THE JOURNAL
Photograph by Mr Jonathan Daniel Pryce
How to avoid bulging pockets when going without outerwear in warm weather.
Well, someone’s cocky. If your trouser space is at a premium, we’d suggest perhaps a looser cut, but, hey, if you’ve got it, flaunt it. As smartphones come full circle and start to resemble flatscreen TVs, the resulting “phone bulge” is the sartorial equivalent of a hernia. Despite the obviousness, it can ruin the cut of a pair of trousers or the line of a jacket. Of course, the obvious answer is to conceal it discreetly in a jacket pocket, but as we head into warmer climes that option’s less straightforward.
Luckily for you, the question comes at a particularly nascent time. Just as Ms Marie Kondo is instructing us to streamline our homes, so too are the style Zen masters looking to cleaner, more minimalist solutions to carting around the ephemera of the daily grind.
The man bag – after flourishing to greatness in the form of substantial backpacks and heavy-duty totes – has been downsized in form, but definitely not in function. The rise of the belt bag has made easier the process of fitting in the essentials without encumbering your hands. Formerly known as the bum bag, the belt bag has grown up, now rendered in sleek nylon or elegant leather, worn across the body and nodding to a more dynamic, contemporary kind of guy for whom physical objects are painfully 20th century. This fellow doesn’t have time for hardbacks and diaries as he zips around town.
If you aren’t ready to take such a millennial leap, the pouch – a slightly marsupial description of your basic portfolio – could be a sophisticated choice for carting your wares, with versions in canvas more lightweight and easy to tuck under your arm than leather variants.
It’s also worth considering your summer cover-up options. If the idea of a jacket is too cumbersome, the happy hybrid that is the shacket – a touch weightier than a shirt but maintaining the casual structure of a jacket – could be your ally here. Likewise, the safari jacket, which is militaristic enough to be smart but unlined and easy to pair with just about anything, from weekend denim to more formal tailoring, and it comes with a plethora of pockets.
From Italian craft specialist Brunello Cucinelli to Mr Virgil Abloh’s designs at Louis Vuitton, the gilet has evolved as an informed addition to a warm-weather wardrobe. It’s pliable enough to throw on with a polo shirt and chinos, it even has a hint of sprezzatura (see its prevalence at Florentine men’s fashion showcase Pitti Uomo). All this leaves your trousers with ample room for anything else you choose to accessorise with.