Messrs Thom Whiddett and Luke Sweeney of Savile Row tailor Thom Sweeney’s no-sweat approach to summer suiting.

Messrs Thom Whiddett and Luke Sweeney, the Savile Row trained tailors behind British brand Thom Sweeney, have built an enviable reputation among London’s style elite for their ability to combine traditional techniques with a sharp, contemporary approach to cut and silhouette. Though to experience this in full force, you’ll need to make like Messrs David Beckham and Bobby Gillespie and book an appointment to be measured for one of the brand’s bespoke suits. There’s also plenty of sartorial wizardry to be appreciated in the accompanying ready-to-wear collection, which has been exclusive to MR PORTER since it launched in 2014.

The brand’s latest offering in this department is a new capsule collection which launches today on site, the main focus of which is offering up a series of viable options for staying impeccably smart in summer. This is not something that is always easy – high temperatures plus layers of tailoring often equals dewy brows and red faces, but Mr Whiddett is reassuringly confident that it’s doable. “I don’t see there’s any reason why you can’t dress up, even if it’s summer. I think, in Italy, they do a pretty good job of it.” As a benchmark for summer style, he mentions one Italian in particular, Mr Marcello Mastroianni. But, he says, he’s also a fan of the ensembles sported by Messrs Matt Damon and Jude Law, playing Tom Ripley and Dickie Greenleaf in the 1999 film The Talented Mr Ripley (pictured, above). To help you approach such effortless cool, he has put together a few key pointers drawn from the new capsule. Read on, and be enlightened.

The main culprit when it comes to overheating in summer is the tailored jacket. But this doesn’t mean you shouldn’t wear one at all, says Mr Whiddett. Instead, look for one that has a lightweight construction. “What helps for summer is not to pad the jacket out or bulk it up with the chest canvas,” says Mr Whiddett of the example, above. “All the interlining is very soft and thin, and the jacket has a soft, natural shoulder, which just looks and wears a bit easier than one that’s built up. The canvas is so light that it still performs, but you can hardly feel it on your body.”

Although it’s fairly obvious that cotton and linen are far more summer-appropriate fabrics than heavy wool or synthetics, staying cool is not just about picking the right fibres, but the right weave, says Mr Whiddett. Consequently, many of the fabrics that feature in this season’s capsule, such as the herringbone linen in the shirt above, have been rendered in what’s known as an “open weave”. He elaborates in explanation: “If you hold [the fabric] to the light, you can almost see through it because it’s full of tiny gaps. Obviously, it’s not see-through when you wear it, but it allows the air to circulate a bit better.” Think of it as a personal air-conditioning unit, and you’re on the right track.

There are some things that seem unquestionably off-the-menu once temperatures head north of wintry – one of them being the three-piece suit. But at the centre of this season’s Thom Sweeney capsule is one such garment, rendered in a crisp and incredibly grey cord. The reason it works, again, is that the designers have thought through the details thoroughly. “We’ve obviously gone much lighter with the cord, as light a weight as you can go” Mr Whiddett says. “And we’ve cut it very soft from the shoulder, so it’s not a stiff, heavy-looking cord suit. It’s much more casual than that.” Consider this, then, a summer style challenge from Mr Whiddett: “If you’re going to a wedding or you really want to dress up, then why not go for it and wear the whole thing as a three piece; make a big statement?”

Shop the entire Thom Sweeney collection here