In an age of constant chaos and always-on digital culture, the most persistent advice to fight the machine has been surprisingly analogue: go touch grass. Fashion has taken note, and after more than a decade dominated by hype, the sneaker is beginning to soften. Step forward a new wave of footwear. Slimmer silhouettes in suede, satin and nylon, led by luxury brands such as LOEWE, LEMAIRE and Dries Van Noten – alongside Jacquemus’ recent collaboration with Nike.

Where will this summer find you? At first glance, this feels like a question to approach at a leisurely pace, as befits the season itself. The vernal equinox was just here the other week and there is still blossom in the trees, after all. Yet time waits for no man. The hotter months will be here before you know it, and you don’t want to be caught short. At least not without swim shorts.

Few things shaped the trajectory of menswear quite like the advent of the Hollywood bad boy. Through the likes of Marlon Brando and James Dean, the newly defined teenager of 1950s America was inspired to wear a T-shirt instead of a sack suit and jeans in place of slacks. The world had a new set of rules after the war, and kids were excited to break them. Over the 20th century, rebellion would take on many styles. Much of what was once seen as defiant is now a staple of any man’s wardrobe, but some just don’t suit everyone.

Almost all men’s clothing can be separated into two categories: things you want and things you need. Underwear, you need. Crew-neck T-shirts and jeans, you need. But a rust suede jacket from Mr P. or the latest low-profile sneakers from LEMAIRE? Those you want. And that counts, too. The trick is to build a wardrobe of pieces that somehow sits in the middle of the two camps – clothes that cover the basics but offer that little something extra. Here are 11 elite pieces we think every man should have.

In an age of constant chaos and always-on digital culture, the most persistent advice to fight the machine has been surprisingly analogue: go touch grass. Fashion has taken note, and after more than a decade dominated by hype, the sneaker is beginning to soften. Step forward a new wave of footwear. Slimmer silhouettes in suede, satin and nylon, led by luxury brands such as LOEWE, LEMAIRE and Dries Van Noten – alongside Jacquemus’ recent collaboration with Nike.

Where will this summer find you? At first glance, this feels like a question to approach at a leisurely pace, as befits the season itself. The vernal equinox was just here the other week and there is still blossom in the trees, after all. Yet time waits for no man. The hotter months will be here before you know it, and you don’t want to be caught short. At least not without swim shorts.