MR PORTER’s field guide to the field jacket, the military-inspired outerwear to see you through spring.

Let’s look forward to a couple of months hence. You’re off on your holidays, blazing sun beating down, perhaps an ice cream cone (or a cocktail, depending on how well behaved you are) being delicately cradled in your hands. From here, let’s outline two potential futures: one where you feel uncomfortably hot, the other where you’re merely pleasantly warm, perfectly relaxed and able to focus solely on applying treat to mouth. Prefer the sound of the latter scenario? Then you need some linen in your wardrobe. Luckily, the latest arrivals on MR PORTER make fine use of this most cool, summer-worthy fibre. Scroll down to read how to wear some of our favourite linen pieces.

The M-65 field jacket was invented more than 50 years ago to clothe US soldiers heading to the war in Vietnam, with the intention of protecting them from that country’s rather extreme (hot, wet and windy) weather conditions. Now, replace 1965 with 2016, and Saigon with Paris, and you get the above new take on the M-65 from Maison Kitsuné, rendered in an airy cotton-linen mix fabric. Although it’s not quite built for a tropical thunderstorm, it will certainly serve you well as a lightweight outer layer for the city as summer kicks into gear. Add jeans and a geometric-print T-shirt for a versatile weekend outfit.

With its searingly bright blue stripes, this popover linen shirt is perfect for the seaside – not only will it keep you cool, it can be thrown off in a jiffy whenever you decide to nip into the ocean for a paddle. And you can comfortably take it from the beach to the bar right by the beach by wearing it with some sharp chino shorts from Incotex and Maison Margiela’s intriguing spring 2016 take on espadrilles – replete with comfortable neoprene panelling at the ankles.

Allow us to introduce a very sly pair of chinos. With a blazer and smart shoes, these will look like tailored trousers. Worn with a casual shirt and faded denim jacket, they’ll seem more like an ultra sleek pair of jeans. But however you decide to wear them, they will keep you cool, and that’s thanks to their 52 per cent/48 per cent linen-cotton composition. A summer chino for those that just can’t make their minds up, then.