THE JOURNAL

Styling by Mr Rene Fragoso
Transitional pieces to help you master awkward inter-seasonal dressing.
Dressing for the weather is a challenge at the best of times. Dressing for the days between spring and high summer however, is a bona fide art. Each year, from mid-March to sometime in June, all sartorial bets are off: it’s suddenly too warm for your winter knits; not yet warm enough for those skin-baring summer clothes. So how best to put together a look that won’t leave you susceptible to unseasonal colds, but won’t have you wiping sweat from your brow either?
The answer is lightweight layers: those clever style-savers that can be slipped on or shrugged off as necessary. Used in conjunction with a reliable weather app, layers in cotton, linen, nylon (and blends thereof) will help you steer clear of the pitfalls of what we might call “transitional dressing”. Here, we suggest three looks to take you through to the lazy days of summer.
Casual Friday

Of all the routine office feuds, few get as heated as those pertaining to air-con. After all, one man’s sleep-inducingly warm is another’s concentration-sappingly cold. The solution (passive-aggressive email chains aside)? Take temperature regulation into your own hands, or rather, clothes.
By opting for pieces in breathable fabrics, such as the A.P.C. cotton-linen twill jacket and 100 per cent linen sweater from Todd Snyder we’ve highlighted here, your clothes will keep you cool when it’s hot, and warm when it’s not. The sweater has the added benefit of an open-knit construction, which means it’ll insulate your body while still letting air circulate through.
To finish things off, you could always add a featherweight scarf such as this silk-modal style from Drake’s. This not only provides the perfect foil for springtime breezes, but also lends your casual Friday look a point of difference that won’t land you in a disciplinary.
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A weekend walk

Come spring, it’s only natural to want to swap the four walls of your living room for the newly lush outdoors. But don’t let those first signs of sunshine cloud your judgement: what starts out as a leisurely springtime stroll can rapidly devolve into a very sad, very sodden affair.
To ensure your ramble isn’t ruined by rain, weatherproof yourself with a lightweight top layer such as this unlined parka by Danish design masters Norse Projects. Made from a breathable cotton-nylon blend (and featuring a handy open-back yoke for ventilation), it’ll protect you from showers without making you perspire.
On the off chance that you do, call in Ami’s classic denim shirt. Crafted from a lightweight cotton-lyocell blend, this versatile layer can absorb up to 50 per cent more moisture than pure cotton alternatives. If you’re traipsing chillier territory however, add a slim down gilet into the mix. This one from Rocky Mountain Featherbed offers plenty of warmth without much weight, and sits snugly underneath a jacket.
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Street-style

Take a glance at any menswear editor’s Instagram and you’ll know that layering one jacket over another is one of the trends du jour. While outerwear layering might sound ineffably simple in theory, it’s not in practice – miss the mark and you’re suddenly more mille-feuille than man.
The secret is striking the balance between fabric weights – ie, layering a lightweight jacket that sits close to the body (such as Ami’s luxurious satin-jersey zip-up sweatshirt) under a heavier, more structured outer layer (like A.P.C.’s Waren washed-denim jacket). Tie it all together with a classic cotton-jersey tee: Marni’s contemporary striped style provides the perfect anchor, as good on its own as teamed with one, or both of the jackets.
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