How to update your men’s business attire for warmer weather
Look around you. There are fewer t shirts tucked in, hemlines creeping up and more skin being exposed. Yes, we are approaching the summertime and as warmer weather moves in, a lot of gents are ditching their heavy, formal clothing for more casual or at least business-casual garb. While it is imperative to uphold your standards and men’s dress style for business, formality expectations are usually lowered during hot summer months.
In this post, we offer a few tweaks you could potentially make to your office attire over the coming months and refresh your summer wardrobe without breaking the bank.
Pick Summer Colors
As said, you don’t have to spend a fortune to upgrade your summer wardrobe. A simple color change can add a fresh look. We are not asking you to swap your dark flannel suit with a white linen one, although it is a great style upgrade for summer. You can at least opt for soothing color schemes that keep you cooler and better reflect daylight.
Keep the charcoal, black and pinstripe suits for cooler months; instead, opt for petrol blue, light grey or tan versions as warmer weather moves in. If jeans are accepted in your office consider a white colored pair or a lighter wash. The same rules apply for chino, though you have the option to wear colored pair as well. In case of jeans, make sure they’re not ripped.
It is true that color alone won’t help you combat the heat, but these alterations will allow you to pair up with a lot of warm-weather-friendly shirts and yet look stylish.
Chose Cooler Fabric
Now this is obvious, but there are a few materials that feel cooler and make you look fresher during the summer months. First thing first, put away your wool suits and thick fabrics in the back of your closet during the summer season. It’s time to invest in lightweight cottons, silk, linens and mixtures. This is applicable to your summer suits, shirts, trousers and even knitwear.
However, stay away from transparent/sheer fabric or clothes that crease too easily. So don’t even think about wearing that white wrinkled linen blazer to work on a Monday morning; rather keep it for off-duty hours to look nonchalant and effortless.
The following are some light weight, breathable fabrics that you can opt for:
Cotton: Opt for the open weave poplin fabric
Linen: Find something that blends with cotton or silk to avoid the in-famous wrinkles.
Seersucker: A popular summer staple in the U.S., the blue and white combination is a great choice during warmer season.
Silk & Cashmere: These materials are softer but they are woven very tightly and hence should be avoided on hot summer days.
Summer Shirts
Long Sleeve Dress Shirt: This is the most formal option for your office wear. Select a light colour during the day. Plain white shirts are good, especially if you are wearing with a summer suit, a lightly patterned fabric is a great alternative that adds on to your individuality. Opt for a cotton shirt and look out for the weaves and weights for comfortably. Also remember that custom tailored shirts are a better choice instead of wearing ill-fitting ones, especially if you are planning to ditch the suit jacket.
With tailored shirts that made to your size and shape you can even keep it rolled up to your mid-forearm or beyond and still look stylish. In fact, it actually looks dressier than a short sleeve button-up and you have the option of unrolling your sleeves, if required.
Button-Down Short Sleeve: This is probably the most underutilized item in a man’s wardrobe as it is difficult to look great with this shirt. If you are opting for this item, it is again imperative to opt for a custom-made, well-fit shirt to improve appearances. It must properly fit at the shoulder points as well as along the torso. Although the lengths of the sleeve can vary, they must cover minimum 25 to 80 percent of your bicep.
You can even incorporate certain classic military style features including small bicep pouches, breast pockets, and epaulets or shoulder straps.
Short Sleeve Polo: The polo shirts are known for their moisture wicking properties. Although it was initially a choice of gentleman athletes, it has now gained the status of summer casual among North American men. If your office allows casual, a polo shirt is a good investment otherwise reserve it for casual events on weekends.
Summer Style Tips 2015
When it comes to summer style, it is always better to under-dress slightly than over doing it. This will help you to maintain a fresh and comfortable look rather than sweating profusely and suffering from heat-related inconveniences only because you opt for a three-piece wool suit as your summer office wear.
That being said, summer is no excuse to dress unprofessional. More casual blazers and pants made from lighter fabrics often frequent the office. Moreover, many men are wearing shorts to office as opposed to pants with more casual shoes such as loafers. While they are not necessarily inappropriate, they are not professional enough and usually look unkempt.
One summer fashion faux pas many men commit is wearing un-tucked shirts to office. This along with shorts, flip-flops, jerseys and sweat pants make you look like you’re going to a bar and should be left for your weekend outings.
Some additional summer fashion tips
Go sockless and show off a bit of your ankle, provided your trousers are short enough.
If you have a more relaxed dress code and wear chinos/jeans to work try to combine them with a pair of trainers in white/grey/black leather during high summer.
To flaunt a tie-less shirt go for a second undone button instead of following the general rule of undoing the first button only.
Conclusion
Keep your accessories to bare minimum to appear more relaxed and warm weather friendly. This means, ditching the tie, the belt and even your blazer on the hottest days of the year. Alternatively, you can wear a waistcoat to look more dressed up, yet summer appropriate. Remember that the goal is to look polished irrespective of what the time of year it is. Your clothes should therefore be clean and presentable.
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