THE JOURNAL

As Style Director of MR PORTER, Mr Olie Arnold is something of an expert when it comes to dressing well on the move. After all, he’s spent many a weekend living out of a suitcase on the fashion industry’s biannual trade-show circuit. Just the man, then, to offer up a bit of timely style advice ahead of summer holiday season, which kicks off in earnest later this month.
With the latest high-summer collection from Mr P. arriving on our shelves, we posed him a challenge: which two outfits would he pack into his carry-on case if he had to jet off for a short break at a moment’s notice?
Comprising one main look that’ll take you seamlessly from daytime to evening, plus an additional outfit for the beach or the pool, it’s a simple, self-contained wardrobe that lays the foundations for weekend-long style. Throw in a few travel essentials such as underwear, phone charger and wash bag and you’re ready to go. Packing for longer? Just bulk it out with a few extra basics.
01.
The all-rounder

“Packing well means packing light,” Arnold says. “Choose an outfit that works from daytime to evening and you’ll have more room in your suitcase for souvenirs.” In this case, he’s relying on a simple shorts-and-tee combination for the base layer and throwing on a suede overshirt to dress things up and provide a little extra warmth when the evening arrives. “The shorts are smarter than most, but if you’re going out to dinner you might want to switch them out for lightweight summer trousers,” Arnold says. Completing the look is a clean-cut pair of Mr P.’s Larry sneakers in eco-minded regenerated suede.
02.
The poolside lounger

“If it’s a lounging-around-by-the-pool kind of weekend, this may be the only look you need,” Arnold says. It starts, as all good poolside outfits do, with swim shorts, in this case an orange pair decorated with a tropical banana-leaf print. A short-sleeved shirt with a vibrant geometric print completes the look. “Doubling up on prints is a bold move, but if you can get away with it anywhere, it’s by the pool,” Arnold says. He adds that the monochrome colour palette of the shirt keeps the look from getting oversaturated. Suede sandals and a pair of tortoiseshell sunglasses – the latter from Mr P.’s new collaboration with the London eyewear brand Cubitts – provide the finishing touches.
Illustration by Mr Joe McKendry