Summer is often silly season for men and style, a time of sun-drunk dalliances with trends and colours you wouldn't normally touch during the cold, stoic winter months.
But having a summer capsule wardrobe of quality, simple classics with a contemporary twist (the Norsemen do it particularly well) is, for most of us, the safer and more stylish approach.
SEE ALSO: How Well Do You Know Men's Style?
Here we've selected the 10 key items you need to build a core wardrobe worthy of summer '17 and beyond.
1 | White Tee With A Twist
From left: £100 by Acne Studios; £35 by Wood Wood
While we certainly don't advocate ostentatious graphic t-shirts, sometimes you want just a little bit more flavour than a plain white Tee, which is where the subtle logo comes in.
Plus, it lets everyone know what cool brand you're wearing... don't act like you don't care.
2 | Shirt Jacket
From left: £225 by Orslow; £75 by MKI
Not a shirt, not a jacket, but a shacket (don't ever say that out-loud).
A shirt jacket has the wear-abilty of a summer shirt, but with just enough heft to be worn as a final layer over a t-shirt when it cools off at night. It can even be used as a second layer in winter, but that's a story for another day.
3 | Blue Jeans With Room To Breathe
From left: £250 by Burberry; £69 by COS
In case you haven't heard, the death knell of the skinny jean has been ringing loud and true for a while now, with the one true heir of the denim throne: The Blue Jean regaining its crown as the jean to be seen in for summer.
Best worn in a regular fit with a slight crop or turn-up, blue jeans look better with every wear and are less cloying in the summer heat than their black counterparts.
Just please no acid wash.
4 | Lightweight Shirt In A Confused Colour
From left: £160 by Officine Generale; £95 by Oliver Spencer
Is it a greeny kind of grey? Is it stone with some dusty pink? It doesn't matter, the do-everything shirt for every summer comes in an array of slightly confused colours.
Choose linen or a light flannel for ultimate comfort, in any shade on the washed-out spectrum.
5 | Worn-In White Trainers
From left: £385 by Saint Laurent; £60 by Vans
Of course, the classic white tennis shoe is a fine option for your day-to-day summer kicks, but for those who don't have the time or inclination to maintain a box fresh aesthetic, then off-white is for you.
One of the key trends of this season - and one that's not going anywhere soon; worn in white is like the white trainers' slightly edgier brother that liked grime before Skepta won the Mercury.
6 | Sort-Of Round Shades
From left: £325 by Oliver Peoples; £80 by Monokel
The ideal marriage of the aviator and Wayfarer shapes, semi-circular shades like the classic Oliver Peoples Gregory Peck suit the vast majority of face and head shapes. Plus Gregory Peck wore them, so....
Also, spend a bit of money and stick to one pair. 10 different pairs of badly-made shades is a false economy.
7 | Summer Derbies
From left: £289 by Ami; £180 by Dr Martens x Engineered Garments
Just because it's summer doesn't mean that you can't wear proper shoes, just swap out your heavyweight black derbies for a lighter, slimmer silhouette in seasonally-appropriate suede.
Mankle: optional.
8 | A Classic Sweatshirt
From left: £155 by Paul Smith; £109 by A.P.C
For those days where you want to layer your shirt jacket look, or just mix it up, a simple crewneck in high-quality light jersey is a timeless staple for a reason.
Apply the same rules as with the T-shirt: subtle logo? Fine. Enormous fire breathing tiger? Have a think.
9 | Simple Shorts
From left: £149 by A.P.C; £85 by Norse Projects
Shorts should be one of the easiest summer pieces to get right, but are perplexingly butchered by the vast majority of British men... cargo shorts are still alive and well, which says it all, really.
More than any other summer item, simplicity is absolutely key. Avoid patterns and unnecessary embellishments at your peril (we will find you), and choose a style that sits above the knee in a neutral shade.
And no more than two pockets. No one needs more than two pockets on their shorts.
10 | Navy Chinos
You know the drill: no understated wardrobe is complete without a pair of modern mans' most popular and versatile trouser.
As with blue jeans, this season is seeing an upturn in wider, looser and more cropped iterations of the ubiquitous navy chino. Just in case you want to add a little spice to a well-tested favourite.
From left: £340 by Ermenegildo Zegna; £59 by COS
