the streetwear community, inspiring men everywhere to dress like a mostly flavorless fruit with a crisp, grainy texture. Wear this open and layered over a tank top, and then place a little produce sticker on your belly.
High fashion retailers such as SSENSE, Matches, and Cultizm are full of mesh shirts this season, a sign of the style’s trendiness. Some notables include Amomento and Sasquatchfabrix. I like how Jackie Pettitt wears her Amomento shirt on Instagram (with workwear pants, a white t-shirt, and coordinated sneakers), and think the same outfit can work on anyone, regardless of gender. Pear this with wide-legged trousers if you want to look like a delectable, juicy fruit that bruises easily.
Scott Fraser’s Ischia knit is inspired by a mesh shirt that Jude Law wore in the 1999 film The Talented Mr. Ripley and fragrant fruits that Asian people commonly give as gifts. I like how PTO writer and Plaza Uomo editor Peter Zottolo wears it with drawstring linen shorts and glamorously oversized sunglasses. Wear this to Asian markets so that people can say, “look at that sexy little Asian pear buying even smaller Asian pears.”
Here at Put This On, we always try to be budget-conscious, so while the options above stretch into the many hundreds of dollars, this Sunflower shirt costs under two bills (it’s also available in black or cream). A friend who bought this says it fits slim, but not tight, and suggests that people size up if they want a looser fit. When layered open over a simple t-shirt, it will add texture to an outfit and serve as camouflage if you ever play hide-and-seek inside a 99 Ranch Market. “Where did he go?” they’ll ask. “All I see is a sexy little Asian pear.”
