The classic, lightweight summer look
AMONG the less heralded achievements of the Victorians was the invention of the male linen suit – heavy wool was hardly the material in which to go lording it over the colonies. Still a summer staple, the linen suit’s trump card – other than the fact that you can wear it in hot weather without melting – is its adaptability. Wear it formally with a tie, smart-informally with suede loafers (no socks please) for a summer evening out, or wear the jacket casually with shorts or jeans.
“You can dress it up or dress it down,” says Frederick Willems, head designer at Gieves & Hawkes. “In the true English fashion you can wear it with a regimental tie, lace-up shoes and a linen hanky in the breast pocket – silk doesn’t really go with the coarseness of the fibre – and look very smart.” Top it off with a panama hat – very on-trend this summer – and you’ve got that classic just-off-to-Wimbledon look. Of course, the thing you can’t avoid with linen is the creasing, but Willems says that doesn’t matter. “It’s the nature of the fibre, and really it adds to the aesthetic.”
Worn casually, that crumpled and lightweight effect falls in line with the fashion for all things unstructured says Mark Baxter, head of menswear at Austin Reed. For a very contemporary relaxed look, he recommends mixing a navy or grey linen jacket with a plain white t-shirt, crisp chinos rolled up slightly and deck shoes. “It’s a modern take on that glamorous, 1950s Riviera style,” he says.
1 Linen suit by Brooks Brothers, £499, www.brooksbrothers.com
2 Panama hat by Marks & Spencer, £25, www.marksandspencer.com
3 Navy linen jacket by Austin Reed, £180, www.austinreed.co.uk
4 Pink silk linen jacket by Marks & Spencer, £99, www.marksandspencer.com
5 Linen pocket square by Gieves &?Hawkes, £20 in sale, www.gievesandhawkes.com
6 Suede Loafer by John Lobb £465, www.johnlobb.com
7 Oatmeal linen suit by Gieves & Hawkes, £590, www.gievesandhawkes.com