Style

The Style Column | Jeremy Langmead

I might have to be a little poncey this month. Usually, I try hard not to be but, if I’m honest, the state of ponceyness is somewhere I feel quite at home. As I write this I’m lying by a rooftop swimming pool in São Paulo. I arrived this morning in Brazil, where I’m attending a conference on luxury, having flown straight here from a rather hedonistic weekend in Berlin.

Packing for a weekend’s clubbing in rubble-strewn, cigarette-fumed, dank German nightclubs, as well as a three-day conference with the heads of some of the world’s biggest fashion houses in a hot South American metropolis, is no mean feat. What the hell, you must be thinking, I don’t know how he does it! Well, yes, it’s not easy (I’ll ignore the sarcasm).

Looking at the clothes laid out on my hotel bed is not a comforting experience: there’s a pair of black skinny Dior jeans stained with cheap vodka and cigarette ash beside a navy tailored Richard James blazer with white mother-of-pearl buttons; there’s a pair of brown leather Margiela boots covered in bits of Berlin Wall beside a pair of navy Castañer espadrilles. It just looks all wrong. My ensemble for tonight’s gala dinner could be a little on the unusual side. And I’m not really into looking unusual, if I’m honest.

Packing for one trip involving two destinations with different climates and two different purposes is never easy. And I hate packing at the best of times. I usually leave it until the morning I travel, when there’s no natural daylight, I’m in a frantic hurry, being bombarded by texts from the taxi firm saying my car’s waiting outside, and there’s a Solpadeine still dissolving in a glass by the sink. What looks acceptable at dawn in a crumpled mess on your bed at home rarely looks so hot when unpacked onto the pristine white sheets of a brightly lit hotel room.

All this got me wondering if there was a fail-safe capsule wardrobe (containing no more than 12 pieces) that we blokes could rely on to see us from bar to boardroom, sun to sleet, and that would comfortably fit into one regular-sized suitcase.
So, with extraordinary sacrifice, Toby Bateman, Mr Porter’s buying director, and I ordered a couple of Coronas and came up with this list:

01 | Navy blazer. Go for a neat design with a shorter length in the jacket. This will make it work better for both casual and formal occasions. Rag & Bone always includes a dashing Dagger blazer in its collections, while Dunhill usually comes up trumps with this style, too.
02 | Grey crew-neck sweater. Perfect with your skinny jeans, chic with chinos. Gap usually do a nice waffle-knit version, or just go for a classic light cashmere one from Ralph Lauren.
03 | Slim-fit white cotton shirt. Classic, flattering and works with everything. Can look great with jeans and is elegant with the blazer. You can’t beat the slim-fit shirts by Dolce & Gabbana, otherwise check out Thomas Pink.
04 | A scarf. This will save you packing a bulky coat for your journey, and will also work well as a sleeping aide on the plane flight.
05 | Black loafers. If you’ve got to limit your shoe options to only two pairs, then opt for black rather than brown loafers. They are more versatile and a tad more formal.
06 | Pair of sneakers. White or black. If you want white, you can’t really beat a classic pair of Jack Purcell’s; if you opt for black, Common Projects are recommended — they fit like gloves.
07 | Black leather belt. Works well with the jeans and sneakers; complements the loafers.
08 | Black bomber jacket. A popular designer item both for this winter and the coming spring, a bomber will look great over a T-shirt and jeans, but can be equally good with a small-collared white shirt and slim tie. The Italian brand Aspesi does a great bomber, or go for a traditional Harrington.
09 | Tie. Knitted, slim, in a dark colour.
10 | Pair of jeans in black, grey or blue. Slim-fit if you prefer; we would recommend Acne or Uniqlo.
11 | White or black T-shirt. Fitted, ideally; a good choice would be J Crew as its ones with the small chest pocket are very snug.
12 | Pair of chinos. Select a design with a slimmer, less utilitarian feel, as they will dress up well for formal occasions when worn with a blazer, but will also look good when you want to team them with sneakers. Try Incotex or Band of Outsiders.

There you have it. One globe-trotter friendly, all-climate, all-occasion wardrobe. Now, I can relax and order another Corona. São Paulo is exhausting.

Jeremy Langmead is the editor-in-chief of Mr Porter