THE JOURNAL

Photograph by Mr Jeffrey Campisi. Styling by Ms Heather Malmstrom
Much as it would be nice to spend the entirety of the months from June to September lying on a beach, sipping some sort of colourful cocktail with a pineapple ring and umbrella poking out the top, the grim reality of existence is that, though the sun may have finally come out, we still have to work. What’s more, the normal office get-up just won’t do when temperatures start to rise to ice-cream-melting levels. The humane thing for bosses around the world to do at this juncture would be to declare a temporary amnesty on smartness, a sort of suns-out-guns-out sartorial free-for-all. But no, that never happens – instead we spend most mornings wondering how to battle the sweat factor while still remaining reasonably smart. If you’re lucky enough, however, to have landed upon this page, you need wonder no more. Scroll down for our top recommendations for day-to-day office wear for all those occasions that you’d rather be outside.

The Blazer
Milan’s Aspesi is particularly good at providing light, unfussy and unstructured tailoring, this beige blazer being no exception to that rule. Its beige shell fabric means that it’s appealingly light for summer, but much less crinkle-prone than a linen variety, which makes it especially suitable for day-to-day office wear. It will look crisp and clean over a white shirt, if you have an important meeting, but for more low-key days it will also work over a plain T-shirt, thanks to its slim fit and subtly sporty styling.
The Shirt
The camp-collar shirt has become a bit of a fashion statement this spring, thanks to the particularly outré, tropical print varieties being offered up by the likes of Gucci, Prada, Valentino and more. But, as this plain navy example from Sunspel demonstrates, it’s also a style that can be a perfectly acceptable element within a smart summer outfit. Wear it in place of your usual Oxford shirt, with a pair of slim black jeans, for a look that’s as relaxed and summery as it is clean and sharp.
The Other Bits
Even if you’re going sockless, a pair of proper leather shoes can be a little bit unforgiving if it’s really hot. Instead, why not go for a more “classic sportswear” feel with a pair of off-white All Star sneakers from Converse? Though they’re not exactly smart, they’ve been part of the male wardrobe for so long that it would take a very stringent office dress code to make them objectionable. In tandem with a pair of round-framed tortoiseshell sunglasses from Illesteva, they’ll bring to mind a young Mr Paul Newman (who seemed to have a thing for plimsolls in the 1950s and 1960s). And who can argue with that?