One of the very few hard and fast rules with bespoke clothes is that they should be ordered at the time you need them least. However, I invariably flout this rule, which is why last summer I took delivery of a lightweight blazer just as summer ended, and the year before I received a three-piece suit in heavyweight Saxony cloth just as spring turned to summer. My tailor is currently racing against time to finish a three-piece double-breasted suit made from thick vintage flannel before the end of the cold snap, but experience tells me he’s unlikely to succeed.
For men who are able to do as I say, rather than as I do, here’s a list of seven suggestions for their summer wardrobe:
1 Casual trousers in a substantial yellowy cotton, which will be the best fitting and best looking chinos you’ve ever owned.
2 A lightweight patch-pocket single-breasted blazer in shade of blue just lighter than navy, which will take you from the office to the Riviera and will look good in both places.
3 Smart loose-cut formal trousers in heavy cream-coloured linen, to wear with the blazer, or just with an open-necked shirt for lunch.
4 A four-button double-breasted suit in a breathable navy Prince of Wales cloth, like a fresco. Admittedly too warm for the hottest days, it will be superbly elegant for the office, or evenings in town.
5 A not-for-the-office suit for weddings and parties made in a vibrant, but wearable, blue from the Finmeresco book from Smiths, the estimable London cloth merchant.
6 A few lido collar shirts made in defiantly summery colours in thick and tightly woven linen, to wear for long lunches of sea food and Ott rosé by the sea.
7 A pair of correspondent slip-ons, in tan leather and cream linen, to be worn with the cream linen trousers; these are unashamedly inspired by the Duke of Windsor.
The shoe we feature is a Piccadilly by Edward Green, £585, www.edwardgreen.com
February 4th, 2010
