Five of the best fair-weather dressers, from Mr Vincent Cassel to Mr Alessandro Squarzi.

It’s not terribly easy staying sharp in the heat. Particularly if you’re the sort of man who feels stepping out without a tie leaves you a little underdressed. Of course, there are some fantastic fictional examples of how to do it right: Messrs Matt Damon and Jude Law as Tom Ripley and Dickie Greenleaf in The Talented Mr Ripley. Messrs Jeremy Irons and Anthony Andrews as Charles Ryder and Sebastian Flyte in the 1981 miniseries of Brideshead Revisited. But it’s not so common to find such types roaming the streets in midsummer reality, where dewy foreheads and sweat patches tend to rule the roost when it comes to tailoring. Take heart though – it is possible to stay cool and, well, cool. The below collection of real-life men – representing some of MR PORTER’s favourite summer dressers – have got the whole thing down to a fine art. Scroll down, and benefit from their wisdom.

Mr Yasuto Kamoshita, the creative director of Japanese, Ivy League-inspired brand United Arrows, never looks underdressed, even in Florence, even in June. Often head-to-toe in tailoring, and seldom seen without a tie, he makes it work for the stuffier months by opting for a 1950s-tinged colour palette, ranging from sandy shades of brown and beige, to pale blue (in seersucker suits), to dazzling white (in chinos, which he wears with a checked blazer and tie). For footwear, it’s always loafers, no socks – as is the Ivy way. And conveniently, you can pretty much shop the entire look by perusing MR PORTER’s selection of wares from Mr Kamoshita’s eponymous (and fantastic) United Arrows sub-brand Camoshita.

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This is a bit of a curveball here, because usually we would advise light colours such as white, beige and tan for summer dressing. But Mr Vincent Cassel, appearing here at a Cannes Film Festival photocall, looks so effortlessly suave in his all-black ensemble that we can’t help but note that sometimes counterintuitive ideas can be particularly striking. He’s saved this particular look from stuffiness by pairing his black jacket with a cotton twill blazer rather than a wool one, as well opting for a breathable piqué polo shirt in place of your regular poplin variety. Probably not an outfit for the desert, but if you find yourself somewhere Riviera-ish and there’s a healthy breeze in the air, why not?

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US Esquire’s fashion director always strikes a perfect balance between put-together and not-trying-too hard, even when skipping around town during that most showboat-y of occasions – the biannual menswear shows. Here he adapts a tailored look for summer by replacing the stiff, double-breasted blazer with a slouchier variety in linen, and expanding upon its sandy colour palette with a pair of beige chinos and light-brown shoes. The blue shirt is worn with the top two buttons undone, and looks rakish matched with the blue patterned pocket square.

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The creative director and scion of Italian brand Rubinacci has spent the past few years making a fantastic case for Neapolitan tailoring as effortless summer wear. Key to the way he pulls it off is the roomy cut of his trousers, which tend to come with wide double pleats, but there’s also a sense of fun in the way he dresses that feels very summery, too. Witness the above outfit – a light brown suit worn with a vivid blue chambray shirt – as testimony to this fact. And note how those sockless loafers have turned up again. Maybe it’s just time to bite the bullet and scoop up a pair?

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At times, it feels like MR PORTER is fast becoming a dedicated fanzine for the Milanese style entrepreneur, so enamoured are we of his eternal ability to strike a perfect attitude of sprezzatura, as well as his knack for wearing at least three layers even when it’s roasting outside. But so what? He dresses well, and deserves it. The above image is a fine example of what we’re talking about: a summer look that looks stylish, but not too heavy, loose and easy without seeming completely casual. If you’re going to replicate the look, just make sure that cardigan is cotton or linen, though – if you’re going to pile a jacket on top, wool in summer is a bit of an Alessan-don’t.

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The celebrities featured in this story are not associated with and do not endorse MR PORTER or the products shown

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