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Dressing well this time of year always presents the same challenge. Without the ability to layer in sweaters, topcoats, and scarves—rendered in nubby woolen textures—it can be challenging to create an interesting outfit. Proper Cloth has a new lookbook with easy-to-adopt suggestions. They show how you can wear faded colors, breathable fabrics, and subtle textures for the summer heat. Some things here, such as the blue glen plaid Waverly sport coat paired with a t-shirt and stone cotton-linen pants, would be perfect for Sunday brunches, fancy evening outings, and summer weddings. But for people looking for something more dressed down, there are suggestions for creating simple but stylish outfits using nothing more than shorts and camp collar shirts.
When it’s too hot to layer in the summertime, it’s even more important to ensure your shirt and trousers are on point. Proper Cloth can be great in this regard since they offer made-to-measure shirts at prices starting under $100. This can include anything from business-ready button-ups to camp collared prints to even Tencel-cotton polos (softer than pique). The company also has a gallery for things they think are helpful for the warmer months of the year. This cream linen polo, made with a stylish Johnny collar, can be paired with navy drawstring shorts and loafers on weekends. In contrast, the Indian Madras shirt (best in the company’s Soft Ivy collar) can be teamed with beige linen trousers when you need to look more put together.
When shopping online, you can’t feel fabrics, so it’s challenging to appreciate Dapper Classics‘ cotton dress socks through a screen. They look indistinguishable from the company’s wool dress socks online, but in person, they couldn’t be more different. Most readers will be familiar with cotton sports socks from companies such as Hanes, which are thick and stout. And hopefully, they already have some navy over-the-calf wool dress socks, which are soft and thin but insulating. Dapper Classics’ cotton dress socks are between these two worlds—thin, stretchy cotton socks built with an open weave but are remarkably sturdy. They are designed for the warmer months when a wool dress sock may be too warm, but a sport sock is too casual and thick to wear with tailored clothing. Dapper Classics has them in every variation imaginable: the incredibly versatile solid navy; subtle patterns such as pin dot, nailhead, and grenadine; fun but tastefully conservative colors such as slate blue and merlot; and a patriotic flag motif that you can wear this coming Fourth of July. Like all of Dapper Classics’ socks, those are made in North Carolina at a third-generation, family-owned mill, which for Fourth of July is a nice touch if you’re wearing something to celebrate this country.
Until the end of this month, they are also running a promotion. If you purchase three or more pairs of socks at full price, you get a fourth pair free. In other months, they usually pre-select the socks for you through their Sock of the Month Promotion. But for June, you get to choose. This can be a great way to improve your summer sock rotation immediately. The discount is automatically applied at checkout.
Clothing prices have outpaced inflation in recent years, with menswear prices leading the way. It’s not uncommon to see outerwear prices in the four figures and shoes costing more than $500 these days. However, there are a few bright spots.
Spier & Mackay has developed a devoted following by offering classic, tasteful styles at reasonable prices. Their suits and sport coats, in particular, have all the characteristics that menswear guys adore: a soft shoulder, moderately proportioned lapels, and a jacket that (mercifully) covers your seat. However, while most retailers charge $2,000 for something like this, Spier & Mackay’s half-canvassed suits and sport coats start at around $300.
This summer, they have casual suits rendered in tobacco linen, green cotton, and olive linen-wool checks. This medium brown worsted suit can be worn with everything from a light-blue button-down shirt and derbies in the afternoon to a white poplin shirt, black knit tie, and black tassel loafers in the evening when going out to nice restaurants. For the sport-coat-inclined, the olive hopsack, cream linen, and navy hopsack will go well with the mid-grey tropical wool trousers in your wardrobe (which Spier also carries).
Over the last thirty years, suspenders have gone much in the way of hats. Once common in men’s wardrobes, they’ve become something of a relic of the past. But why might you want to wear suspenders? For one, they’re more comfortable than organ-squeezing tourniquets. Since your waist expands when you sit, and returns to its smaller circumference when you stand, belts are only comfortable in one of these positions. Suspenders, on the other hand, allow you to have a little extra room at the waistband to accommodate these changes. Plus, they’re better at holding up your pants. Belted trousers tend to slip down throughout the day, which requires you to adjust them continually. You can set the desired length with suspenders, put them on, and never bother with them again.
Chipp Neckwear has the most affordable ones around, at least if you’re looking for something well-made and produced in the USA. The price is $45.50, which is lower than their competitors — much like the price of their grenadine ties. They offer 20 solid colors and three stripes, the choice of black or brown leather kips, as well as gold or silver-colored adjusters.
LuxeSwap has long been one of the best places to score high-quality men’s clothing for a fraction of what you’d pay at full retail. They’re an online consignor that helps people clean out their closets by listing things on eBay. For the work they put into taking photographs of the items, creating listings, and fulfilling customer orders, they only take 40% of profits. And for shoppers, the good news is that you can browse their auctions from the comfort of your home.
At the moment, they have steller outerwear from Iron Heart, RRL, Fujito, and Universal Works, as well as a wide selection of Drake’s pocket square and Shetland sweaters. There’s also some high-quality footwear from Alden, Trickers, and Carmina, classic accessories, and an old-school cigarette case. To narrow in on the best of the best, do a search for #1 Menswear. It’s the tag the company uses to highlight their best offerings. At the moment, the tag A1P will also pull up things from a particularly tasteful consignor.
